His smirk faltered, just for a breath. The sharpness in his gaze dimmed, barely a flicker, before his walls snapped back into place.
“Careful, dove,” he murmured. “You’re treading dangerous ground.”
“Am I wrong?” she pressed. “You rage against the system, but all you’re doing is replacing it with another hierarchy. Another form of control.”
His expression hardened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She exhaled, leaning back against the seat. “Maybe not.” Her gaze flicked to the curtain-covered window. “But I’m starting to think you don’t either.”
The carriage jolted violently, the uneven ground beneath its wheels tossing her back against the seat. Reiya bit down on the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to remain steady as the motion rattled through her.
The silence stretched between them, thinner than a blade’s edge. Castiel was always careful, always controlled—but now, something had cracked. It was there, in the taut line of his shoulders, the way his fingers curled slightly against the seat, the way his bottom lip quivered—a tell he’d never quite outgrown from childhood.
Small signs, but enough.
Her plea might’ve gone unanswered, but she knew: He wasn’t immune to her. Not completely.
Reiya’s breath steadied as realization settled over her. What if she could find that crack again, widen it just enough? He wasn’t invincible, no matter how much he tried to appear. If she could turn that vulnerability into an advantage, if she would wear down his conviction, then maybe—just maybe—this wasn’t as hopeless as it seemed.
The carriage slowed to a halt, its creaking wheels settling into silence as the door swung open. The desert air hit Reiya’s face, dry and sharp, carrying the faint scent of sand and sunbaked earth.
Ahead, a lone horse waited, reins in the hand of Hassamir’s man. The carriage, though sturdy and afforded privacy, was impractical for a long-haul journey across shifting sands. Switching to a horse would afford Castiel a speedier escape than a carriage ever could.
She ignored his proffered hand and stepped out, her eyes narrowing as he approached the horse. The man exchanged a curt nod with Castiel, relinquishing the reins with quiet efficiency.
Her thoughts churned as she watched. She could surprise them—steal the horse, race into the desert, put as much distance as possible between herself and whatever horrors awaited at their destination.
A desperate bid for freedom, reckless but tempting.
Yet, she didn’t move. Her feet felt anchored to the sand. Her pulse quickened, the weight of her indecision pressing against her ribs. Escape was within her grasp, yet her resolve faltered. She told herself it was strategy—learn his weaknesses, then strike—but a deeper truth whispered that she wanted tounderstand.
The man who had the horse climbed to sit beside the driver, their intention to leave her here at Castiel’s mercy clear. The driver whistled sharply, and the horses stirred, their hooves crunching against the sand. The carriage creaked to life, the faint jolt of its wheels pressing into the stillness.
For now, she stayed still, the two of them and the horse alone in the vast expanse of the desert, only with the moon as their witness.
Her gaze locked on him as he swung into the saddle with infuriating ease. The leather creaked beneath him, the faint sound cutting through the oppressive silence. Once settled, he looked down at her, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Coming, dove?”
She didn’t move, her brow furrowing.
“I could run,” she warned. The desert stretched endlessly around them, its vast emptiness broken only by the jagged silhouettes of rocky outcrops. It would be foolish to try, but shecould. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and the night was dark enough to give her cover. If she could reach one of the caves scattered throughout the desert . . .
“You won’t,” he replied, his voice as casual as if she’d asked if he thought it’d rain. “You’re far too curious to run now. Don’t you want to know what this is all about?”
Her chest tightened with a surge of hatred. She hated how well he still knew her, after all this time. How he could strip her defiance down to its core and expose the part of her that couldn’t resist knowing the truth.
Without waiting for her reply, he extended his arm. For a moment, she stared at it, considering her options. Then, she took it and swungherself up onto the saddle behind him. The horse shifted beneath them, its breath misting faintly in the cool night air.
Castiel turned his head slightly, voice low and taunting. “Good girl.”
She clenched her teeth, hands curling tightly against the saddle.
Not for long,she promised herself.
Chapter Fifty-Six
REIYANA
