Jax smiles. “Then let’s go get our girl back. I’ve got the location on all the Talbot estates that are not registered with the government.”
Newfound hope blooms in my chest. The sound of crashing waves and pounding rain is interrupted by a distant familiar screech.
Frowning, I look up at the sky. “Did you hear that?”
A familiar black silhouette appears between the clouds just when the lightning strikes. But I blink, and it’s gone.
“Heard what?” Jax asks.
Maybe I’m imagining things. I shake my head. “Nothing. Let’s head back to the castle to meet my spies. I’ve wasted enough time as is.”
CINDER
"What remains after the fire is the only truth worth knowing."
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
VERA
I’m roused from sleep by distant voices. Slowly, I blink my eyes open.
A large canopy with white linen curtains hangs above me. I’m on top of something soft. A mattress.
I’m in someone’s bed.
It takes a moment for my memories to catch up. I was in the dark cell for gods know long, and the last thing I remember is?—
I try to sit up. My forearms burn when I lean on them. I hiss and drop back into bed.
I’m supposed to be dead.
“Miss, please,” an unfamiliar voice says.
I turn my head to find an elderly fae dressed in a sky blue tunic and pants sitting in an armchair next to my bed.
“Your body is weak,” she says. “You need to rest now.”
“Where am I?” I croak.
My throat is dry. The fae hands me a glass of water. I down it in a few gulps and sink back into my pillows.
I’m so tired.
“You’re safe,” the fae says.
I sigh. Keeping my eyes open takes too much energy. I’ll just close them for a second.
Before I know it, sleep claims me.
The soundof rhythmic humming in the distance wakes me. The room is dark, as if it’s late evening or maybe early morning.
Where am I?
A heartbeat later, the memories of the past few weeks, or maybe months, surge to the front of my mind. Slowly, I lift my arms. They’re riddled with scars. The vertical ones going from my wrists to my elbows are most prominent.
How long have I been out?
No way did the wounds heal this quickly. At least not without a mender’s help.
