If we’d been in Kumulus, I would’ve had him thrown into the pit, his connection with the king be damned.
Allette and I race past the pub, where only a single man remains at the picnic tables scattered outside.
I dart a glance over my shoulder.
No one appears to be following us, but I can’t take any chances. Not with her. By the time we make it to the forest’s edge, my lungs burn like that bonfire. Who knew running was so fucking hard?
If only I could use my wings and fly us out of here. But if I drop my glamour, I might not have enough magic to recall it again.
Instead of turning left toward the path, I cut right between two tall green trees with prickly branches and head into the unknown. Twigs snap beneath our boots as we dodge tree trunks, leap over roots, and skirt around stones.
“Senan?” Allette gasps.
“Shhhh.” It’s so dark, there is no way of knowing if we’re truly alone.
“But we’re going the wrong way.”
I hate ignoring her, but there really isn’t time. If that guard can run even half as fast as I’ve seen him fly, he’ll be right on our tails. So I keep going, searching for a safe place for us to hide.
Allette tries to tug free of my grasp, but I can’t let her go now. The forest thickens, filled with too many prickly bushes and so many damned thorns. The tiny buggers stab through the arm of my coat when I sweep them back, clearing a path so Allette doesn’t get stabbed as well. She uses my distraction to free herself from my hold.
My beautifully insistent girl plants her feet, forcing me to stop lest we get separated. “I’m not taking another step until you tell me what is going on.” She draws down the mask I purchased after my dance with Wynn, fixing me with a hard stare. “I deserve an explanation.”
“And you’ll get one, after we find a place to hide.”
Uncertainty flickers over her shadowed eyes. “Hide? Why do we need to hide?”
Because I can’t lose you.“Please, Allette. I swear I’ll explain everything as soon as I can.”
Although a frown tugs at her lips, her fingers curl around mine once more. I search the darkness for some sign of shelter but find only the skinny silhouettes of barren trees.
“It’s this way.” I tug her to the right.
There must besomethingin this forsaken forest. A cave, maybe? Except, wild animals live in caves, right? Or is that only in storybooks? What about a barn? It’d be smelly, but at least it would be dry. But who builds a barn in the middle of the damn forest? Hell, I’d take a fucking overhang at this stage.
We keep walking, our feet growing more and more saturated with each step. Up a hill. Down the other side. Around a bend and?—
There. Straight ahead. If we weren’t on the run, I would’ve let out an exuberant cry. “We’re here.” I gesture toward a building-shaped shadow in the distance. I really hope this place isn’t covered in feces or inhabited by some rabid animal.
The shape ends up being a shite one-room cottage with a sagging thatched roof and no glass in the windows. Not exactly a castle, but the crumbling fireplace appears functional, and the creaky wooden walls will keep the breeze at bay.
I go in first, searching for signs that someone lives here. The place seems abandoned—my first bout of good luck in forever.Allette steps inside after me and turns in a slow circle, her gaze dragging along the cobweb-lined beams.
The floorboards groan when she shifts her weight, and a piercingcrackrings through the air. Allette pitches forward, but I catch her before she falls. Damn rotten floorboard. Her boot has punched right through.
I open my mouth to say something that’ll lighten the mood, but her glower tells me I’m better off staying silent.
Once she extricates herself, she smooths her hands down her skirts and inhales a deep breath. “Do you care to tell me why we’re hiding in an abandoned shack instead of flying back home?”
This is it. My one chance to convince her. If it doesn’t work, I’m not above taking her hostage. Just kidding. Mostly. I scrub my clammy palms against my coat. Why am I so nervous? This is Allette. My one and only. My forever.
“I don’t think we should go back to Kumulus. I think we should stay here.”
She glances around the empty room, her eyes slowly widening. “You want to stay in a shack?”
“Not in this cottage specifically. I mean stay in this realm. With the humans.”
Her eyebrows arch. “This is one of your jokes, isn’t it?”