“Iva,” I said, loud enough that only she would hear.
“Oh, for goodness sake,” she called out. “I’m sure it’s under the bed. Let me help you.” She stepped into the room and shut the door, pulling me down into a hug. “I’ve been so worried,” she said. “I’ve taken care of your mate, Tem. But she is not well. She will not eat.”
“Thank you, Iva. I need to get us both out of here. Roe was supposed to come back and he didn’t.”
“He was called to serve in the dinner hall. He sent a message, and I did my best to get down here as quickly as I could.”
“Can we walk out the front doors? Will we be noticed?”
“I’d imagine if you keep your hoods up, you’ll have no problem. Most are at dinner right now.”
“Can you have Roe meet me at the Keep as soon as he can get away?”
“It might be a few days. He’s been gone a lot, and I’m worried someone’s noticed.”
“As soon as he can. That’s all I ask. Don’t take a risk. You should probably think about packing up yourself, Iva. It’s not safe here.”
“It’s never been safe here, Tem. But ask yourself, where would you be if we weren’t here?”
“I’m grateful. I am, but I don’t want to get news of your death. Please be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
I looked down at Nadra, and Iva patted my arm. “Just give her some time,” she said, helping Nadra to her feet. “Come, dear. It’s time to go. You’ll be taken care of. Just stick with Temir. You couldn’t have gotten a better male.”
She said nothing, withdrawn into her shell, but she let me take her hand.
“I’ll distract the guards, see yourselves out as quickly as you can without drawing attention. Be safe.”
She left the room, and I watched out of the cracked door until the guards turned away. There were only seconds until they turned back. We made it down the hall easier than I’d anticipated. We left the castle and moved within a small crowd until a guard called to me.
“You there. Take off your hood.”
I felt the fear through the bond mix with my own as I reached up and inched my hood down. I locked eyes with the guard as a rebel snuck up behind him, whispered in his ear and winked at me. The guard waved us on. I pulled Nadra through the gate and to the horses that Roe and I had left tied in the tree line.
“You’ll have to ride with me. Roe will need his horse. Is that okay?”
She didn’t say a thing, but when I mounted and held a hand down to her, she took it and let me help her up. She sat still and silent in front of me as we rode toward the Keep.
“You are my mate.” She was quiet and a million miles away from me in her own frayed mind.
“I am,” I answered truthfully.
“Sorry.”
My heart dropped. “For what?”
Again, she didn’t answer. There was peace and turmoil battling a war within me. Knowing I had a mate and she was safe in my arms settled me, but the moment I thought about the outside world, exposing her to a single fae, an indescribable madness threatened to consume me. I wrapped my arm around her tightly and kicked the horse into a run. It would be a long ride, and I hoped to get to Bryer’s Keep as quickly as I could. I needed to get her to safety. Especially if I had to find a way back to the castle—again.
“I see you’ve made it back in one piece,” Rook said as he eyed the female I brought with me.
“I did. And I’ve brought what I could to create more of the truth serum.”
“Good. I suppose you’re going to need a bigger room?” he asked, still watching Nadra.
I stepped in front of her and narrowed my eyes.Mine, my mind screamed.
“A mate, then,” he answered with a smile. “Congratulations.”
