Page 26 of Raisa's Cursed Ravens
Instead, I wrap my arm around her back, guiding her to the door.
She hesitates at the threshold. “My father–”
“He’s with his council.” I don’t mention that I could kill them all. His fate is far more painful than a quick death. “Trust me.”
She steps through, and I pull the door shut behind us. The lock clicks, the spell rebounding as if it were never interrupted at all. It’ll be morning before anyone even realizes she’s missing. By then, she’ll be ours.
We move quietly down the staircase, my hand never leaving her waist. Every time she stumbles, I lift her, relishing the heat of her skin under my fingers. She doesn’t resist, just clings to my shoulder and keeps pace.
I lead her through a servant’s corridor and out to the kitchen yard, stopping only long enough to grab a cloak from a hook as we pass by. I slip in on as we step outside.
The castle is mostly asleep, but there are a few guards still playing dice in the shadows. I duck my head and walk fast, pretending I belong.
No one stops us. They don’t even look in our direction, as confident in the king’s magic as he is.
I pause at the outer gate, feeling Raisa’s weight against me. The iron bars are ancient and rusted where they meet the stone wall. A single guard dozes at his post, the keys dangling from his belt.
Gallagher’s arrogance is laughable. He’s so confident that he has her caged and cowed in the tower out of our reach that he didn’t even increase patrols or double his guards. That arrogance will cost him everything.
I slip forward like a ghost, pluck the keys free, and return to her side without a sound.
“Ready?” I whisper, sliding the largest key into the lock.
She nods, her eyes wide as the tumblers click and the gate creaks open just enough for us to slide through. I take her hand and pull her after me, easing the south gate shut behind us. She doesn’t even hesitate. She doesn’t look back, either. Whatever allegiance she had to this place died when Gallagher locked her in the tower this time.
A dog barks in the distance, but nothing else stirs.
I close the gate behind us before tossing the keys into the forest. Once she’s tucked against me again, we run for the trees.
Every exhale is a small cry on her lips, but she keeps up.
In the shelter of the woods, I stop and pull her against the trunk of a pine. I look her over, searching for blood or breaks, for any hint of an injury. If King Gallagher laid a single hand on her, we’ll tear his off and dance in the spray of his blood.
“Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head, her lips trembling. She’s panting, her eyes wild.
“You did good,” I say, meaning it.
For a second, neither of us moves. I feel her heart hammering against my chest, and my own blood roaring in my ears in response. She looks up at me, and there’s something in her gaze—hope or terror, maybe both.
I lean in, just enough to brush my lips against her forehead.
“You’re safe now,” I whisper, even though it’s a lie. Nothing about this is safe. But we’ll tear the kingdom to rubble before we let harm befall her.
She closes her eyes, tears streaking down her face. “Thank you.”
I wipe them away with my thumb, careful and slow. She leans into my hand.
The hunger comes roaring back, sharper than before. More insistent. I want her, all of her. The urge to take is almost unbearable.
I pull away, forcing myself to breathe.
“We have to keep moving,” I say. “It’s not over yet.”
She nods, wiping her cheeks. “I’m ready.”
We melt into the woods together, the taste of her skin still burning on my lips.
