Page 74 of Bound By Roses

‘Found you.’

He trots over to me, tongue lapping playfully from his mouth. This is fun for them.

“Hey, can I use you to help me find the others?”

‘I was hoping you’d say that,’Ellis says before taking off at a run towards the trees while I move further down the beach. I use his eyes, and through them, we find three more wolves, and I find two of my own on the beach.

With each new pair of eyes on my side, the game moves quicker and quicker until all wolves have returned to me. It reminds me of a game I played with Arabella once in the palace, but it’s way more fun than pretending to play with unsuspecting Guardians.

“Alright, let’s go again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

QUINN

It’s been two days since the nightmare led me into the forest. Two days since that wraith donned the mask of my mother. Two days since I last saw Jade.

He’s yet to return after our brief encounter, and for reasons I can’t name, I’m bothered by it. I spoke with Merrick this morning, and none of the dragons have seen him, despite their nightly flies along the forest’s edge. If he’s out there, he doesn’t want to be found. At least there’ve been no forest fires, so he must be in control of himself.

The six hours of sparring and two hours in the water each day have served my body well. I’m fatigued, but in the best way. It’s been years since I felt the deep ache that comes with intense training, and though most would probably find a reason to complain about it, it brings me an odd sort of comfort. It’s not that I enjoyed the hard routine my father forced on me. In fact, I hated it. But when I was cursed—when Imurderedhim, along with half his kingdom—the sole purpose I’d been raised for died with him.

Now, with the burn of my arms and tightness in my chest, I almost feel whole.

Abby seems happier, too. She’s found purpose with the wolves and learning to see through their eyes. I haven’t shared mine with her yet, and although I know she wants me to, a small part of me is still afraid that she’ll see the monster I’m so fearful of unleashing again. It’s a foolish thought, since I’m so willing to share every other part of myself with her, but I’m just not ready.

There are voices in the distance, but I don’t let them distract me as a sword swings for my head. The sirens willing to work with me are learning faster than I’d anticipated and some of them are using tricks I haven’t seen. One of the influencers—a woman who, if you look directly in the eyes, makes it appear as if there are two of her—has been a particular challenge. I prefer to watch the eyes in a fight because they’ll tell me where the next swing will be aimed. So it’s either fight a real opponent and a phantom, or fight at a disadvantage.

“I almost got you that time,” she laughs. One lesson she’s yet to learn is that cockiness will never serve her. If this were an actual fight, she’d already be dead.

“What did I tell you about watching your footing?” I mutter. Since I can’t look her in the eye, I’ve been focused on her feet and her stance is terrible. She relies too heavily on her trickery. “And can someone find out what the fuck is going on over there?” The distant voices have grown louder and I can’t risk the distraction. As much as I hate to admit it, Netta is probably the most worthy opponent I’ve faced among the sirens. Yes, if this were a real fight, I would have already run her through, but I can’t exactly do that in a match. I win by disarming only, and that’s incredibly difficult when I can’t tell which Netta is real and which is fake.

Luckily for me, it seems she’s struggling to stay focused just as much as I am. I chance a glance up at her and find her head turned towards the sound. I won’t get another chance to end the match so cleanly, so I charge. As soon as my hands are on herwrist, it just takes the slightest pressure of my thumb in just the right spot to have her sword falling to the sand.

“Damnit!” she curses, swinging back around in an attempt to land a solid punch.

Dodging her is easier, so by the time her fist reaches the place she was aiming, I’m already six paces away. “You can’t lose focus. You have an advantage I could only dream about. Don’t give that away because of curiosity.”

I have no right to say that because I, too, am hyper focused on whatever commotion is happening down the beach. I’m about ready to head down there myself when one of the men I’ve been training comes sprinting back. “It’s the Chosen dragon,” he wheezes. I guess I’m going to have to work on their endurance if this jog has him winded.

“Jade? What about him?” Judging by the growing crowd, this can’t be good.

“He’s not alone.”

I’m about to question him more when I spot a blur of grey darting through the crowd.

‘Abby, what’s going on?’If there’s a wolf there, she’ll already have more information that the wheezing siren.

‘Jade has a Guardian pinned in the sand. They need you over there.’

I’m moving before she even finishes the thought. What the fuck is Jade thinking bringing a Guardian here? Is that what he’s been doing all this time? If he went to Lunae, I might just have to drag him back out to that rift and give him what he wants.

It takes less than a minute to reach them, and what I find is exactly as Abby described. He’s clad in silver, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s a Guardian, though it’s impossible to see his face with it pressed down in the sand.

I push my way through the remaining crowd. “That’s enough. Let him up.”

There’s a smile on Jade’s face when he looks up at me. For just a moment I think he’s going to argue, but then he pulls the man to his feet only to kick him down so he’s kneeling in front of me. “I brought you a gift,” he says, before turning his attention to the panting Abby. She must have run all the way here. “I brought usalla gift.”

Abby crouches down in front of the man. He’s young—likely no older than seventeen—and the terror in his eyes makes him appear even younger. “Are you hurt?” she asks. Always so kind.

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