ANMELDENTen feet. Fifteen. My hands were shaking by the time I hauled myself into the fork beside her, and I couldn’t feel my right palm anymore, which was probably a mercy. A branch to my left was fully alight now, needles going up in a quick bright rush, heat rolling off it in a wave that stung my eyes.I
Charlotte’s POVThe smoke was thick enough to taste in my mouth.I kept low over Kieran’s back, hands fisted in the fur at his shoulders, my face turned sideways against the heat rolling in from the flames. The fire had spread further than I realized; on either side of us the undergrowth was going u
“I’m not… the parasite! You… are!” I grunted. I felt fresh strength surge through me, through the pain and the smell of my own hair burning. I managed to push away from the forest floor, bucking my hips up, then rolled sideways with Sophia clinging on.She scrabbled at my neck, lighter still burning
Charlotte’s POVI couldn’t explain it any better than I could the first time. That invisible pull somewhere in my chest, like a compass needle guiding me north. It dragged me toward the treeline without hesitation, like it had always been there, like it had existed from the moment Nora was born.The
“Kieran!”The sound of William’s voice made me turn. I saw him jogging across the lawn, breathless, his suit jacket missing. “I lost that woman’s trail,” he said. “I don’t know what she was—”“Was she in a maid’s uniform?” I blurted out.William pulled up short. “What?”“Was. She. In. A. Maids unifo
Kieran’s POV“He just left. With Charlotte.”Jessica’s words fell between us, landing somewhere in front of my feet. For a moment, I hardly dared to believe her. The woman hadn’t exactly given me many reasons to trust her in the past. But she was looking at me with wide, watery eyes, her makeup runn
Charlotte’s POVI found the note when I woke up.“Charlotte: You may take Nora to one training session today. Stay with her the entire time. If anything happens, you must bring her back immediately. —Kieran”He was letting us go.I sat there for a moment, staring at the note.After last night, I had
“Trust me when I say this, Kieran.” I took a step forward and tucked my chin, looking up at him through my brows. “I would never be interested in a man like you. Not in a million years. In fact, you repulse me with your arrogance, cruelty, and selfish pride.”“Oh, please. I saw the way you looked at
She was gone before I could say anything, but the look in her eyes softened me somewhat. I didn’t even get a chance to ask her name, and yet, looking at her, I felt a strange connection to her, like we understood each other in a way no one else could.My stomach churned then, gurgling as if in remin
Charlotte’s POVMy face went aflame.Whore.The word stared up at me, mocking me, ugly and hateful. No wonder people were laughing at me.“Who did this?” I demanded, spinning around to face the hallway. Several servants were lingering nearby, pretending to be busy with their tasks. “Who put this on







