Chapter 22 Valen
VALEN
I’m having a fucking horrible dream. It’s about Irena—she’s standing in the middle of a forest, all dressed in white.
She’s barefoot and the trees are crowding around her, getting closer and closer.
They’re reaching for her with greedy branches like sharp wooden fingers.
I can tell if they get her in their grasp, they’ll do something terrible to her.
Even though I don’t like her and I fucking hate her family, I can’t help feeling dread rising in my gut. Something bad is going to happen—something I need to stop. She needs me—she’s in trouble!
She…
I wake abruptly but the feeling of dread doesn’t go away—it only gets stronger. Fuck—does this have to do with the drop of my blood I gave her to revive her before our flight? I drank her blood, and she had some of mine too. Did we form some kind of bond?
I fucking hope not but I can’t ignore the tightness in my gut. I look around the room and sure enough—she’s gone. That’s when I hear raised voices from the other side of the bedroom door.
Fuck.
A possessive rage rises inside me. I might hate her, but no one has the right to hurt her—she’s mine!
I still have on the too-tight breeches the innkeeper gave me. There’s no time to put on the shirt.
I push my way out into the inn’s common room to see what kind of trouble my Princess has gotten herself into.