Chapter 4

Dimitri held me by the arm in the flickering light of the torch in his hand. We quickly descended the stone steps until we reached what appeared to be a storage room. He released me and went straight to another door, which he opened with another key. He came back, pulled me along again, and we resumed walking, this time through a long, cavernous, even darker corridor.

I could hear insects and rats scurrying close to us, and if I weren't being kidnapped—supposedly, as far as everyone else was concerned, I was running away to get married—I might have cared about the rats running around in the darkness.

I tried to speak to him. I really did. I tried to force my mouth open and protest against what was happening, but my body wouldn't obey me. I was nothing more than an observer inside my own body, and that was terrifying.

Panic over the entire situation began settling into my heart. My heart was pounding rapidly, my legs trembling...

I wanted my body to react and fight him. I assumed it would be better to die here fighting for my honor than to become his wife.

Unfortunately, my body didn't share that feeling and continued following him without offering any resistance.

After a few minutes, we reached what appeared to be the end of the corridor. He released me and raised the torch, illuminating the ceiling as he searched for something.

The faint light from the torch in his hand revealed an opening above us—a hatch. He opened it with one of his keys. He seemed to carry several of them.

When he opened it, the moonlight illuminated his blue eyes. He turned back toward me and grabbed me by the waist. With a quick movement, he lifted me toward the opening, taking me out before himself...

That only gave me one grim certainty: whatever he had done to me when he pricked me with his fingernail, he was certain I couldn't resist.

He was certain of his power.

When I found myself outside, I looked around.

We were in the forest, and in the distance, I could see the palace.

He came to the surface much faster than I had expected. I looked at him, trying to understand his motives.

If his intention was to marry me, all he had to do was kill a single man, and he already had a tremendous advantage with this kind of power over people's will. I couldn't see him losing to Chase.

So why risk everything by kidnapping me?

Even if everyone believed I had left willingly, he had still defied a king!

Why risk all of that when he had such power in his hands?

All these questions were boiling inside my mind while I made an enormous effort to put them into words.

He frowned and closed his eyes, massaging his temples with a tired expression before murmuring:

"I know you have questions, but you'll have to wait until we reach the port of Rochester."

Then he walked toward me and pulled me along, guiding me deeper into the forest.

We walked all night along the trail. He seemed determined to avoid the roads, and Rochester wasn't even the nearest village. Dalton was, but he didn't stop in Dalton.

In the forest, he had left a bag containing supplies, which we ate during the journey. Dimitri repeatedly asked me to stop trying to form words and told me I had to wait until Rochester, but I continued trying.

At one point, when we passed near Duvov, one day away from Rochester, he seemed extremely tired from using his energy to prevent me from speaking, so he made me an offer.

"If I let you ask one question, will you stop resisting and wait until Rochester?"

I widened my eyes at his offer and quickly nodded, thinking of the millions of questions I needed to ask. I tried to decide which one was the most urgent.

When I agreed to his condition, he took a deep breath, and inside me, I felt as though a door were being unlocked.

"Where are we going after Rochester?" I managed to ask.

"To the Isle of Raven."

A million questions arose in my mind, and I was unable to pronounce any of them aloud because that door had been locked again.

I huffed in frustration. That answer had only given me more questions.

The Isle of Raven was a strong ally of Shivia, located beside us, separated by a few nautical miles. Its ruler was John Chase, but he didn't call himself a king, only Commander.

Besides commanding the island, he also owned lands in Shivia. The Isle of Raven produced many wood materials, including ships, which they traded with other nations, except for Shivia's enemies.

The two countries had been allies for centuries. They were also known for their great forges, where they produced the finest weapons.

My father's sword came from the Isle of Raven.

But why the hell was he taking me to the island where the ruler was his opponent for my hand?

We continued for another day and arrived at the port of Rochester in the early hours of the morning.

We had no supplies or water. My clothes were in tatters, dirty and torn from walking through the forest for so long. My feet were swollen, and I was starving.

We walked through the port city, which was now silent, its inhabitants already inside their homes. Eventually, we reached an inn that was still open.

When we entered, Dimitri slipped an arm around my waist and smiled at the attendant.

He told her a story about how we were newlyweds and needed a room for the night, as well as a meal and a hot bath.

The woman, who was short and plump, smiled at him, and when he gallantly kissed her hand, she blushed.

He also asked when a ship would depart for the Isle of Raven, and she informed him that the ship Nay would leave at first light.

After that, we were taken to our room once we'd had dinner in the dining hall.

When we reached the room, the woman, who introduced herself as Cibele, left us.

The room was simple but very tidy. It had a wardrobe, a large window overlooking the harbor, a bathtub filled with hot water, and a bed.

Dimitri closed the door and turned toward me.

"I'm going to let you speak freely now. But if you attract that woman's attention, I swear to you, I'll slit her throat right here in front of you."

I swallowed hard at his threat.

I could see in his cold blue eyes that he was telling the truth.

He would do it.