Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
HAVEN
The basajaun smelled of ice and—I wrinkled my nose—rain-soaked fur.
It strode effortlessly through the enormous drifts of snow. The wind erased its footprints almost as soon as it made them. If any of the men bothered to follow, there would be no trail.
I’d thrashed, struggling uselessly against the basajaun’s iron grip, until I’d exhausted what little energy I had left. Screaming had filled my lungs with air so cold it burned. Crying had been a mistake—my tears froze instantly, leaving icy tracks that stung my wind-raw cheeks.
Now, with no other option, I’d settled into grim acceptance. Frankly, I was too fatigued to do anything else. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept for more than an hour or two, and the only decent meal I’d had in days was at the inn. My empty stomach grumbled, and I willed it to be quiet.
Reminding a beast that might eat me of hunger seemed a bad idea.
Fortunately, the basajaun didn’t seem to notice the sounds coming from my midsection. It soldiered on, carrying me—in a fucking bridal hold—as if I weighed nothing, climbing ever higher.
We were lost—well, I was lost. The beast seemed to know exactly where it was going. In a forest swathed in white, every tree looked the same, and I had no idea which way was north. If I managed to escape (highly unlikely), I’d freeze to death before I found safety.
The beast paused, settled onto its back haunches, and then leaped into the air.
A terrified squeal escaped my lips.
The basajaun’s features were hidden behind a curtain of white hair, but I was reasonably certain it chuckled. The thing had a sense of humor?
The landing sent shock waves through my already aching body, jarring my neck and back. My fingers had gone numb despite being tucked inside my cloak, and I could no longer feel my toes. If it did set me down, I was too cold to run.
It tightened its grip and marched onward through the swirling snow.
Panic tightened my throat and chest, making every freezing breath a battle.
Blessings! I should count my blessings to counter my rising panic. One, I hadn’t been eaten. Yet. Two, I’d been wearing my cloak when the beast grabbed me. Without it, I’d be dead from the cold. Three … so maybe there were only two blessings. Two was better than none.
The basajaun leaped again, and my stomach dropped as we sailed through the air. The landing jolted my teeth together, and I tasted blood where I’d bitten my tongue.
“Where are we going?” No way was the basajaun going to answer.
I doubted it was capable of speech. But the sound of my voice, even if the wind did rip my words to shreds, was somehow comforting.
“It can’t be any worse than Angelfire. Guards snatched me from my home and demanded that I shield them.
That’s how my mother died, shielding members of the guard.
At least, that’s what I’m guessing. She sent my grandmother a few letters.
She was at the front and couldn’t share the exact location.
The guard wouldn’t let her tell us; they monitored everything she wrote.
But I bet that’s where she was—Angelfire.
” Babbling wasn’t my thing until now. Apparently, being kidnapped by an eight-foot snow monster loosened my tongue.
And now that I’d started talking, I couldn’t seem to stop.
“We still have them—the letters. The guard blacked out large portions of the text, as if my mom was sharing state secrets.” I screwed my eyes shut.
“Then the letters just ended. Nothing but silence. When Grandmother tried to find out what had happened, they told her my mom was dead. We never found out more than that. You saved me from that fate. I should thank you.”
The beast grunted. Maybe it did understand me.
“The guards you took me from were terrible men. They think women are worthless. Flynn trades meals for sex. Teal, on the surface, seems like the nice one, more gentle than the rest. More caring. But I saw him with Flynn.” I swallowed.
“Whipping him. Dominating him. Don’t you dare repeat this, but it was compelling.
I couldn’t look away.” Even in the middle of a blizzard, my cheeks blazed with remembered heat.
“Pierce confuses me. One minute he’s kissing me, the next he’s pushing me away like I’m an embarrassment.
He rejected me.” And all the warm cloaks in Legacia couldn’t ease the sting.
“As for Grayson, he cares more about the rules than what’s right.
I shouldn’t tell you this, but they won’t come after me.
He won’t let them. He won’t think I’m worth the trouble.
And they won’t fight him.” I swallowed a lump in my throat.
“You want to know the worst part? I’m attracted to them.
All of them. They’re terrible men, who refuse to see my worth—any woman’s worth.
They shouldn’t make my heart beat faster.
They shouldn’t make me feel so alive. I deserve better. ”
I could have sworn the basajaun rolled its eyes.
So it was a male basajaun. A female, no matter the species, would understand.
I’d bared my soul to a snow monster. A male snow monster. How had my life come to this?
“I do deserve better.”
The basajaun grunted.
Even a mythical creature thought I was being dramatic. Maybe I was, but everything I’d said was true.
“Are you going to go home and tell your wife about the crazy girl over dinner?” Or was I dinner?
The basajaun stopped in front of a cave’s entrance.
“Is this home?” Was this where I became the main course?
It ducked inside and gently lowered me to the ground.
Sharp pins and needles attacked my numb limbs, and I wobbled. My feet were blocks of ice within my boots, not helping my balance in the least. And the sudden silence, after hours and hours of listening to the howl of relentless wind, made me dizzy. I sat down hard.
A full minute passed before I felt steady enough to even look around.
Torchlight revealed an enormous circular cavern with ice-covered stalactites hanging from an impossibly high roof and stone walls carved with fantastic beasts—massive dragons, horses with wings, griffins, gargoyles, and horned men.
Beneath me, colorful tiles in teal, red, and gold created an intricate pattern that led to a pool at the center, its water hot enough to form steam.
The cave was warm, and the warmth should have been comforting after hours in the brutal cold, but something about the curling steam made my skin crawl. It felt … waiting. Expectant. As if it had been prepared for someone. For me?
“What is this place?” My voice came out smaller than I had intended.
The basajaun hauled me to my feet and nudged me toward the water. Haven soup? I hoped not.
“Really, I’m fine. No need for a bath.” Absolutely untrue—I probably smelled worse than a wet dog. Much worse.
Another nudge, harder this time, had me stumbling forward. As I drew closer to the pool, the water began to glow, and the steam rising in the chilled air twisted, forming strange symbols and bizarre glyphs.
Come, child. The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
Suddenly, the blizzard seemed like the safer option. My heart hammered against my ribs. Whatever this was—oracle, prophecy, divine intervention—it was far beyond my understanding. Ultimately, it didn’t matter what it was—an oracle or a disembodied voice—it gave me the heebie-jeebies.
“I’m fine where I am.”
The basajaun gave me a sudden shove, and I stumbled all the way to the pool’s edge.
I stared into its glowing depths and went still. The steam didn’t create the glyphs; they were already in the water. “What is this place?” This time, I needed an answer.
A forgotten temple.
“Whose?” Jano, the only god worshipped in Legacia, had no use for magical creatures like those carved into the walls.
A temple that honors the old ways.
The shiver that ran down my spine had nothing to do with the lingering cold.