AllFreeNovel
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I raised one lone brow, already skeptical of where this was going. “What?”
“A strong prey drive,” he answered, his heat a caress upon my skin. “So please, continue to run, Kitten,” he purred in his primal way. “I’ve always enjoyed the chase.”
His words coaxed a shiver to stroll down the length of my back. I couldn’t explain it, but part of me wanted to play—to run. Just to have him chase me down.
Goddess divine, help me . . . Where was this coming from?
When we returned to the house, the dishes were cleared from the kitchen table and the group was in the living room. Lyra and Harper sat on the floor, while Ryker, Ezra, and Soren took up one of the settees, which meant that Von and I sat alone on the smaller one.
Ezra must have briefed them about Kaleb because we skipped that part and delved right into the meat of it—how we were going to get him back.
Lyra rifled through the vast stack of papers scattered on the coffee table, plucking a few out and handing them to Harper. Harper relayed what they were and why they might help us before she handed them out to us. Together, the two of them performed like a well-oiled carriage wheel.
Based on the information Lyra had compiled, I could tell she was incredibly knowledgeable about the king and his soldiers. One drawing—a map of Clearwell Castle, the king’s favorite—was very detailed. I wondered if she had once lived there and if that had something to do with her not being able to speak.
By the time the sun dipped beneath the horizon and dyed the sky in soft pinks and light purples, we were not much further than when we began. The biggest problem? Figuring out which one of the king’s twelve training camps, scattered across Edenvale, Kaleb had been taken to. I studied Lyra’s hand-drawn map of Edenvale, marveling at the great expanse of land, while the others conversed.
“Are you nuts? We can’t abduct the king’s advisor,” Harper said to Ryker, her arm draped over Lyra’s shoulder, the two of them still on the floor.
He leaned forward. “I know it’s drastic, but think of the bargaining power it would give us.”
“I’ll keep that in mind when I’m strapped to the pyre.” Harper nodded in somber agreeance with herself, her ponytail bobbing. “Besides, a mission like that would take months to plan, let alone execute.”
“Harper is right. The king is not one to associate with rebels,” Ezra chimed in. “Fifteen years ago, we attempted something similar, and it resulted in many lives needlessly lost.”
“The Battle for the Red Rose,” Soren said, his gaze drifting to the floor. His fists clenched so tightly, the whites of his knuckles showed, the stretched skin chasing off blood flow.
The room fell silent—a brotherhood of sadness linking them all—one that I could not understand. But I wanted to.
“What was the Battle for the Red Rose?” I asked, extending a newborn branch to their deeply rooted tree.
Soren looked at me, his face solemn. “As I’m sure you know, the king doubled down on the Cleansings fifteen years ago. During that time, our people tried to plead with the king for mercy, but he would not listen—his hatred for our kind was too strong.”
Soren paused, searching for the right words.
Ezra patted his leg comfortingly and she continued for him. “Our people came up with a plan. If the king’s ear remained closed to our voices, we would open it. We sent out a group to abduct the queen—we had no intentions of harming her; we only wished for the king to listen. When the group was successful and they returned with the queen, we sent our demands to the king. He agreed to meet with us, to discuss a peaceful outcome.” Ezra tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Seems to me, I missed that meeting, as you and Kaleb were both sick at the time.” She shook her head. “Anyway, the king agreed to the terms. We returned the queen, his Red Rose, to him, and he signed the contract that we all believed to be binding.”
“But his word meant nothing,” Ryker cut in, his large frame dwarfing Soren, who sat beside him. Ryker leaned forward, his face solemn as his eyes met mine. “That night, the coward sent an army to butcher all of us in our sleep.”
Soren’s voice cracked. “That battle was the one that cost my parents their lives.” He glanced down at his hands. “I was two.”
Empathy overwhelmed me. He had been two—two years old—when he lost his parents. “I’m so sorry,” I offered, a small part of me wishing I had never asked at all.
“It’s alright,” Soren said with a soft shrug. “I’m not the only one who lost family members that night.”
Lyra rubbed Harper’s back—a comforting touch, Harper’s shoulders lacking their usual straight structure. Ryker looked no better than his twin, those broad shoulders of his also pushed down.
How many orphans were created that night because of the king—because of his hatred?
Von’s voice cut through the silence, his steel tone carving our attention. “The king’s advisor is still our best bet for finding out where the new recruits are stationed. But we don’t need to abduct him.” Von cocked that proud, strong chin ever so slightly to the side. Perilous, dark eyes swept over me, lingering too long on my lips before they shifted to meet my eyes. “Because he’s going to tell you.”
The way he said it, it sounded absolute.
“How?” I asked, my brow crinkling.
“Patience, love. I will get to that. But first, you are going to need a horse,” he answered, draping an arm over the back of the settee, just behind my head.
I glanced at Ezra for answers, but her blank eyes stared right on past me. I licked my lips, my brow shooting up. “A horse?”
