“I do not wish to be disturbed for the rest of the night,” he said. “But tomorrow morning, I will take up the throne.”
“Good night, cousin,” Detrius said. “Once again, I cannot express enough what a relief it is that you have returned.” He gave Bastien another smile that didn’t reach his eyes before turning on his heel and heading down the corridor.
With the two of us now alone, Bastien pushed open the door and pulled me inside. He closed it behind us and bolted it. The calm exterior he had assumed in front of his cousin melted, giving way to disturbance.
“Bastien,” I whispered, gripping his wrists, “What on earth—”
He pressed a palm over my mouth and widened his eyes at me. I fell silent.
He pushed his ear against the door, listening for what, I didn’t even know. Then, after an intense ten seconds, he pried himself away and made his way deeper into the chambers. I followed after him, having no idea what else I was supposed to be doing with myself. I gazed around at his regal, yet simple quarters. There was an odd, musky smell. Thick rugs sprawled across the stone floors and richly patterned, burgundy tapestries lined the walls, but otherwise the furnishings were rather minimal. Glowing lanterns illuminated the place, and it was cold. Terribly cold. I wrapped my arms around myself as I followed him down a corridor. He stopped outside a door and mouthed, “Wait here.” He opened the door and stepped into a bedroom.
He emerged barely a minute later, fully dressed in fresh clothes. He wore a plain off-white shirt and dark pants, similar to what he had been wearing when I’d first come across him.
He continued down the corridor and entered a smaller room, an armory. Its walls were covered with hanging swords, daggers, spears, as well as bows and arrows. Bastien retrieved a belt and a thick satchel that hung from the back of the door. He began piling daggers and arrows into the bag before fastening a bow to the belt.
I could not hold in my anxiety any longer. As he seemed to have finished sifting through the weapons, I moved forward and gripped his shirt, tugging at him and forcing him to look me in the eye.
“What is happening?” I mouthed.
He glanced at the door, as if expecting somebody to be standing there listening to us. Of course I knew that wolves had exceptional hearing, which must’ve been why he was being so cautious. He approached a wooden closet in one corner and opened it. It was filled with dusty black cloaks, tall and wide enough for four people to stand comfortably inside. Without warning, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into it with him before shutting the door, closing us both in. I could hear our hearts pounding. He leaned closer before lowering his mouth to my right ear until he was so near, his lips touched my skin. Then he whispered, so softly I could hardly hear him even at this proximity, “We need to leave.”
As he drew away, his rough cheek brushed against mine, sending an unexpected tingle down my spine.
“Why did you lie?” I breathed. “Why did you call me your concubine?” And what am I even doing getting embroiled in all this? How am I ever going to get back to my family?
His eyes darkened. “The less truth they know, the better… I believe this lair has been compromised.”
“What do you mean, compromised?” I asked.
“I do not even understand the extent of it myself yet. I’m still pondering it. But… it was a mystery to me how the hunters managed to sweep so quickly through our chambers. I…” He paused, looking pained to say it. “I believe my cousin and uncle turned us in.”
“What? You think they’re in alliance with the hunters?”
Bastien nodded, grim. “Their desire to rule has never been a secret.”
I took a deep breath, attempting to calm myself. I was here in this strange, unnerving mountain castle with Bastien because, well, I’d had no choice but to come with him. Even if I hadn’t sprained my ankle I’d have been lucky to survive an hour on my own in the woods. But this was all getting so complicated now. I just need to get back to my family. I need to know that Grace and Heath are alive.
“But why would the hunters agree to spare them?” I asked. “Spare any of them at all?”
“Perhaps their intentions for our realm are more pernicious,” Bastien whispered back. “Perhaps they do not seek to simply eradicate us all, but rather, gain… a foothold. Control. At least, where they can.”
“But your cousin, he gave you the crown. He said you could rule.”
Bastien smiled bitterly. “Did you really see truth in his eyes when he said that?”
“No,” I admitted. “But… don’t you have any friends here? Any alliances at all who would stand against your cousin and uncle? After all, you are the rightful ruler after your father.”
Pain flashed in Bastien’s eyes. “I’m sure that I do. But it is too risky to try to communicate with such persons now. We do not have the time. If my suspicions are correct, I pose a threat to both my cousin and uncle, as well as the hunters’ influence over this place. They will not give me the chance to cause an uprising.”
My head spun. “They would kill you?” I whispered.
“They already tried,” Bastien muttered.
Oh, God. “What are we going to do?”
He paused, releasing a slow breath. “We need to leave, once darkness falls.”
Victoria
Leave and go where? I wondered, but he did not give me a chance to ask that question. He pressed a finger against my lips, silencing me once again and giving me a stern look, before taking my hand and pulling me out of the closet.