Page 30 of Masked Fate

And it was only my room that had been spelled.

Kainan stands by my side, his hand resting on my shoulder. “You okay?”

I nod, holding my injured arm with the other.

“I broke through the ward at my window. If I couldn’t overpower that magic, I wouldn’t have been able to jump out.”

She wanted me to burn alive.

And she would have slept like a baby if I had.

“Glad you’re okay, Pandora. Someone must really have it out for you.” Ebony smirks as she walks past me and back into the castle like nothing exciting has happened.

“Better luck next time,” I mutter to myself.

“Don’t even joke about that,” Kainan hisses, turning me to face him. “We need to handle her, Pandora.”

“I know,” I whisper. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“I’ll get your room taken care of,” my cousin assures me.

With nowhere else to go, I zip back to the place I said I would try and stay away from.

It’s the middle of the night, and I don’t want to wake Rave and Astrid.

Walking to the guest room where I usually sleep, I stop when I see Soren, bare-chested, heading toward his room. He does a double take when he sees me, his brow furrowing as he rushes over, tilting my face upward to look at him with his fingers. “What happened?”

Licking my dry lips, I glance down at my ripped sleep pants and ashy matching top, which has some grass stains on it from my fall. “Nothing,” I lie, trying to step around him, but he gentlycatches my unharmed wrist as I pass, stopping me.

“Don’t lie to me, witch,” he murmurs, and I stand still as he leisurely examines me. “Are you hurt? What have you done to your arm?”

“No, I’m fine—”

“Who. Fucking. Hurt. You?” he demands, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Tell menow, Pandora.”

“I fell,” I reply, trying to keep my eyes on his and not look at his perfectly muscled chest and abs.

He stares at me as if looking for any signs of deception. “You fell?” he says incredulously.

“Yes. Look, Soren, I’ve had a really bad night, and I’m tired. And I know you don’t want me here, but I have nowhere else to g-go,” I admit, my voice catching. I hate to show him any weakness, but I’m exhausted, and I simply want to go to bed at this stage. “There’s nowhere else I feel safe.”

He tucks my hair back behind my ear and examines my arm. “It looks broken.”

“I know,” I admit, wincing.

Suddenly, he lifts me, careful of my arm, and carries me to my room.

I close my eyes and breathe in his scent—cinnamon and comfort.

Home… if he’d ever allow it.

His constant change between warm and cold is so draining, but I allow him to lay me on the bed and tuck me in. “Don’t move,” he orders, leaving me alone in the room.

About ten minutes later, he returns with Astrid, her hair a wild mess like a certain winged shadow daddy has been running his hands through it.

“What happened?” she asks, rushing over to me.

“Sorry to interrupt your sex fest with my injuries.” I smirk, and she rolls her eyes as she runs her warm hands over my arm,then she closes her eyes, using her healing magic.

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