Page 53 of Born of Blood and Thorns

"No!" I yelled, turning toward him with my sword held high. "You'll have to fight me too. I'm not leaving you." There was a plea in each word I spoke. For a moment, I believed my words had gotten to him. That he would change his mind as something soft, almost tender, crossed his expression. Before I could even decipher why, his face darkened and hardened. His features turned so cold a chill shivered down my back.

"Leave now. Or I'll make you," he commanded, a steel edge in his words.

"No. No, no, no," I begged, dropping my sword and pleading with him. My voice softened, going lower. "Please don't make me leave you."

My father jumped down and moved closer to me as I backed away, casting frantic looks at Lore and pleading for him to help. The moon goddess couldn't just grant him permission to circumvent the curse, even if she was the one who acted on it. Could she? I was about to turn and run when Lore's words stopped me as if the fight had instantly deflated from me.

"You already have," he said right before his gaze flicked to behind me, and my world went dark as something hard slammed into my head.

I awoke with a gasp, my head throbbing. Blinking against the dim light, I realized I was back in the hovel I had once shared with my father. The chill of the dirt floor seeped into my bones as I shifted upright, my heart sinking.

He had sent me away after all. No, not just that he had sent me away. He had closed off to me, denying what was real. Denying us in the face of a truth that wasn't important—my ancestors and a family I didn't have a claim to. They didn't make me who I was. No, he had thrown me away. Worst, from the throbbing of my head, someone had knocked me out, and he'd allowed it. Throwing me away like yesterday's garbage.

Hurt cut me deep as I felt the betrayal in my heart, my soul, my very being. It made me take gulping breaths as I tried to steady my heart. The pain was too much to process. It felt as if someone had stabbed me directly in the heart and twisted the knife.

I was broken, shattered into little pieces that splattered and soaked into the ground like blood, only to be trampled on by the soles of those who were meant to protect me, to love me.

I forced my heart to calm, to push the pain away, and to focus. As I pressed against the thin door, I could make out two muffled voices—Roderick and Gideon. I shuddered at the alpha wolf's deep guttural tones, fear creeping down my spine.

"It's agreed then," Roderick said. "You help me reclaim my throne, and the girl is yours."

Gideon gave a dark chuckle. "Oh, I'll enjoy taming that fiery spirit of hers and making her submit. She'll birth me strong pups."

Revulsion churned my stomach. I would die before letting that monster lay a hand on me again.

Slowly, their scheming voices faded as they moved away. I sagged back, bitterness welling up to mingle with heartache. Lore had rejected me so coldly in the end. I wanted to rage at him, to demand why he had done this to me, to us.

Sorrow drowned my anger. I knew that tortured look in his eyes as he commanded me to leave. He tried to protect and spare me from the curse's dark fate. Lore had come to care for me, even if he refused to admit it aloud. I had seen the truth in our stolen moments of bliss.

I pressed my fists against my chest, aching with loss. It didn't matter if Lore pushed me away out of misguided nobility or if he despised my vampire heritage. All that mattered was that I loved him despite our differences. I would return to his side, no matter the cost, because hope remained. I'd heard him say the words, you'll be safer. He'd done it to save me. Pushing me away like he always did. Well, it wasn't going to happen. Not this time.

With grim determination, I began to work the ties that bound me, planning my escape. Tonight, the wolves would be distracted by the blood moon's spell. If I was quick and clever, I could evade them.

Soon, they were loosened enough I could slip my hands through. I rubbed the raw areas where the rope had chafed my skin, tearing the skin from my flesh. My finger skittered over the scar I had gotten from the vines, and my heart tore anew. How would I get in there if I couldn't get past the vines? Fear lanced through me as I thought about the piercing screams we'd heard before Roderick showed up and his eerie words that the curse was coming to an end.

Lore needed me, whether he realized it or not. I refused to abandon him to the curse's cruel conclusion. If my place was at his side, then so be it—I would stand with him until the bitter end.

My heart galloped with mingled fear and exhilaration as I slipped into the shadows. One way or another, I would find my way back to my dragon prince. Let the moon goddess rage—she could not keep us apart. Lore was my destiny, and I his. Nothing, not even a curse, could change that.

Tonight, we would break the curse, even if I died trying.

CHAPTER 27

Bella

Deja vu hit me as, once again, I ran through the forbidden woods in the cold. The snow was no longer on the ground, but winter still seemed to have its tight grip on the land as the wind picked up and chilled me to the marrow in my bones.

I had run at a decent pace until I heard the howling of the wolf packs behind me. I ran with everything I had, letting the blood moon light my way through the trees and the mist. It felt like forever when the vines appeared, and I searched for a way in. Even with the decay, there was no safe way in or through.

A growl tore through the night, and I turned to see the fawn-colored wolf staring at me, its head lowered and its teeth on full display. Gideon. He growled and then paced back and forth.

"Stop. Let me go." I threw up my hands, pleading with him. "I wasn't meant to be yours." I admitted, not daring to take my eyes off the wolf in front of me even as the shrieks of the undead and the sounds of battle echoed from the castle courtyard.

There was an attack happening at this very minute. Fear lanced through me as a strong desire to get to Lore made me turn my head to glance over my shoulder, back toward the people I cared about.

Lore was surrounded, and I couldn't see Alastair anywhere. Thorns were in my way.

What if Billy was hurt? Or Alysha, too? These people had become my family in a short period, more than my own blood. They needed me, and I'd be damned if I wasn't going to be there for them. I scanned the vines, trying to find a way to climb them without getting stung. I didn't think. Just as the growls from Gideon became louder, he pounced, then broke off with a yelp as I jumped on the first vine. I climbed quickly until I was on top of the wall. I didn't assess any cuts; instead, I looked to see where the fight was.

---