It seemed an age before we stopped and he dragged me off the exhausted horse. I kicked and screamed the entire way, trying to fight him off. His strong arms held onto me tightly, never releasing, never yielding to my pressure. The panic I had felt earlier, was now surging with full force, rising in my chest sure and fast. This was not how I envisioned my life. In fact it was no way near. I had to fight. I had to get away. I had to do anything to not let this happen. I had fought off the Mason all those years ago, but a rogue? A rogue was a completely different story. He was so much stronger and with his ability to change into his beast at any time, I wouldn’t be able to defend myself against his wolf.The man half dragged, half carried me to a small deserted hut that was hidden behind a large grouping of trees. Even though it seemed that no one had lived there in a long time, the place still looked neat and tidy. A small garden was blooming to the south of

I awoke to the sun beaming directly in my face from the middle of the sky, and a still sullen Blake packing up noisily.“Wake up, time to go,” he growled menacingly. “We have slept for far too long.”He didn’t even look at me, but I noticed the dark bags that hung beneath his eyes. It sent a ping of guilt through me. He was still recovering from almost dying. Was I being completely ridiculous and selfish?He shot me a glare, his eyebrow raised at me and it quickly banished the guilty feeling within me. Nope, he was being ridiculous.With a sigh and a roll of my eyes, I forced my aching body up and packed what was left – my bed and bag. I had resigned myself to the fact that he was cold and heartless. I now felt a burning rage towards him that simmered just under the surface.He packed up the horses and we set off towards Callad.“How much longer?” I asked, gritting my teeth.With a wry s

I woke up the next day, my head pounding out a steady rhythm that bit with a nasty throb. Stretching out my aching muscles, the memories of last night came flooding back and my face flushed red hot when Blake came in with breakfast. I had been rather forward, once influenced by the wine, letting other uncensored parts of my mind take control. I would never let that happen again, and now I felt utterly embarrassed and ashamed. “Morning,” I mumbled softly as he closed the door with a quiet thud. Unfortunately to me, the soft thud sounded more like an explosion. I winced, my eyes squeezing shut tightly. When the pain had subsided somewhat, I rubbed my temples softly and slowly, making the ache seem more like a dull pain. Long sleeves blocked my view of Blake and my mind reeled for a moment. I looked down at his crinkled shirt that hung off my body like a bed sheet. I ran a hand through my hair frustrated until other patches of memory returned and my face flushed again.

Crap, I thought. I was lost. I turned around several times, my stomach feeling uncomfortable. It clenched with fear.“Over here,” a voice called out and I turned to see Tori waltzing towards me, a spring in her step. She had changed into a long flowing dress in midnight blue. I eyed it suspiciously, not expecting her to be wearing a dress.She looked down at herself and gave me a pained look. “Mandatory. It represents the colours of the second year apprentices, those in their last year of magic study.”I nodded, not understanding half of her words but I got the gist of what she meant.“Heading to find your horse?”“How did you…?”“Heard you,” she said with a smile tapping her head.I frowned for a moment as she grabbed my arm and pulled me down another flight of stairs and along a brightly lit corridor.“I used to get lost here too,” sh

My head swam as I blinked away the fuzzy, blurred edges in my head. It felt like my head was full of clouds. Everything had a soft, feel edge to it.“Hello sleepy head,” a voice cooed, drawing my attention.Wells stood above me, his lips parted into what he probably thought was a reassuring smile. Too bad it was terrifying.I pulled away, bringing my legs close to my chest in an attempt to protect myself. A scream tried to escape but my throat clench, choking out the sound.“Calm down girl,” he growled, handing me a glass of water.I hadn’t realised how parched my throat was until I saw the clear liquid in the cup. I instantly needed it, my throat burning. I gulped it down, hoping it would satisfy the aching need.“Where am I?”“Nowhere you need to know about.”Wells moved away, leaving my view. My eyes scanned the room. The walls were high and dark, almost black, which prob