10. Chapter Ten #2
I slapped him hard— my palm stinging as the sound echoed through the trees.
He staggered back, stunned. I saw confusion.
Then fury. But I didn’t flinch. “This date is over,” I spat, my voice low and shaking with fury.
“Don’t come near the inn again.” I turned and walked away fast, trying to outpace the sob rising in my throat.
Don’t let him see you cry.
I couldn’t go back—not like this. Not to Papa. Not to Drake.
When I spotted the shed on the Doctors property, I ducked inside, slamming the door with shaking hands. The dark enclosed me like a cocoon. And then I broke. I slid down the wall, knees to my chest, sobbing into my hands. My whole body trembled as the fear and revulsion poured out of me.
I cried until I couldn’t breathe. After a little while, I forced myself to stop and glanced around, wiping at my damp and puffy face. My eyes adjusted slowly to the dimness.
That’s when I saw it. A shadow shifted on the far wall, just behind a pile of hay.
My heart seized in my chest. Before I could react, a clammy hand clamped over my mouth, shoving me roughly against the wall.
My head struck the wooden boards with a sickening thud, and white-hot pain bloomed behind my eyes.
A cold, sharp edge pressed against my throat, its threat unmistakable. A knife.
This isn’t real. It can’t be real.
But then I caught that revolting and unmistakable scent. My eyes flew open.
“ Colin. ” I hissed, my voice muffled beneath his hand. His features twisted with a wicked grin as he pressed closer, his breath hot against my cheek. I tried to scream, but the sound was muffled beneath his hand. The pressure of the blade against my throat increased, silencing me further.
“I told you.” he said, his voice low and venomous, “I always get what I want.” He inhaled deeply, his nose brushing against my neck. I recoiled, but his grip only tightened, pinning me harder.
His free hand slid under my skirt, the cold blade never leaving my throat beginning to sting and draw thin beads of blood.
“I decided I needed to teach you a lesson.” he sneered.
“No one turns me down, Eva. And how convenient you ran right in here,” tears streamed down my face as I struggled.
“Oh, don’t cry,” he mocked, his voice syrupy sweet. “You’ll ruin the mood.”
His hand reached lower, and the metallic clink of his belt buckle nearly broke me. My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat.
“You’re scum ,” I hissed through clenched teeth.
“Oh, come on, Evandra.” he purred. “It could be worse.”
I froze as his hands roamed further, his touch revolting and violating. My mind raced—images of Eldrake, my mother, and the rebellion flashing before me. I thought of all the things I hadn’t done, all the life I hadn’t lived.
No. Not like this.
Something inside me snapped.
Fueled by pure adrenaline, I stomped down hard onto his foot. My wooden heel hit bone. He screamed, his grip faltered— just enough. I drove my elbow into his ribs with all my strength. He staggered back, cursing loudly.
“You bitch!” he snarled, his face contorted with rage.
He lunged at me, the knife glinting in the dim light. I braced myself, but just before he could strike, a deep, guttural growl echoed from outside the shed. The sound was inhuman—raw and primal, vibrating through the wooden walls and into my very bones.
Another growl followed, this time more distinct.
“ Run .” The voice was low. Ragged. Familiar.
Caught off guard, Colin’s blade missed its mark, slicing into the thick muscle in my shoulder instead of my throat.
Pain exploded across my body as blood began to gush from the wound.
I screamed, clutching my shoulder, my vision swimming.
The growl came again, louder this time. Whatever was outside the shed was close—and it was coming.
I scrambled to my feet, my legs trembling beneath me, and burst out the opposite side of the shed.
My feet hit the ground hard, echoing with a dull thud as I tore into the woods.
The trees blurred around me, the brambles clawing at my legs and dress as I raced through the darkness.
I ducked under low-hanging branches and vaulted over exposed roots, moving as though the forest itself was guiding me.
My shoulder throbbed with every stride, the pain sharp and unforgiving, but I didn’t dare slow down.
The rage hadn’t left me. It buzzed behind my ribs, wild and coiled. Something in me had changed.
The air was cold and damp, filling my lungs like ice as they heaved with each breath.
The smell of earth and leaves wrapped around me, grounding me even as panic threatened to take over.
Before I could fully process how far I’d come, the woods opened up, and I stumbled back onto the main road, my heels clacking against the cobblestones.
My lungs screamed for air, my vision swam, but there it was—home.
The inn loomed ahead, its familiar crooked sign swaying gently in the breeze. Relief surged through me as I threw myself at the door and pushed it open, nearly collapsing onto the tavern floor. Felix was already there, waiting for me.
“Oh Gods. Hurry!” His voice was sharp, but his hands steady as he caught me by the good arm. “Sit, sit—before you topple and make me look bad.” He half-guided, half-dragged me into one of the old creaky chairs, his curls bouncing with the effort.
He knelt beside me, inspecting the wound with quick, practiced movements. His golden eyes flicked up, softened. “All right, darling, let’s see what we’re working with.” Without hesitation, he grabbed either side of the tear in my gown and ripped it wider. I gasped.
“Apologies,” he said quickly, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth. “I don’t usually undress women in public, but you’re bleeding everywhere, and I am a professional.”
My laughter almost made me forget for a moment what had happened, even as the pain flared. He pressed a clean linen cloth to the wound, and I hissed, biting down on the cry. His eyes darted up again. “I know, I know. Breathe. Hate me later, yes?”
Then his pupils disappeared, golden light filling them until they burned like the sun.
The glow radiated from him, beautiful and terrifying.
His curls caught the light like a halo. I froze as he placed both hands over my shoulder.
His body jerked once, his head tipping back as though struck by an unseen force.
Heat spread through me, flooding my veins with soothing fire. My pain ebbed, my thoughts softened.
When the light dimmed, Felix slumped forward, catching himself on the arm of my chair. He was pale, but smiling faintly, breath shallow. “There. Good as new. Don’t you dare tell the Captain I nearly fainted—I’ll never hear the end of it.”
I stared at my shoulder, the pink scar where the wound had been. “That was… incredible.”
“Healing’s my Rift,” Felix said simply, voice light again, though exhaustion pulled at his edges. He patted my cheek, gentle as a feather. “Someone has to keep the Captain’s ass in one piece. Can you imagine him trying to stitch me back together? Disaster. Utter disaster.”
“The Captain…?” I echoed, my mind drifting unbidden. The word slipped out before I could stop it.
Felix’s smile curved, tender and amused. “Yes, love. That tall, broody one who can’t seem to stop staring at your ass.” The unexpected honesty pulled a laugh out of me, small but real, and for a moment the pain didn’t feel so heavy.
“Ah, that’s better,” Felix said softly, relief flickering in his golden eyes.
“Don’t you go slipping away on me, darling.
Not after I just put you back together.” He lifted a cup of cool water to my lips.
“Sip. Slowly. That’s a good girl.” But even that wasn’t enough to keep me tethered. The room tilted, edges blurring.
The last thing I remembered was Felix’s voice, warm and insistent, as he held onto me like he could keep me anchored by charm alone: “Stay with me, Eva. You’re far too pretty to die on my floor.”