41. Nora
41
Nora
C hol continued to reassure me we would make it, but as I held a death grip on this majestic beast, his thundering hooves against the softened spring soil mimicked the pounding in my chest.
My thighs burned from the strain of gripping Maxon’s body, trying to avoid bumping my ass against the saddle with every bound. It was already tender. Glances at Chol riding effortlessly told me he’d spent much time astride these creatures, his firm body moving with fluid ease as his horse kicked up dirt with every gallop.
The land glowed with orange light, like the world was kissed by morning fire. Every time I looked toward Chol, the sun would blind out spots in my vision, so I couldn’t stare for long. Maybe that was good. I didn’t need any distraction right now. I had to focus, keep myself sharp for once we got to the refugee camp he’d called Rahana.
The battering wind made my eyes tear, but I refused to decrease our speed. I would keep up with Chol’s well-trained pace, despite the toll on my body, despite the fear in my heart that we would reach the camp only to realize Melody was lost elsewhere. My hood refused to remain in place, and during the night I had cared less, but now that light was spilling from the sky, I continually fought to keep it secure.
As the sun rose, teetering over the treetops, I couldn’t go on any longer. My muscles had locked in place for over an hour, but their strength waned. Every bounce threatened to toss me off Maxon, made worse by my lack of ability to keep myself centered. Leaning back, I forced the reins to pull, signaling Maxon to slow. “Chol,” I shouted with an embarrassing amount of helplessness.
He controlled his horse, bringing her to a halt, peering at me over his shoulder, a chunk of surprisingly golden hair slipping from his hood.
“I need a minute.” Understatement. “Help me down,” I called, knowing if I tried myself, I’d plummet sideways and kiss the ground in the most unromantic of ways.
He somehow sensed my urgency, leaping off his steed with elegant grace and jogging to approach my side. I could barely bring myself to look at him, knowing how pathetic I looked. Instead, I did my best to hide my wincing as I unhooked my foot from the stirrup on my left. My hip barked in pain as I lifted my leg over. Too quickly, I lost my balance.
Strong hands caught me as I fell, my bones essentially liquid. How he managed to unhook my other foot without dropping me, I didn’t know, but before I knew it, my feet softly touched the ground. His arms remained secured around me, as if he knew the moment he let go, I’d drop.
When my legs found a crumb of strength, I tilted my head to face him, letting my hands trace his chest. I brought my eyes up to meet his already piercing gaze, stunned by the depth of the blue I could see in the daylight. His golden tan skin and medium brown eyebrows weren’t quite like I’d imagined in the dark, but something familiar rang at his ocean irises.
A striking color of cerulean. A piece of golden hair peeked from his hood. It sparkled in the light, like golden thread.
My chest caved in on itself. No, it wasn’t possible. The world tilted on its axis, the ground no longer beneath me, the sky no longer above. I existed somewhere in the middle, tethered to nothing.
Summoning my senses against the dizzying hit of reality, his name slipped from my lips. “Nicholas.” My stare remained wide, as if I didn’t believe what I was seeing. I had to be wrong, yet each second I took in the visible portion of his face, the truth hammered in place with ridiculing force.
A moment of confusion furrowed those masculine eyebrows until they softened. He gingerly raised his hand to my mask, his thumb dragging down the corner on my left cheek just so, revealing the upper portion.
“Nora,” he said, equally as taken aback when his stare fixed on my beauty mark.
My throat dried out, to the point I couldn’t swallow. Panic ensnared me, realizing I stood with the Prince of Highcrest completely exposed and that he knew of my secrets. Knew portions of my heart in the memories I’d shared of my father. That I’d grown a garden of trust for this man, and it had taken root. That I’d given my body to him in the woods. That I had spoken of my hatred toward him .
I’d bled myself in so many ways before the one person I wanted to bleed dry.
I gathered what strength I had left in my arms, using them to shove him forcefully away from me. “This can’t be happening.” There was nowhere to retreat. We stood between kingdoms, surrounded by nothing but woods and wildlife. And Melody was still missing. I narrowed in on him. “What the fuck?” I asked in a whisper.
He merely stood, broad shoulders squaring his perfectly princely posture. How had I not noticed the formal way in which he carried himself? The way he fought with trained precision, the access to castle knowledge. My thoughts blurred, struggling to find purchase on solid ground. “What the actual fuck?!” I repeated louder, then again for a third time. Birds flew from their perches when my anger echoed in their homes.
He peeled off his hood, dropping his mask below his perfectly sculpted jaw. The sight took my breath away, but my fury continued lashing around me.
“Nora…”
I bent over, gripping my knees for support. My mask only recycled my hot erratic breaths until I had to remove it for some fresh cool air or I’d faint. I supposed it didn’t matter now, anyway.
He made to move toward me, but I threw a hand out, a targeted finger aimed right at him. “ Don’t .”
He stilled, heeding my order. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing, but with my energy zapped from the ride, my muscles aching, and my overriding shock, nausea swept through me. Before I could try and combat it, I hurled up bile and chunks of apple. His steps were muffled, but I didn’t care what he was doing. I spat and wiped the corners of my mouth with my sleeve.
“Here,” he said.
I peered up to see him extending a canteen. “I don’t want anything from you ,” I snarled, my words as acidic as the remnants at my feet. My anger and pride wouldn’t let me take the water my body desperately needed.
“Don’t be this way, Nora. This changes nothing.”
A laugh with no warmth barreled out of me. “It changes everything.”
“It doesn’t have to.” I could hear the frustration growing in his tone. “I may have kept my identity a secret, but so did you,” he snapped, trying to pin some onus on me.
My head turned with feral grace until my wide eyes met his. “You think I’m upset because you hid your identity?” It took all my composure to straighten myself before him without wobbling.
“Then why?” His question was bold, more so command. His shoulders dipped and rose in time with his chest.
“What was the point of all this, prince ?” The title held no hint of admiration, a scathing reminder of his position and power. “Did you get a little too bored behind those protective walls? Found a way to add a little excitement to your perfectly perfect life? Wanted to see how the rest of us live in the slums so you could go home to your riches and lavish events and bask in all your glory?”
Years’ worth of animosity and hate bubbled to the surface. I wasn’t even sure what I was saying, only that the words begged to be said, rushing out in an eruption of aggression.
“You know that’s not true.” His fists balled beside him, the muscles in that perfect jaw of his tensing and flickering.
Another venomous laugh painted the humid morning air. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
To his credit, he didn’t retaliate. Didn’t deny it. Didn’t do a thing except stand there with perfect stillness. As the words resonated between us, a growing feeling of discomfort bloomed. That couldn’t be guilt I was feeling? The seconds ticked by, still with no response. My mind fought to thread together the two men I’d come to know. The memory of his lips on mine, the way he held me as we danced, his fingers between my thighs…
I shook my head violently—as if refusing to accept it would change this disorienting outcome.
“Nora, I’m here to help you,” he said with expert kindness, taking a step forward.
“THIS IS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!” I lashed out, my arms waving frantically. “We’ve petitioned you for months, months , Nicholas, about the disappearances. You removed your guards! You left us to suffer and lose more of our own. If you had done something , Melody wouldn’t be missing now!”
My fingers dug into my scalp. Air, I needed more air. I gulped down a lungful, but it didn’t satisfy. Hair that had loosened from my braid fell before my face. “And there I was, running around at night with the one man who has the power to stop it all, yet refused. This means something to me! It’s not a chance to add some excitement to my life, it’s not a game!”
“It means something to me, too,” he finally said, quieter than before.
“Are we a joke to you?!” My lips clamped together to keep their trembling at bay.
“You are anything but a joke to me, Nora.” He stepped up to me, forcing my back against Maxon as I attempted to keep distance.
I stared into those eyes that once held me in a trance, but they lost their luster behind the wall of tears lining my own. “Why haven’t you done something?”
“I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried.” He brought his forehead down to mine, and I didn’t have it in me to push him away again. Something inside me was cracking, a brutal force that whispered that I was a traitor to my people.
“How can I believe anything you say?” I whispered, and the trembling won out. My bottom lip quaked, and tears trailed down my cheeks.
“I’ll make you believe me. We’ll find your sister and bring her home.”
My knees nearly buckled at the reminder. I had to endure the rest of this trip with him, hope that Melody was even on a ship sailing down the Splits, and figure out how to rescue her.
Then I would make sure to never see him again.