Page 73 of Ravenrose

A storm passed through in the early hours of the night, unleashing a deluge of wind and rain upon the village. I left her out here. Didn’t bother fetching her any food, and figured she could get her water from the sky.

My eyes narrow as I take a closer look.

She looks pale—paler than usual. And I can see her shaking from here, her body shivering for warmth. She’s fae; the cold won’t kill her. And it’s the least she deserves after what she did yesterday.

She made a fool of me.

Again.

She looked so sincere, so desperate to help. I actually… I actually believed her.

I should never have let her near that child.

My fingers twitch near the knife at my hip.

One problem

One easy solution.

I could walk over there right now. It would only take a few seconds… One quick slash of my blade and I could finally be rid of the little royal menace once and for all.

An involuntary growl forms in my throat when I hold myself back, remaining where I am, leaning against Dash’s warmth.

Theo.

Godsdamned Theo. He better be fucking right about the need to keep her alive, because I swear…

I move my hand away from my knife. My loyalty to Theo is the only thing staying my hand.

The fae are wicked creatures—deceitful. Even pretty little ones. I would do best to remember that. The way she had looked up at me… That pleading look in her eyes…

I fell for it.

My fists tighten all over again.

Vicious, manipulative, poisonous creatures. Every. Last. One of them.

Still, my eyes drift to her.

The way she shivers in her sleep twists something low in my gut. It’s fleeting, and it’s irritating, and I crush it immediately, tearing my gaze away from her.

The sun rises slowly over the mountains, the morning lazily settling in around us. Most of the men spent the night inside the abandoned cottages near the town square. I can’t deny how good it felt to have a proper bed after days on the road.

The smell of forest and fresh rain is in the air, leaving behind a light fog. The warm hues from the sunrise stream through, hazy and muted.

We need to get moving soon if we’re going to stay on schedule, but the mother and her children complicate things.

A cry cuts through the silence.

The sound of a wailing woman coming from the cottage where the mother and her children spent the night.

I frown and let out a slow breath.

Kent was certain the baby wouldn’t survive the night.

I cast one final glance toward the princess—still blissfully asleep, exhausted after playing her wicked little game—before starting toward the cottage with heavy steps.

The door bursts open before I can reach it.