Page 29 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

I slowly got to my feet, intending to listen at the door so I could hear what they were talking about. Instead, my head swam the moment I stood. I rested a hand against the wall to steady myself.

“He won’t hurt you.”

“Huh?” I turned, remembering the talking cat was still here. His tangerine eyes watched me with interest.

“Vareck. He’s got a reputation for being ruthless, but he won’t hurt you.”

I stumbled away from the wall. “I kidnapped his nephew.”

The cat chuckled. “Yeah. Most entertaining thing to happen in a decade if you ask me. Eleanor is in a tiff. Damon will be fine, though. Probably.” He didn’t sound very concerned. I suppose that was to be expected. He was a cat, after all.

“What makes you so sure he won’t hurt me?” I asked, glancing around for a glass of water to soothe my parched throat. No such luck.

“You’re his mate.”

I froze. Ice spread throughout my veins in fear.

“You’re high on catnip. Mates don’t exist anymore.”

“Oh they exist,” the cat said. “No one canfeelthe bonds because of the curse—but not even that could stop them from existing.” He stood up, arching his back in a stretch.

I was at a loss for words. I was arguing semantics with a talking animal. Instead, I moved toward the window. Based on the lack of scenery around us, I could only assume we weren’t on the first floor, but I wasn’t sure how high up we were.

Peering over the edge, a pang of disappointment hit me. We had to be two, maybe three stories above a sloped roof. Too high to jump.

The cat insisted Vareck wouldn’t hurt me, but I couldn’t pin all my hopes on that. I’d heard the woman from the hall. Damon’s mother. Eleanor. He’d been gone for a day and a half already. Eventually Vareck would have to do something if he didn’t get information out of me, and thetruth was, he couldn’t. I was bound by the terms of the contract.

Something brushed up against my legs, making me jump. I glanced down to see the cat winding his way between them.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? I’m sucking up on the off chance you’ll take pity and feed me.”

I opened my mouth to respond when the bedroom door suddenly opened again. My body jerked, arms flailing.

The cat between my legs merely purred as I fell backwards.

Glass shattered. Then I was falling.

Chapter 11

Vareck

“Oops.” Corvo sat, staring at the spot where Meera had been standing.

My heart jumped into my throat, feet moving before I could even process what was happening. Grabbing the windowsill, I leaned over the edge.

Skid marks marred the smooth layer of snow, leading off the roof. I couldn’t see over the edge. Panic gripped me.

I turned on my heel and ran.

The hallways passed by in a blur. Time seemed to skip as I got to the first floor. “Out of the way!” I shouted, as servants and nobles stood immobile in the hallways, watching me with curiosity.

I had to get to her. I had to?—

The entryway doors burst open. Cold air pricked at my skin. I embraced the clarity, turning for the section of the grounds she would have fallen. Blood roared in my ears with every step I took.

What if . . .

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