Page 22 of Foretold

“Vale!” I hear Vera yell from down the hallway, and my head snaps to him. “I think we’re about to be in big trouble.”

His blue eyes widen as his mother appears at the door, her dark eyes simmering with fear and then anger as they land on me. “What are you doing in here with…her?”

She tries to step through the door but comes up against an invisible wall. It seems Rave even warded out his son’s motherfrom his room.

My lip twitches. “Vera, lovely to see you again.”

“I wish you never came back,” she snarls, her eyes gentling as they turn to her son. “I was so worried when you weren’t in bed, Vale. Come on, let’s go home.”

“I’m staying here tonight,” he replies, sliding to the edge of the bed. “Now that Princess Astrid knows everything, I don’t have to hide anymore.”

Smiling, I gently ask him, “Why don’t you go to bed and come back tomorrow?”

“Don’t tellmyson what to do,” Vera yells, pointing her finger at me. Her red hair falls over her cheek, and she lets it stay there. “You’ve ruined everything for us, you know that? And I don’t care what you say or do, Valewillbe the next king!”

Not wanting to talk about this in front of a child, I don’t bother engaging with her. But seeing her reminds me why I left this kingdom in the first place. The castle is more Vera’s home than it is mine. I’m the outsider here.

“What are you doing here?” Rave says as he stops in front of Vera. He turns and looks toward Vale and me, sitting on his bed together, his brow burrowing. “Vale?”

“Sorry, Dad,” his son says, shrugging. “I took the princess fishing. It wasn’t her fault, so don’t be angry.”

My eyes go to Vale, and he winks at me. I can’t help but laugh softly. This kid is charming and so much like his father. Rave steps into the room, leaving Vera at the ward boundary. “You know it’s not safe to go outside at nighttime.”

“I can protect her,” Vale replies, puffing out his chest. “I even caught her a fish.”

Rave crosses his arms as he studies us, a flash of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Astrid doesn’t eat fish.”

Vale snaps his head to me. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

Shrugging, I admit, “I didn’t know you were catching it forme. And I did tell you we could do whateveryouwanted to. You obviously like fishing.”

“I do.” He nods, standing and hugging his father. “I’m going to go to bed now. Goodnight, Princess.”

“Night, Vale,” I say, watching him leave with Vera, who throws a dirty look in my direction for good measure.

Now alone, Rave regards me with uncertainty. There’s blood on his tunic, and I know he’s killed tonight. “He walked you out of your room?”

“He did,” I reply, licking my suddenly dry lips.

His gaze follows the motion, and he steps closer to me. “And what do you plan on doing now? Are you going to try and leave again?”

I arch my brow, standing to face him. The air between us thickens, the bond wanting me closer to him, but my stubbornness won’t allow that. “You won’t be keeping me anywhere I don’t want to be, Rave. And if you try to lock me away again, youwilllose me.”

“You were so sweet. What happened to you?” he mutters.

“That was when August was looking after me. This is the version of meyouhave created,” I reply, watching his expression shatter before my eyes—pain, regret, and anger flicker over him.

He swallows, his throat working with the motion. “There are no limits to what I’d do to keep you with me, Astrid. You aremine, and there is no escaping that. The bond might lessen with distance between us, but it will never disappear. We are tied together for the rest of our lives. You might hate me, but I’myours. And that willneverchange.”

“That might not change, but other things will,” I say, and his eyes dilate. “You didn’t encourage me to learn how to zip so I couldn’t just leave, did you?”

A muscle feathers in his jaw, letting me know I’m right. “It’s not safe—”

“But now I can zip. I will be free to do and go where I want. And you will trust me to make those decisions,” I declare, closing the space between us until his boots touch my bare feet. “Things won’t be the same, Rave. This castle doesn’t seem like my home anymore. It feels more like I’ve walked into an already made family as an intruder—”

“That isn’t true. You are everything to me—”

I raise my hands. “This isyourhome.Yourfriends.Yourfamily.Yourex.Yourson. I thought it was becoming mine, but it was all one big lie. One that everyone was involved in except me.”

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