I stiffened at his compliment. Sharing a saddle designed for one meant that every time he spoke, I could feel his breath brush against my neck, eliciting tingles that I didn’t want to feel. I leaned forward, trying to put space between us.
“You’re truly from Erador?” he asked. “From Aurelius? But how? How did you—”
Galen stopped mid-sentence when Rafael turned around to give him a hard stare. Simultaneously, a dark fog rolled in, cooling the muggy air. The forest grew quiet and still, as if holding its breath. My heartthundered in response. The charged atmosphere felt supernatural, like the gods themselves were about to unleash a storm upon us.
A deep, humming sound vibrated at my back. IfeltGalen’s growl before I heard it. There was nothing human about it—he sounded like a mountain lion guarding its kill. I began to shake.
“We question her later—together,” Raf snarled, baring his teeth as he changed course and trotted towards us.
“I don’t take orders from you,” Galen snapped back. His hand hovered on the hilt of his sword. Rafael drew a black sword from its sheath in response, pointing it menacingly at Galen—at me.
Hooves pounded and dust flew as Louis raced over, angling his horse to block Rafael’s war path. “Knock it off, you two. The poor girl’s been through enough today. We’ll reconvene tomorrow morning and talk with her—together,” he said, side-eyeing Galen.
I felt Galen’s body tense before relaxing, then the weight of his hands as they settled back onto my lap. “Of course, brother,” he said smoothly.
Rafael turned away from us, but not before shooting one last scowl at Galen.
I debated diving off the horse and running.They were going toquestionme? The Queen would have their heads! Any minute now, Ophelia’s guards would find me and this entire ordeal would be over.
“You’re safe. It’s alright,” Galen said, his mouth too close to my ear.
I sighed, leaning back into his solid chest. I’d accept my fate for now. If I closed my eyes, I could almost pretend I was riding Najma andnotsitting in the lap of a man who’d justroaredlike a beast.
“I must ask… you know nothing of the blood curse?” Galen whispered. His brothers were now so far ahead, I could no longer see them.
“The… blood… curse?”
“And you knownothingof magic?” he asked with an edge to his voice.
“Magic? You mean like sleight of hand?”
“No. Never mind… We’ll save it for later.”
His questions raised my hackles and sent my head spinning again. Nothing made sense—nothing felt familiar. Beyond the glowing yellow flowers, there were tropical plants that looked like they belonged in a greenhouse: Blue orchids shaped like miniature paper birds, ferns thatcurled like fingers. Tall trees were covered in moss and lichen, their bark barely visible beneath the shades of green.
The forest was loud with chittering life. Colorful birds squawked and scattered as we walked beneath them. Dew clung to leaves and dripped down from the trees, even as sunset approached. It was difficult to tell whether the sweat that cooled my neck and trailed down my back was from nerves or humidity. Tendrils of hair fell from my pins, curling in rebellion. The longer we walked, the more evident it was that I was far from home, though I didn’t understandhow.
We eventually made it to a trail lined with fruit trees. Vibrant red fruit weighed down thin, sagging branches. My stomach growled as I gazed upon them. Something akin to a strawberry, but the size of a small melon, looked edible enough to make my mouth water.
“Are you hungry?” Galen asked when my stomach grumbled again.
I shook my head. Taking food from him wasn’t a good idea for several reasons.
Galen ignored me and brought us towards the trees until we were directly beneath them. He plucked what looked to be a ripe piece of fruit, then handed it to me. “Blood berries. You can bite through the skin. Try one.”
I hesitated, before deciding it wasn’t worth the effort to argue. I turned in the saddle and met his gaze, sinking my teeth into the thin flesh. The skin was soft, like a peach, but the inside surprised me. It was meaty in texture and deep red in color, reminding me of…blood. I was so hungry, I didn’t care. I began to tear into it, forgetting all sense of propriety.
“It tastes a bit like a plum,” I said as sticky juice drizzled down my chin.
Galen pulled a handkerchief from somewhere and held it up to me. “I’ve never had a plum, but I’ll take your word for it.” He began dabbing at my chin, taking great care when he reached my lips… shamelessly staring at them as if under a spell. I averted my eyes, blushing at the intimate gesture.
“When I was a child, I used to sneak out to this grove and eat these until I was sick. Not much has changed; I still struggle with my self-control.” His eyes darkened as they met mine. “Though… my tastes have evolved since then.” He gave me a grin that showed off a dimple and I felt his charm work its way through me.
I glanced down to find a thoroughly ruined dress. The dirt-caked fabric now had red juice splatters as well. Logically, I knew the stains weren’t blood, but my body responded as if they were. A cold chill seeped into my bones as I thought about how close I’d come to dying today.
“Those creatures in the woods… were they related to wolves? I’ve never heard of a… wylk,” I mused.
“They’re native to these lands. Those ones were ill. When we traveled here with our pets, new illnesses were introduced to the endemic species of this land. We try to kill the infected ones when we find them, to put them out of their misery and stop the spread of disease. That’s the reason we were out in the woods today. We received several reports of a sick pack and were tracking them when we found you.”
