Page 84 of Bound By Roses

“Wait!” I call as Rhett readies to take to the sky. “Take Quinn.”

‘No.’

I snap my gaze to Quinn and forget to speak through the bond. “You’re the one it’s looking for and I can’t marry a corpse.”

I can swear he flinches, but it’s masked by his reluctant stride to the waiting dragon. My words were harsh, and I’ll apologize for them later, but for right now, he needs to get his ass back to Marein.

“Marriage. Congrats,” Rhett says as he scoops Quinn up into his arms as if he were nothing but a giant dog.

‘Shut up, Rhett,’Quinn mutters even though I’m the only one who can hear it.

And then they’re off and Jade and I are alone. Unless you count the phantom woman directly in front of him.

“You going to tell me who she is?” I ask after a while. Who knows how long we’re going to be stuck out here with this thing, so we may as well make the best of it.

“Nope.” I should have expected as much.

I study her face, looking for even the faintest hint of recognition, but there’s nothing. Nothing in the crimson eyes, the gentle slope of her nose, the somewhat-cruel smirk on her lips. And yet there’s something about her… It’s not familiar, exactly, but I feel as if Ishouldknow her.

“Just stop,” Jade says, and for a moment I think he’s talking to me. But he’s not. “I’ve had enough.” He’s pleading with the wraith. This Jade, nor the one I knew, would never pleads with anything.

Who the fuck is this woman?

Jade’s had enough, so I move out from behind him and the wraith jerks with my movement. It flickers between the mother I never knew and the woman I’m certain I don’t know, as if it can’t decide which form is stronger. From what little I know of these creatures, they take the form of the one you’re most likely to follow into the veil, but what happens when it’s trying to lure multiple people? Would it pick the strongest form? Does it even have that level of intelligence? The bitch who took my finger said they can be tricked, but they’ll learn.

How long will it take this one?

I don’t know how long we stay like that, but after what feels like forever, I hear the forceful flapping of wings above us. Without so much as a warning, Rhett swoops low and scoops me up into his arms. Jade is in the air not half a heartbeat later, racing ahead of us in his desperation to get far away from this place.

I just can’t decide if it’s the wraith he’s running from, or the woman whose form it took.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

QUINN

I’m already waiting for them when they land on the beach just a short walk from where I’ve paced a divot in the sand. Abby’s hair blows in the soft breeze and the Gods know I wish it was my fingers running through those strands instead of a sea-blown wind. But I don’t have fingers. Not while the moon smirks down at me.

I hate this. I hate that I ran, that I let this get the better of me. I hate that I couldn’t be stronger for her.

I thought I was over this. Thought she’d broken the hold the curse had on me and stripped me away from the monster. But in truth, all she’d done is give me a reprieve. I may not be the mindless beast that tears innocent people to shreds, but I feel like I’m but a breath away from becoming the version of myself I loathe.

Abby takes a seat in the sand beside me while the dragons leave us without so much as a glance in my direction. I wouldn’t blame them if they judged me for this. Running is what cowards do, and the fact that I ran towards danger makes me fool. I can’t decide which is worse.

‘I’m sorry I ran,’I tell her, fully aware that I’ve ruined this night for us.

Her eyes meet mine and there’s not an ounce of anger in them, nor even the hint of annoyance. All that’s there is a kind understanding that I don’t deserve.‘I’m the one who should be sorry. I knew you were struggling, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.’

‘I can handle it,’I lie, because I’ve already proven I can’t.

‘You shouldn’t have to.’She climbs to her feet.‘Come on. We’re sleeping in the tower tonight.’

The tower?I stumble to my feet and take a step backwards in the opposite direction.‘You know I can’t do that. It’s already bad tonight. I can’t—’

‘Shift.’

‘What?’

‘The dragons are making sure we’re safe tonight. Shift.’

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