Chapter 56

Evelyn

I waited until the palace had quieted to a whisper. And even then, I waited a little longer, making sure the coast was clear.

The moon was already beginning its descent in the sky, but it was full and ripe that evening, its glow lighting my way as I stepped out into the night. My boots made no sound on the stone as I crept down the side corridor, heart thundering in my ears in a constant roar.

As I passed guards and sentries, I held my breath, moving as silently as I could manage and forcing a smile so I did not draw attention to myself. To them, I hoped it appeared like just another late-night walker, another restless woman wandering the halls. Every time I continued on, I hoped that they viewed me as nothing worth stopping and investigating.

I was making great progress, hurrying by without being stopped or questioned. The night was cool and quiet, and for a long time, I didn’t even hear anyone up and moving about.

But then his voice cut through the air, making me tense in an instant.

“—and then I told him he couldn’t spar like I can. You should’ve seen him!”

I froze at the sound of his

voice slurring, echoing through the western hall. His footfalls were choppy and inconsistent among the two other pairs accompanying him. As he spoke, girlish giggles peppered and punctuated his ridiculous story.

It was Alex. Drunk and flanked by companions.

I threw myself against a nearby wall, flattening myself against the stone as I listened. Eventually, they came into view, a tangle of limbs and laughter.

Two women bracketed either side of him, giggling and leaning in. One of them licked her lips and whispered something that made him burst into loud, obnoxious laughter.

He didn’t see me as he passed. He was far gone, too distracted. He merely flung his arms around the girls’ shoulders and kept walking.

I exhaled and moved again only when I could no longer hear their retreat. I hurried out into the night air and toward the stables.

The stables weren’t guarded when I arrived. I was easily able to press in and scan the available mounts. Fortunately, my father’s stallion was still saddled from his ride earlier. It was an omen, maybe. Or perhaps it was a gift from some higher power. Either way, I knew better than to pass up the opportunity so seamlessly presented.

I also knew that my father would hate me for this theft. He loved his stallion dearly, but his horse was also the fastest available, and I needed speed. So I didn’t wait.

I threw myself onto the stallion’s back and kicked off into the night, my braid slapping against my back as the stallion’s hooves struck hard against the earth. Within moments, we had disappeared into the thick tree line of the surrounding woods. My eyes watered from the sheer speed of it all, but I didn’t slow down. I couldn’t.

This was the only way.

If I had asked permission, I would have been denied. My father and brother had made it clear where they stood in this. And if I had told Logan, I knew what his opinion would have been, too. I couldn’t hesitate any longer, not with Jesse’s clock ticking ominously away in the back of my mind.

So I rode.

As the early morning was beginning to turn the darkness into a pale gray, I passed into the rogue camp, seeing the tents and shoddily constructed shacks start to appear between the thick tree trunks.

A moment after I crossed into the outskirts of their camp, though, shadows lunged from the trees. It all happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to react. The breath caught in my throat as so many things happened at once.

Hands grabbed my arms and the stallion’s reins. The stallion reared up from under me. A clawed fist caught my side, and before I could scream, I was torn from the saddle and slammed hard into the dirt.

The air was knocked from me in the impact, and I was struggling to draw breath as I hurriedly tried to hoist myself off the ground, wheezing. I had just pulled myself into a sitting position when I saw the stallion vanish into the forest, his pitiful shriek echoing as he fled.

Hands grabbed me by the arms and began to pull me aggressively to my feet.

“Let me go!” I gasped, coughing and struggling against the two rogues holding me upright.

“She’s a spy!” one of them hissed.

“No, I’m not,” I managed between labored breaths. “I swear it. Your leader Jesse is waiting for me! We have a deal.”

My wrists were yanked behind my back. My cloak was torn in the struggle as well, but I told myself to relax despite their violence. Struggling was obviously futile.

“She came alone,” one muttered. “Maybe she’s just stupid.”

“She’s one of Logan’s,” another sneered. “Why don’t we send her back in pieces? She can be an example to those wolves who might dare to wander into camp.”

“She said Jesse’s waiting,” the other cut in. “Let him decide.”

This seemed to conclude it. Despite everything, the prospect of Jesse’s disappointment if he had been waiting for me outweighed their bloodthirst.

“Move,” the first rogue ordered gruffly before bodily dragging me deeper into camp.

They paraded me like I was a war prize. I kept my chin up, but my legs trembled as we neared the largest tent. Even at such an early hour, its entrance was flanked by two guards. The air around it hung still and expectant. It felt like I had stepped into the eye of a storm.

They shoved me inside so hard that I nearly lost my balance and fell to the rugged floor.

Jesse was pouring himself a glass of wine even though the sun hadn’t fully risen yet. His hand froze mid-pour, and his brow arched high on his forehead.

But he didn’t look surprised to see me. In fact, he grinned. My presence and distress amused him.

“Well,” he said, raising his glass in a mock toast. “I was beginning to think you’d made up your mind and abandoned me. I’m glad you didn’t. That would’ve been so… boring. And I know that you are not a boring woman.”

I didn’t speak. I stood there, filthy and bruised, waiting for him to stop his performance. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he took a long swallow of wine. Then, he circled me slowly, savoring the moment like a vulture about to feed.

“You came back,” he said, almost in awe. “And here I thought Logan would throw himself on the pyre before letting you go. But no. You came willingly.” He grinned. “To me.”

“I came to keep more people from dying,” I said, voice steady despite the throbbing in my ribs and the restless racing of my heart. “This is still about the treaty. Nothing more. I will give myself to you in exchange for your signature on and compliance with the treaty.”

But before I could pull it free from beneath my cloch, he laughed. “Oh, sweetheart. You really thought this was about a silly piece of parchment?”

He raised a hand. Before I could react, the guards surged forward, seizing me again.

“Wait,” I gasped. “What are you—”

“Take her to the cages,” Jesse said, turning away without even looking at me. “She wanted to join the rogues. Let her feel what it’s like to be discarded and left on the fringes.”

“Jesse—” I began, but it was fruitless. The bindings were already being tightly tied around me. The rope bit into my wrists.

And I realized, as they dragged me back out into the morning air that I had been a fool to hope. To dream with optimism of a simple solution to this distress and violence. And I was now just another pawn in Jesse’s twisted game.