by K.N. Lee
“Come on, babe. Let’s make it quick.”
“Are you sure? It looks pretty bad out there.”
“Yeah. This car has a shovel grill, it will smooth out and push away some of the snow.”
She put her gloves on. “Okay,” she said and he opened the glass door.
The howling of the wind through the buildings was a deafening roar, and the sudden burst of chilled air assaulted her face.
She fought the snow and wind to get across the sidewalk and into his car. “How did you get a pass to be out during the season?”
Byron winked at her. “I have connections.”
She looked into his eyes, and something took her breath away. A hidden truth stared her in the eyes, but she couldn’t tell what it was.
She looked ahead, suddenly doubting her decision.
“Ready?” Byron asked as he turned on the car’s ignition and pulled out of the parking spot and onto the street.
Allyn swallowed. “Yes. Let’s hurry before the storm gets worse.”
He nodded, and away they went down the snow-covered road.
Two weeks ago she thought she’d be happy to see Byron again. Now, he was the bringer of bad news and she was left desperately trying to make sense of the warnings that churned inside her stomach.
CHAPTER 10
HOURS DRAGGED ON in silence as Byron drove from the city. They entered the Briar Woods that encircled all of Elastria. The birch trees were bare except for thin icy branches, with etchings along their white trunks that reached toward the sky.
Byron seemed to tense, his eyes checking his dashboard every few minutes.
“Is everything okay?” Allyn asked. “Do we have enough fuel to get to the next station?”
He nodded, scowling at the dashboard. “It’s the check engine light I’m a little worried about.”
She sighed. “Of course. I’m starting to wonder if we are cursed, Byron. Since the day we met, everything has gone wrong.”
His eye twitched, his jaw tightening. “Nothing to worry about. We are going to make it.”
“That’s what you say about everything, and it hasn’t been true so far.”
“I can handle this.”
As he said those words, the car sputtered to a stop in the center of the pitch black road.
“Like I said,” Allyn whispered. “Cursed.” She couldn’t believe that they’d broken down seconds after she asked him about the car’s condition.
“Fuck,” he said and slammed his hands into the steering wheel.
Allyn pursed her lips, looking out her window into the darkness of the woods on either side of the car. The hairs on her neck stood on end as the little bit of heat that the car had struggled to putter faded. She shivered and glanced at Byron who sat there in silence.
“We can walk,” he suddenly said and Allyn’s brows rose.
“You’re kidding me.” Allyn threw up her hands, fed up with his awful decisions. “Walk where? I haven’t seen any stations or signs for anything in miles.”
He looked at her. “I have a friend that lives close by. He will let us stay with him for the night and I can call a mechanic in the morning.”
“We can’t afford a—”
“Enough, Allyn! Just shut up for once.”
She was startled by his outburst.
“I know what I’m doing.”
Bottling her own anger and annoyance, she looked away, her skin starting to heat with rage.
Best to just keep quiet, she thought, balling her fists. She closed her eyes and exhaled. How many years had it taken for her to learn to control her rage? If the nuns at the convent were good at anything, it was teaching her to bottle her anger.
Byron had no idea what he dared to awaken within her.
Deep breaths, Allyn.
A sudden surge of wind blasted into the car as Byron opened his door and got out. Cursing into the air, he stepped into the night and slammed his door. She watched him come around to her side and she dreaded getting out when he opened her door.
“Come on,” he said. “The faster we start walking, the faster we will get there and get warm.”
Her eyelashes flickered as the wind blew at her face.
“Bloody hell,” she muttered, wishing she’d stayed with Aude and Khia.
The kindness she’d wanted to see from Byron had ended the moment he’d gotten her into his car. Now, he seemed to be agitated.
“Who is this friend of yours? You never told me that you knew someone that lived on the outskirts of Elastria.”
He walked from the street and into the woods without looking back to make sure she was close behind. Afraid to be left alone, Allyn hurried to catch up with him. Her heels stabbed the icy earth as she scurried into the woods.
The sting of frostbitten flesh made Allyn wince as her cheeks tightened and seemed to crack. She rubbed her hands together, desperate for some small measure of warmth as Byron led her down a worn path through the woods. She pulled her coat closer, shivering, as her eyes scanned the darkness that smothered them.
Trees surrounded them—skinny trees that reached high to the black sky were now covered in a cloak of white snow that continued to fall in fierce torrents.
“Did you hear my question? Who is your friend?” Allyn asked, her teeth chattering.
Byron sighed. “You don’t know him.”
After what seemed to be an eternity of bone-chilling wind and darkness, Byron paused once the path opened to a road.
“We are almost there,” he said, pointing up ahead to black gates that emerged from the forest of silver and white. His brown hair lifted with the wind, and he pulled the black hood of his leather jacket over his head.
Allyn’s eyes widened as she looked at the black castle at the top of the hill. The height of the towers that stood behind the gates was astounding, with seemingly no end as if they reached directly into space, yet she knew that it was only the fog that hid the tops.
“What is this place?” she asked, her heart racing as she stared at the stained glass windows that stretched from the floor to ceiling on the front side of the castle.
There was something about this place that she didn’t like. If it wasn’t for the debilitating cold, she’d have turned around and returned to Byron’s broken down car almost a mile away.
As she paused along the path, a raging wind pushed her backward. Her red hair whipped around her face, blinding her, as she fell onto her bottom.
She cried out as the wind continued to push her down the slippery, icy road.
She flailed, trying to catch onto something, only to find sharp shards of ice and a loud roar. Her heart raced as she realized that she was defenseless against the Winter Winds.
The ice had cut through her gloves, leaving her in pain and with bloody palms. In the distance, she heard Byron calling her name, but as she relaxed her body, the wind picked her up and shot her body into the dark depths of the woods.
Is this it? Is this how I’m going to die?
Allyn’s mouth parted as the cold air encircled her and slammed her body into something hard, knocking her out.
CHAPTER 11
ALLYN WAS FORCED to her knees before the cross, her back raw from being whipped for what felt like an eternity, her small face streaked with tears.
Allyn was twelve years old.
Sister Catherine yanked her by a handful of hair. “Look at Him. If you repent, He will strip the demons from you.”
Lips trembling, Allyn nodded. “I pray to Him every night. I repent. What else am I supposed to do?”
Sister Catherine knelt beside her and took Allyn’s face into her hands, pressing her cheeks.
A chill ran along Allyn’s exposed flesh as she looked into the Sister’s eyes. Why was she crying? She wasn’t the one that had been beaten for a power that she couldn’t control.
To her surprise, Sister Catherine pulled her into a tight embrace. She whispered to her, while the other nuns looked on, their faces free of every emotion except ha
te for the little witch they’d been forced to look after.
“You better learn how to control this power, Allyn, or they will kill you.”
Those words resonated through her, striking fear into her heart. She bit her bottom lip, her brows knitting together as hot tears gushed from her eyes. She nodded.
“I will try.”
Instead of replying, Sister Catherine came to her feet and looked to the others. “A night of repenting should banish the evil within her.”
The other nuns nodded, except Sister Margaret—the cruelest of them all.
“What did you say to her?” Sister Margaret asked, her blue eyes fixed on Sister Catherine.
“I told her to repent for her sins, and beg the Lord for forgiveness.”
Sister Margaret didn’t seem convinced. “A night in the sanctuary is not enough. Those that are detestable to the Lord should be removed from those that are clean.” She shot a look at the youngest nun, Sister Anne. “Take her to the well outside.”
Allyn screamed when they took her from the sanctuary. “No! Not the well! Please!” Red bands of power shot from her fingertips, wrapping around the beams that supported the ceiling. Like sashes of blood, the power wavered and flew all around her without any control or prejudice for who it struck with its fiery assault.
A gasp came from the nuns, and they all bowed in prayer.
Sister Margaret stormed over and slapped Allyn so hard that she was nearly knocked out.
“Tomorrow,” Sister Margaret said, heaving. “We call the priest.”
ALLYN WOKE UP in a pool of sweat that made her clothes cling to her body. The nightmares were back, and she couldn’t shake the dread that filled her entire body. Those memories had been tucked deep into the darkest crevices of her mind, yet they sometimes came back, ready to ruin any hopes for happiness.
She never told her father about her treatment. She kept that secret to spare him any more pain than he already had. Still, those nights in the darkness of the well would forever haunt her. She had yet to see or experience anything more terrifying.
She sat up, greeted by an eerie darkness that made her skin crawl. The silence that surrounded her was unnerving, and it was cold. Her breath puffed from her lips in a fog before her face.
This was the second time she’d woken up in a stranger’s bed, and fear settled in much quicker when she realized that she had no clue where she was.
She pulled thick covers from beneath her chin and sat up. A screeching sound came from outside, and her eyes shot to the large oval window that looked out to the wintry outdoors.
It’s just the wind, Allyn told herself as she looked around the room decorated with expensive furniture that looked as if it belonged to another time. Vintage, elaborate, and beautiful. She realized that the bed she was in had a black canopy with sheer white drapes that cascaded around the top of the bed frame.
The large bedroom was the size of the apartment she’d shared with Byron. From the moonlight that shone onto her from between the open crimson drapes, it appeared to have a vanity and a sitting room with two chairs facing a small library.
Allyn pulled her shirt from her chest to let air circulate and cool her. Her throat was dry, and her head pounded.
Where am I? She looked down at the white shirt she wore instead of the sweater and jeans she remembered wearing.
She tensed when someone turned the knob of the bedroom door. She looked around for a place to hide, panic setting in as she realized that there wasn’t a closet, only a tall ornate wardrobe and that she didn’t have the time to run to it and hide.
The door opened, and Allyn pulled the covers up when a slim older woman peeked in on her. Her white hair was pulled up in a tight bun at her nape, and she wore a black dress that went to her feet.
“You’re awake,” the woman said as she stepped into the room and turned on the lights.
Allyn winced at the sudden brightness. “I am. Who are you?” She licked her lips, uncertain if she should be afraid or grateful.
She folded her hands before her as she stood at the edge of the bed. “I am Calinda,” the woman said, as Allyn noticed that her eyes were a bit too bright to be natural.
She wanted a closer look, to see why Calinda’s eyes seemed to be white. Her hand covered her mouth as Calinda moved closer to her, her body floating above the ground, translucence to her body that sent chills up Allyn’s spine.
Her face paled and she froze. “You’re a ghost.” Heart thumping in her chest, she wasn’t sure what to make of the supernatural being before her.
Calinda smiled. “I am. We all are. The staff and guards, that is.”
“What is this place? How did I get here?”
“Calm down,” Calinda said, her emotionless eyes peering at her in the darkness. “You are safe.”
“Where is Byron? Please tell me or I will scream.”
“Scream? But, what would that do?”
The ghost before her didn’t seem moved by Allyn’s show of fear or her threats.
“The master will explain everything to you, miss. It’s best that you just keep calm and wait until all things are explained. No need to fret, dear.”
Allyn shivered, suddenly more afraid of the dark than she’d ever been. She’d heard voices since she was a child, but to see a ghost...
Had she gone mad?
Master? Why wouldn’t Calinda tell her where Byron was? Was he okay?
Taking a chance, Allyn ran around the bed and made a mad dash for the door.
Calinda appeared before her, her tight smile fixed to her face like a painting. “Why don’t you let me draw you a bath, miss? You’ve had quite the tumble in the storm out there. Master had to carry you up here in the dead of night, and I’ve been tending to you to make sure you didn’t become ill. I must say, you are a strong one.” Her eyes flickered down to Allyn’s hands. “And you heal remarkably fast.”
Hiding her hands, Allyn licked her lips. “Who carried me here?” Allyn’s heart thumped in her chest as she tried to think of an escape, one that could outrun the ghostly figure before her. Instead, she stepped backward, suddenly doubting her courage as Calinda stared at her as if she could read her thoughts.
“I already said, miss. My master carried you.”
“Take me to him,” Allyn said, swallowing. She tried to look past Calinda at the dark hallway that seemed to go for miles behind her. “I’d like to thank him.”
Calinda waved her back into the bedroom. “Not tonight. I’m sure he will want to meet you in the morning.”
Allyn chewed her bottom lip, the skin cracked and bleeding onto the tip of her tongue. “Can I at least see Byron? Is he okay?” Maybe he had been hurt as well.
Calinda paused her advance on Allyn, her white eyes meeting hers. “Well, no. He’s already left.”
“What do you mean he’s already left? Why would he leave me here?”
Calinda frowned. The lines in her white flesh deepened. “He didn’t tell you?”
Warnings filled Allyn’s stomach. Dread followed. What was this bizarre dream and when would she wake up in her bed with Byron by her side?
“Tell me what?” Allyn risked asking, wringing her hands in worry.
“That’s odd,” Calinda said, shaking her head. “I thought you knew...Byron sold you to pay off his debts.”
Allyn slumped onto the bed, her face paling. “Sold me?”
“Yes. He claimed the Witch’s Bounty.”
Tears clouded Allyn’s vision. How could he? Was anything he said about her father true?
But this...being sold. She’d never forgive Byron for doing the exact thing he promised to protect her from.
“So,” she began between sobs. “I’m prisoner here?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Allyn shook her head. She didn’t care to wipe the tears that trailed down her cheeks as her heart broke within her chest. “Who did he sell me to?”
Calinda’s eyes brightened. “To my master. Prince Lennox Baran.”
CHAPTER 12
PRINCE LENNOX STOOD at the window of his private quarters, looking at the storm that ravaged his land, cloaking it in a thick sheet of snow and ice. It was early dawn, and he was ready to meet the woman he’d saved.
The woman that now belonged to him. Lennox rubbed his hands together. He hadn’t been this excited in years.
“What should I tell the press about the mid-season ball?” Edan, his assistant asked, holding his tablet’s stylus above the screen, ready to record everything Lennox said.
He didn’t mind. Such thoroughness was why he hired him. Edan was young, eager to please, smart, and did whatever Lennox said without question. The fact that he also worked for Conall caused problems at times, but it also worked in his favor. This way, he could keep tabs on what Conall was up to.
Edan was alive—a human. That alone was enough for Lennox to keep him around, especially since it was a difficult task to convince a human to work in a castle that was haunted by servants that had been dead for centuries.
It was part of the curse after all, and he was their caretaker as much as they were his.
“Tell them that I am not hosting this year. I’ll be leaving for Faustinia.”
“What?” Edan swallowed, his caramel brown skin losing a bit of color. “But, I don’t think that is wise. They aren’t to keen on you at the moment.”
Lennox raised a silver-white brow. “Did I ask what you thought?”
Edan shook his head. “No, your highness. My apologies,” he said, bowing his head. “I just urge you to be careful in enemy territory.”
“Duly noted. While they may be your enemy, they aren’t mine.” Lennox looked down at the tailor that altered his pants. “Almost done?” he asked, Lin, a small older man, dressed in all black with silver hair that was pulled into a ponytail.
“Yes, Prince Lennox,” he said, keeping his eyes down.
“One last thing. Is there anything you want to say to the press about the witch that was brought here last night?”
Lennox shrugged. “Let me think about it.”
“Of course, sir,” he said. “I will go tell the party planners that the plans have changed.”
