Page 55 of The Blood Crown

The fading light through the Shades cast jeweled tones throughout the forest and she might have found it beautiful had she not been so desperate to return to Ravenstone . . . a place that she had already said her goodbyes to.

She’d already locked away that part of her life, laying restlessly in her bed at the Capitol for the weeks that she’d been back, memorizing the plants in Embra’s greenhouse, the shelves of her laboratory. Replaying the crackle of the fireplace on the second floor of the library, the feel of the worn leather as she sunk into the chair beside it.

Her eyes fell on where Valea huddled against the husk of a fallen pine, her alabaster skin safely swallowed up in the stretching shadows of late afternoon.

What would they make of her at Ravenstone?

Her place was secure so long as Ven wished it. But would the others accept her?

Embra might, after some time. Her warmth seemed to thaw even the coldest hearts, and she had a soft spot for prickly things. Nira, on the other hand . . .

Her twin had been tortured at the hands of the Nostari, and she didn’t seem one to put grudges aside. Valea was too young tobear any direct responsibility for it—but her father had given the command.

And Seth? Would he only see the face of the people who imprisoned him when he looked at her? It was impossible to say. He didn’t often wear his emotions on his sleeve, but he observed everything, silently taking the measure of a person. And what would his assessment be?

Could Valea become one of them? Or would her blood weigh out in the end?

Ven stood at the edge of their camp, crimson eyes scanning the forest as dusk fell around them. He shared that blood—and yet he had forged his own path. And maybe that is why he was willing to allow Valea into his home.

Finding Tanis, she offered the woman a skewer of rabbit as she took the seat beside her.

"Thank you," Tanis said, gesturing to food. "Not just for this," she added, voice low.

Aurelia offered a weak smile, not sure how to respond.

Tanis turned toward her. “Whydidyou help me?” she pushed, the golden brown of her skin glowing softly in the fading sunlight, her hazel eyes direct and unflinching.

The question caught her off guard.

Something about the fire in the Tanis’ eyes, her spirit, had made it impossible for her to leave the human behind.

She was no savior. She knew the rest of the captives that she’d set free were either dead or imprisoned again. And because she didn’t have the energy to make up a pretty lie, she answered flatly, “Because you reminded me of a past life." Maybe her motives should have been more altruistic than that, but the truth wasn't a noble one.

Her shoulders dropped when Tanis fell silent, and her gaze strayed once more to Valea, hood still low over her face as the last dregs of sunlight bled out of the mountains. And shewondered, if maybe, the bastard of the Nostari King had been forced into a life she didn’t want and was fighting for a different future as well.

Aurelia sat at the edge of their makeshift camp, arms clasped around her knees as she tried to stay warm. The snow glittered, reflecting diluted moonlight as she marked the rest of their group.

Tanis was asleep a few feet away, exhaustion lining her dark brows even as she dreamt.

A hulking silhouette detached itself from a nearby tree trunk, Karro's footsteps whisper soft despite his size as he crossed the space toward Valea’s curled form.

Reaching for the red cloak at his back, he silently pulled it from his shoulders, moving to drape it over her. But Valea was already standing to her full height, pressing a blade to his chest before he could lift his palms in surrender.

Karro looked down at the gleaming tip, dark brows lifting in admiration. “That’s a fine blade.”

Valea took a menacing step forward, chin tilting up in challenge. “I won it from a male who mistook me for an easy target.”

“Then he was a fool who deserved to be rid of it,” Karro answered smoothly, his deep voice rumbling across the snow.

Aurelia couldn’t help but smile a little, wondering if Karrowantedto be gutted by the female.

He held the cloak out to Valea, the smirk on his face falling into something more sincere. “I thought you might—” he hesitated, “need this.”

She eyed the garment suspiciously, finally dropping her blade back to her side, palm still firmly gripped around the hilt.“I don’t,” she bit out. Her own cloak snapped in the winter wind but she made no move to wrap it around herself, as if to prove the point. “I’ve patrolled these mountains in winters much more unforgiving than this."

“I’ve no doubt of it,” Karro offered, grasping the cloak in his fist and dropping it to his side. “Well then. . .” His breath misted between them as he turned away, eyes falling to his boots.

Secondhand embarrassment warmed Aurelia's face, something about the interaction making her feel like a voyeur. She turned away, a familiar shadow in her periphery. But she didn’t turn to face Ven—couldn’t. So instead, he silently stood beside her, watching the lazy flakes of snow descend on the forest and cast it in grayscale.

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