Page 58 of Ravaging Red
I didn’t say a word as we were led away. The corridors of the High Council were a maze of towering archways and carved stone passageways, each etched with ancient runes and inlaid with veins of glowing crystals. The scent of magic lingered in the air, sweet and metallic. Torches hovered in the air, shadows moved where light should have banished them.
We climbed staircases wrapped in obsidian balustrades, the steps so polished they gleamed beneath our boots. Tapestries lined the walls, each depicting old battles, blood rites, monstrous victories. The further we went, the colder it got.
Finally, Kaelith paused before a tall, blackened oak door engraved with the sigil of my House, a snarling wolf wrapped in thorns and flames.
“This is the Northern Wing,” she said softly. “The quarters of the Hollow Woods.”
She slowly opened the door, and the interior looked clean and pristine. Everything inside was untouched and well preserved.
Stone walls towered up into vaulted ceilings ribbed with ancient wood. A great hearth dominated one side, already lit, the flames crackling beneath the carved emblem of my House. The scent of pine and ash clung to everything.
The bed sat high against the far wall. It was massive, and layered in dark furs and forest green silks, surrounded by thick curtains that were pulled back and tied with gold-threaded rope. Shelves lined with old tomes and books, while ancient relics flanked a desk carved from ironwood.
The rug beneath our feet was dyed in red and black, worn at the edges where my father’s paws had once paced.
I hadn’t stepped foot in this room since I was seventeen and it fel just like it had before. Cold and lonely.
Red stood in the middle of it, turning slowly, her eyes wide as she took it all in.
“Rael,” she whispered, voice soft as the fire’s crackled. “It’s beautiful.”
I didn’t answer as I stared at the seal above the fireplace. It represented everything I’d fought to forget. And now I was stuck here, there was no escape unless it meant putting her in harm’s way.
Kaelith excused herself and I went over to the door, slamming it shut with more force than necessary, the echo rattling the stone walls as though they could share in my fury.
Red stood near the edge of the hearth, her arms crossed over her dress, her brow tight with worry. She didn’t speak at first, just watched me pace like a caged beast.
“You’re angry,” she said finally, voice careful.
I turned to her slowly, the restraint fraying in every fiber of me. “Of course I’m angry.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Because they voted for you to stay?”
“No. Becauseyouconvinced me to stay. You stood there and whispered to me like I was yours to use. You got me into this mes, back into this cursed life.”
She flinched at that but recovered quickly. “I didn’t know what it meant to you, Rael. You never told me.”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t wantthis.I left it behind for a reason.”
Her fists clenched at her sides. “So now it’s my fault? Because I thought you could protect us? Because I thought maybe, justmaybe, if you stood beside them, you could have a voice?”
I laughed, bitter and low. “You’ve come to know me, have you?”
“I’ve come to know that I knownothingabout you!” she snapped. “Except for what you’ve shown me between your teeth and your cock!”
That hit harder than I thought it would, and I turned my head, slowly, my jaw tight. A growl started in my chest, low and cold. “Then maybe that’s all you need to know.”
Her chin lifted, defiant and furious. “That’s not enough for me. I’m not some submissive little monster fantasy for you to fuck and bite.”
I circled her, slow and deliberate, my fury barely tethered. “No,” I said, voice dipped in darkness, “but I will make youbreeda monster.”
Her breath hitched and that’s when she slapped me.
Hard.
The power of it cracked across my face like lightning. My cheek stung, and for a long second, neither of us moved.
She stepped back, breathing sharply. “Maybe Ishouldn’tbe here,” she said, voice trembling now. “If all I am is a punishment, if you’re angry because ofme, then maybe I should go.”
