Nonna’s necklace looked the same as it always had. I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face. It must have been in my head.
As I slept, nightmares of burning villages and a tall, silver-haired male haunted me.
* * *
The second day, I saw the shadow three times. The bonds around me became looser the further south we traveled, as though Remington was losing the ability to concentrate.
I spent every waking second of that day trying to remove the prohiberis from my wrists. I tucked my hands into the fabric of my gown, hiding them from sight as I fiddled with the heavy bracelets. Every time I touched them, it felt like I was jabbing painful needles into my fingers, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t stop.
Soon, small spots of blood joined the mud dirtying my dress, but I didn’t care. I would not go down without a fight.
By the time we stopped to make camp that second night, the males were casting each other worried glances as they discussed the shadow.
That spark of hope grew into a little flame.
Stand Your Ground
When the third day came around, the males were well and truly spooked. It had rained the night before, and everyone was in a foul mood. We were soaked, having not found any shelter before the skies opened up, and the shadow had swept over us four times already. Even the horses seemed jittery.
I sat quietly astride the horse, watching the seemingly never-ending procession of trees as we rode towards Vlarone. By the time the heat of the spring day had burned off the chill of the morning, Remington was shifting nervously in the saddle behind me.
“We need to get off the road,” he ordered, shattering the tense silence. “Leave the horses. We will have to travel on foot. Let’s see if the beast is able to follow us, then.”
Beast. What exactlyisfollowing us?
I looked around. It wasn’t as though we were in the middle of civilization. The road itself was barely more than a dirt path. Trees surrounded us on both sides, their looming presence casting deep shadows across the road. We hadn’t met a single person since yesterday.
They hadn’t put on my gag that morning, and I wasn’t going to remind them by speaking.
“Yes, sir,” Kolvar said. He dismounted, leading his horse over to us before taking the prince’s reins.
Remington followed suit, stretching his legs before yanking me off the saddle. I stumbled as my feet touched the ground. The prince made a sound of derision as he grabbed my shoulders roughly, forcing me to stare into his eyes.
“I’m going to undo the bindings around your wrists now,” Remington growled. “I need you to be able to move as fast as possible once we get into the forest. But before you get any ideas, let me show you who will be coming after you if you run. Kolvar?”
The cat shifter handed the reins to the prince before winking at me. A white light flashed, and Kolvar disappeared. I swallowed my shriek as I stared at the place where he had been standing.
Before me was a large tiger. It was unnaturally large, the size of a pony. It had razor-sharp teeth and paws the size of my face.
“Oh my gods,” I whispered. My hands trembled at my side as I stared at the creature, suddenly wishing he was the tiny black cat once more.
At least then he’d appeared harmless.
Remington chuckled darkly, his grip on my shoulders tightening. “Thank you for the show, Kolvar. I do believe my fiancée understands.”
The tiger roared, the sound sending shivers down my spine before the flash of light returned. When the male was back, he bowed.
I stared at him, fear and revulsion battling within me. This was the first time Kolvar had shown his true colors, and to say that I was scared would have been an understatement.
Now more than ever, I knew I needed to get the prohiberis off me. And soon.
Kolvar had remained in his human form the entire time I had been with them, but now that I knewwhathe was… I itched just thinking about all the times I had played with that cat growing up.
Bile rose in my throat when I thought about the times he had been present as I had engaged in the most private of matters. He had watched me while I had gotten dressed… and undressed. While I had washed. Slept.
He had intruded on my life for years.