by Amy Miles
Lucien comes for me from over the mountain. I can smell his scent, though he tries to hide it with the shifting winds that funnel through the gorge. Castor’s cries must have brought them, and he is not alone.
Two remain with Lucien. Barrett and Fane.
I know they will outrun me. I am wounded and bleeding. I can feel my energy beginning to wane. I look to the heavens, noting the slightest hint of lightening in the sky. I only need to make it until dawn.
Yet I know the light of day will not stop Lucien. I have angered him by outthinking him. The game no longer matters to him. He seeks revenge.
As will Castor if he is freed. He will never be able to truly heal now that his arm is lost.
I glance back over my shoulder and breathe deep. Fane is trailing behind. I wonder if he is injured. Has Lucien attempted to end his life too? My stomach clenches at the thought, though even as it does, I am reminded that Fane cannot be trusted. Not until sunrise at least.
This is what Lucien desires, a still voice whispers to me. He knows Fane will unsettle me. It is a test to see where my loyalties lie. He has suspicions of my feelings.
I cannot allow Lucien to live or risk being found out. Vladimir will fly into a rage at the death of his brother. If I do this, I cannot remain. He will hunt me. I know this, yet there is no other option.
I cannot kill Fane.
I leap from the mountain’s peak and brace for impact, knowing my landing will be torturous. Pain lances through my foot as I land upon the uneven terrain. The soil shifts beneath my boots and I begin to tumble, rolling with growing speed.
Tree roots and rocks slam into me as I plummet into the base of the canyon. My ankle snaps, as do several ribs and my right arm. Pain bursts before my eyes, darkening my vision as I roll to a halt.
My pulse throbs incessantly in my head as the world feels as if it continues to spiral about me. Every part of my body hurts. I cry out as I try to pull myself upright. I look down upon my ankle and know I am done. It has shattered completely. My right arm dangles uselessly beside me. My body is a mass of scrapes and cuts, each one flooding the canyon with my scent.
They will come for me over the mountain and fan out, attempting to funnel me farther into the gorge. I have lost the advantage.
Do not give up. You are a survivor. Fane’s words filter through my mind as I search my surroundings for a place to hide. It will do me little good, yet I have to try.
Warm blood pools along my waist. I clamp my hand over the gaping wound, wincing at the pain my touch induces. My scent will be easy to track.
The trauma to my head makes it difficult to think as I drag myself toward a tree. I leave a trail of blood behind me. Digging my nails into the bark, I pull myself upright and nestle myself into a small nook between two tree roots. They curl up around me, embracing me.
My head lolls back as I stare up at the sky. Already, the black has begun to lift. A faint lavender has taken its place. Soon, the sun will rise, though I know I will not be alive long enough to see it.
Plunging my fingers into the earth, I can feel the vibrations of their approach long before I catch their scent. Lucien reeks of excitement. Barrett smells far more wary this time around. And Fane… he is unknown.
As they leap off the mountainside and land before me, I realize Fane’s face is still an unreadable mask. Though Lucien paces before me, his smile smug and his hands gripping his sword, I cannot look away from Fane. Though he gives me no inclination as to his intentions, I choose to trust him. He bared his heart and soul with me. A man cannot do that and then turn his back on you. Not a man with a soul.
My entire body trembles as Lucien stalks before me, his eyes wide with excitement. He has given himself over to the bloodlust. Nothing will stop him now.
I turn my gaze upon Barrett, who stands in place, staring at the sky. I can sense his disappointment and his resignation. “She wins,” he mutters and shoves his sword into his sheath.
Lucien turns. The muscles along his jaw flinch. “Wins?” He sneers. “She has won nothing. The sun has not fully risen.”
“Already the sky lightens,” Fane says, remaining a few steps behind Barrett. His voice lacks emotion, an even match for his steely gaze. “You know the rules.”
“Blast the rules. Have either of you glimpsed the sun?” Lucien jabs his hand toward the horizon. I follow his gaze and realize with a bitter irony that it rises behind the tallest mountain. “This is not over.”
He turns on me, his fingers clenching and unclenching upon the hilt of his sword. He is seething, working himself up for the kill.
“Is there honor in killing a defenseless woman?” I call out. Pain strangles my words and I wince as blood spills from my lip. I can taste it upon my tongue.
“This is not about honor, you foolish girl. This is about destiny. I chose you for a purpose and you have yet to prove to me that you are worthy of that purpose.”
From the corner of my eye, I see Fane strike. Barrett never had a chance to react before a sliver of red appears along his neck. His eyes grow wide as his body falls slack. His head departs from his body as he collapses to the ground.
Fane stands behind him, his sword bloodied. Lucien whirls around. “Deceit! I told Vladimir he was a fool to trust you.”
A smile stretches across Fane’s face as he nods. “That is the last mistake either of you will ever make.”
With a growl that rivals any I have ever heard, Lucien dives for Fane. He raises his blade to connect with his opponent. A blur of color leaps between them, and I hear Lucien’s cry cut off. Stunned, I watch as a great gray wolf lands atop Lucien, his arm clutched in its jaws.
Lucien shrieks and beats at the wolf. Others appear from the tree line, their gaze focused on Barrett’s body.
Fane backs away slowly as Lucien continues to beat against the wolf’s jaw. A pack of twelve approaches, their bellies low to the ground. I can hear Lucien’s skin tearing as two wolves break of from the pack and aid their leader.
I watch as Lucien’s hand reclaims its firm grasp on his sword and he slices at a tawny wolf. Blood stains its fur as it falls to the side. Another is sent hurtling through the air. It yelps as it slams into a tree and slides to the ground.
“Come on.” Fane reaches beneath me and pulls me into his arms. He cradles me to his chest and sprints into the forest, leaving behind the braying of the wolves and Lucien’s shouts.
I cling to him, digging my fingers into his arm as tears come. The sounds of the battle begin to fade behind us as Fane puts distance between us. “Will they kill him?” I ask.
“No. Though they will try. The pack was tracking us earlier. Lucien was a fool to let them get so close.”
I press my cheek against his chest, counting the beats of his heart as he runs. A brilliant light blinds me as he crests the ridge, and I raise a hand to shield myself from the sun. “I made it,” I whisper, slowly lowering my hand, savoring the warmth of the new day.
Fane’s grasp tightens around me as he nods. “I never doubted you for a moment.”
“I did,” I say, leaning my head back to stare up at him. “I was sure you were wrong until I was trapped in that crevice. I knew if they found me, that would be the end of me. In that tiny space I realized I wanted to live.”
I expect Fane to smile, though instead, his eyes widen with surprise and his pace slows to a near walk. “You were down there?”
“Of course.” I laugh. The sound trails off as Fane sinks down to his knee and lowers me to the ground.
“If I had known… I would have aided you.” Grief darkens his voice. I reach out and touch his face, moved by his guilt.
“You did help me. You sent them away.”
He shakes his head and pulls away from my grasp. “Only because I thought you would double back to Castle Bran.”
My eyes widen with surprise. “You thought I would return there?”
“I never dreamed you would remain where you placed your scent.” A look of awe begins to dawn on his
face. “You truly are unpredictable.”
A flush rises in my cheeks as I look away. He draws back my chin, waiting for me to look upon him. His smile is tender, his gaze filled with loving promise. “I could not bear the thought of losing you, of living without you.”
Though his words chase away the pains that riddle my body, I know I do not deserve his love. Not when I cannot truly be his. “It is not right that you should love me, a wretched girl with no future.”
“Not right? What deems you unworthy of my love? A vow spoken with a rebellious heart? A vengeful husband who will soon place a price upon my head?”
“All of the above,” I whisper as tears begin to swell in my eyes, choking off my words.
Fane seizes my hand in his, clutching it to his chest. “You are mine and no one else's.”
I suck in a breath, ignoring the agony in my ribs and the blood that seeps from my side. None of that matters. “I am yours?”
“Yes.” He smiles, raising my hand to press his lips against each of my fingers in turn. “For all of eternity. I vow it to be so.”
“You should not.” I turn away. My lips begin to tremble as the warmth of his hand wars with the ice confining my heart. “I am not free to love you.”
“And yet you do.” He reaches out to gently cup my cheek in his hand. His face swims before me as I raise my gaze. His eyes are wide and knowing. I am unable to fathom the depths to which I can see within his soul, though I dearly long to have the chance to do so.
“And yet I do,” I whisper. “With all my heart, I do.”
“Then that will be enough… for now.” He looks beyond me to the mountains that will lead me to Castle Bran. Vladimir will come for me soon. When he discovers me, I am unsure of how he will react. Will be blame me for Lucien’s attack? For the death of so many of his men? Perhaps not, though he will surely seat the blame firmly upon Fane’s shoulders.
Time is fleeting.
I cannot imagine a life where Fane does not exist, one of eternal misery and torment, yet if he remains by my side, his death will be sealed. “Where will you go?”
Fane’s smile is achingly gentle as he draws me near, encircling his arm about my waist. His hand spans my lower back, holding me to him.
“I do not know, though there is one thing of which I am certain.” He lifts my chin so he may look upon me. He smiles and closes his eyes as he gently brushes his lips against mine for the last time. I lean up into his touch, desperate for it to be unending. He smiles against my lips, drawing a whimper from my throat. “I will return for you.”
His words are but a whisper, yet I seal them in my heart all the same. Tears trail the curve of my cheek as I feel him pull away, hear his footsteps as he leaves me behind.
I wrap my arms about my waist as numbness settles over me. The warmth of Fane’s hand upon my face fades sooner than I am able to bear. I know he is gone, fled far over the mountains to unknown lands beyond. I wish I could go with him, though I cannot. I am bound to Vladimir, to a marriage I cannot escape. At least not yet.
Slowly, I open my eyes to the rising of the sun. I do not know how I will survive without Fane at my side, yet I know I will, somehow… if only to see him once more.