I slammed the door shut and turned the lock with shaking fingers. My back hit the wood, and I slid down until I was sitting on the cold floor, my dress pooling around me like spilled wine. My chest rose and fell so fast it almost hurt.
Images from the vision kept flickering behind my eyes like a broken reel... the blade, the blood, his face.
Kairan was Meredia's husband.
My stomach twisted so violently I almost gagged. Meredia had fought her family to marry him. She had tried to end her life when they arranged her to someone else, but in the end they gave in and she got her prince. The man she'd risked everything for.
And six months laterโฆ he killed her.
I buried my face in my hands, nails digging into my scalp. If fate was just a wheel and I was stuck on itโฆ if I had to live her life all over againโ
I swallowed hard, tears blurring my vision.
๐'๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ.
I had to leave right now.
If I stayed here another second, I'd choke on my own heartbeat.
I shoved off the floor and stumbled to my feet, wiping my palms on my skirt. My eyes darted around the room like a trapped bird. Gold-framed mirror. Velvet curtains. Chandeliers. None of it would save me.
๐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ญ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐บ. ๐ ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ.
I didn't dare open the chamber door again. I couldn't escape through it. Someone would catch me there.
My eyes fell on the wardrobe door. It was a small room dressed up as one. The gold doors gleamed at me like an exit sign.
I lunged for it, yanking the doors open so hard they clanged against the walls. Dresses hung inside in lines. One by one, I ripped them out, piling them on the floor. The soft sound of fabric hitting wood felt like gunshots.
My fingers moved on its own, knotting, twisting, pulling dress after dress, silk after silk. The rope grew longer, heavier, a lifeline made out of wealth I didn't want over my life.
I glanced at the main door again. He or anyone could be standing out there. I had to work fast. I had no choice than to jump from balcony.
I dragged my makeshift rope across the room, the fibers rasping softly against the cold stone floor. I threw the gold latch open with shaking hands, and pushed the balcony doors outward. The cool night air hit my face.
I looped one end of the rope around the pillar of the railing, pulling it tight until my knuckles went white. Then I hurled the other end over the edge. It unraveled down into the darkness below, swaying slightly in the wind.
I looked down. The drop was too long. My stomach flipped.
๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข ๐ด๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ.
I swung my leg over the railing, gripping the rope with both hands. My hands trembled so hard the fabric bit into my palms.
My palms burned against the rope as I lowered myself further down, my legs against wall. My breathing was loud in my own ears.
I was almost there. Just a little more and I'd be freeโ
Suddenly a low sound rolled up from the dark below me. It wasn't wind or a human.
I froze mid descent, legs pressed tight against the wall, the rope swaying slightly under my weight. My heart thudded so hard I thought it might give me away.
Another growl came, this time deeper, vibrating through the night air, straight into my bones. It wasn't an echo. It was real.
I tilted my head downward between the bushes of the garden, two faint blue lights stared back at me.
Eyes.
They blinked slowly. Every inch of my skin prickled. Then it stepped forward. It wasn't a lion or tigerr, not even a wolf. It was something caught in between.
Every inch of my skin prickled.
It moved like a cat but its legs were too long, too lean, canine in shape. Its face was unmistakably feline but with dog-like whiskers and exceptionally large ears resembling a fox's lined with fine wispy fur and tipped with long feathery tuffs that curved upward and outward.
Its fur was mottled grey, streaked with white down its mane, and dotted with faint blue luminescent spots formed like ribs along it's shoulders and flanks, that made it very bright for me to see it clearly.
It growled again, a low, rolling sound that made the rope vibrate under my hands. And then it opened its mouth. It's teeth were so sharp it could rip a steak or maybe my leg into two halves.
I clung to the rope tighter, my whole body trembling.
๐๐ฌ๐ข๐บ. ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ. ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ.
I started climbing back up, my arms burning, my dress snagging on the rope. The creature below tilted its head, watching me climb with those glowing eyes, growl rising and falling like a warning.
I yanked at the rope, my feet scraping against the wall, but sweat and pure terror had turned my palms slick. My arms felt jelly.
"Why won't you go upโ" I hissed, fingers sliding, nails digging into the fabric. "My handsโฆ slippingโ"
And then, slip.
The rope slid through my hands like water and I flailed, trying to grab it back, but gravity didn't care. ๐๐ต just yanked me down.
๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ. ๐๐ต'๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ'๐ด ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ. Consoled my angelic subconscious.
I hit the ground hard, landing on my hip. A sharp, ugly pain shot up my spine and burst in my shoulder. The impact knocked the air out of me, left me gasping and dizzy.
My vision blurred for a second, but the growl snapped everything back into focus. It was closer now...low, guttural, like a purr if purrs wanted to kill you.
It sprinted forward so fast my eyes almost didn't catch it. The thing planted itself right in front of me like a dog about to pounce...neck low, hind legs tense, head tilted just enough to show all those nightmarish teeth. Its eyes glowed an electric blue that pulsed faintly, and spots along its mottled gray fur lit up the same way, like stars under its skin.
Pain throbbed in my hip with every heartbeat. I could taste blood from biting my tongue.
Okay. I don't want to die this way. Please call forest officer.
Actually no, this is Valkathra, there's no forest officer. My angel cried.
Somebody callโฆ a witch, a priest, anything. Anyone save me from your hybrid escape-science-lab catdog monster.
The creature inched closer, its growl deepening, the blue spots flickering like warning lights.
The creature lunged at me with a low, menacing growl. My arms shot up instinctively, hands covering my face, my body curling in on itself. I pressed my knees to my chest, digging my feet into the ground, screaming, "No! No! No!"
Every instinct screamed to fight, to escape, but my limbs felt heavy, as if I were sinking. My mind teetered on the edge of panic, imagining sharp teeth tearing into me, blood, pain, the endโ
And thenโฆ nothing.
No teeth sank into me or claws tore flesh. I froze, trembling violently, heart hammering like it would burst.
A wet, warm, sticky sensation brushed against my hands. Confused, I opened my eyes slowly. The creature's muzzle hovered over my palms, its rough tongue licking my hand.
It paused for a moment, sensing my wide open eyes, then wagged its oversized plume like thick and fluffy tail so hard the ground thumped with the motion. Its eyes were fixed on me...not with malice anymore.
I stayed frozen, muscles tight, every breath shallow, unable to move.
The creature's head snapped toward the dark trees behind it, ears twitching. Its growl faded.
And thenz out of nowhere, someone stepped into the clearing as if the night had just spat him out. One blink and he wasn't there, the next he was.
I sucked in a sharp breath, chest heaving. Kairan.
๐๐ฐ. ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฆ.
My body locked up. I couldn't move, couldn't even twitch a finger.
๐๐ถ๐ฏ! ๐๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฑ! ๐๐ฏ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
He stopped a few steps away, eyes on me, then reached down and patted the beast's head.
"Shadow," his voice was low, almost amused, "I instructed you to inspire trepidation, not adoration."
๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ชโ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต?
The creature rubbed its neck against him like some giant housecat.
"I believe that you may have fractured her bones."
His eyes slid back to me.
He narrowed his eyes. "What compulsion drove you to flee, Lady?"
๐๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฅ๐ช๐ฐ๐ต.
"The entirety of this evening," he said, voice low, "proved unlikable to my expectations." He flexed his fingers, slowly pulling off his gloves, letting them fall to the ground. "I was compelled to invite you for a dance, when, in all honesty, it should to have been your request to me."
My mind spun.
๐๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ? ๐๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต? ๐๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ? ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐จ๐ฆ?
And then a glow pulsed from his hand. Blue light shimmered as he lifted it over my head, palm hovering just above me.
๐๐ฐ, ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต... ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ถ๐ฆ-๐ง๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฆ.
"You've embarrassed me, Lady," his other hand ghosted through my hair. "In front of all those lowly menโฆ" He leaned closer, gaze narrowing, and it wasn't gentle...i. "I shall not tolerate such insolence particularly when my intentions are solily those of a gentleman."
My lips trembled. I tried to speak, tried to explainโฆ but nothing came out. My throat burned and tears blurred my vision.
"Is your pain gone?" His voice softened for just a second, but there was still that arrogance like he enjoyed the fear curling around me. He straightened slowly.
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฑ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ? ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ข๐ด๐ด ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ต?
Before I could respond, his hand swept to my cheek, patting it before brushing the tears away. My vision cleared. His face loomed closer. It was impossibly perfect, dangerous and intoxicating.
"Your pain, my lady?" he said, lips quirking, the ghost of a smirk forming. "You fell from such a heightโฆ"
๐๐ฉ, ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต?
The ache in my hip vanished under his touch. My hand went to it reflexively.
I managed a whisper, barely audible.
"Youโฆ didโฆ it?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"Of course I did," he scoffed, each word dripping with insults. "Do you suppose a gentleman of my stature, the Crown Prince Kairan, would foresake lady in such a shattered state?" He leaned closer, his closeness suffocating me, voice dropping so low it was meant to make me shiver. "Indeed not, I attend to matters, yet I do anticipate gratitude and, perchance, a smattering of respect."
Every word dripped dominance, arrogance, and... what the hell with his choice of words? I coudlnt understand anything but something about it made me excited.