I shake my head. To my surprise, Maya says, “Mathilde is right. Your muscles will atrophy if you don’t move them.”
Frowning, I turn in my seat to look at her. She keenly watches me, face closed off.
“Come on, miss. I’ll keep you company,” Mathilde says cheerfully as she sets her knitting aside and rises to her feet.
With a sigh, I get up from the armchair too and follow her out my room. The first step outside my golden cage invigorates me. Every fiber in my being screams for me to run.
Run.
Run.
Run.
But it’s futile. My mind knows better than my body. Maya would tackle me in a blink of an eye. And I’d be under lock and key. So I dig my nails into the soft flesh of my palms and focus on putting one foot after another.
Right as we descend the stairs to the first floor, the sound of shuffling feet behind me reaches my ears. Maya’s steps halt, but she doesn’t reach for her weapon. I look over my shoulder and freeze in place.
Two wide hazel eyes stare at me, wide with shock.
I know those eyes.
Phoenix.
I stare at her, dumbfounded.No way.Is my mind playing tricks on me? But next to her stands Jax, his face paler than usual as he stares at me.
The moment stretches between us.
I can’t believe this is happening. But before hope and excitement can bloom, dread floods me.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I whisper to Phoenix.
A second later, Phoenix and Jax spring into action.
Before Mathilde can open her mouth to scream for help, Jax is behind her, a blade pressed to her throat. Phoenix tackles Maya, who stands without drawing a weapon.
“No!” I reach for Maya as Phoenix presses a blade to her side, right under her ribs. “Don’t kill her.”
Phoenix’s gaze is determined. “We won’t if they let us go without causing a ruckus.”
I meet Maya’s gaze. She gives me a sharp nod.
“You…you knew they were here, didn’t you?” I ask her.
She presses her lips into a thin line.
She must have. That’s why she insisted I go for a walk. She tried to help me.Again.
“Sir Reizei has guards all around,” Mathilde says, her voice shaking. “He won’t let you take Miss Talbot with you.”
Phoenix startles at that, blinking rapidly. But she wastes no time with questions. She jerks her chin at Jax and he presses two fingers into Mathilde’s neck. A moment later, she slumps against him, unconscious.
Jax flashes me a crooked smile. “I guess today is our lucky day. This trick doesn’t always work.”
“Jax!” Phoenix barks.
He quickly sets Mathilde down against the wall. “Yes, of course. No time.”
Maya stands a few feet away from us, nervously glancing at the corridor on our left. “You have to be quick. He knows you’re here.”
