Page 16 of Wicked Prince of Carnage
Bael stiffened. “Highness?”
Anyone else would’ve already been dead, but two versions of this girl had haunted his dreams for years. In the end, they were one and the same. A quick death wasn’t good enough. Toying with her for a little while longer would be much more entertaining.
“Don’t worry,” he said with a lopsided smirk. “Red Riding Hood is coming straight to me.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
STERLING
That rutting bastard.Sterling had almost done more than call the Prince of Carnage that before fleeing from her cottage.
The wind thrashed through Sterling’s hair as she bolted into the forest, her lungs tightening to the cusp of bursting.
She was left with only two decent choices. One being to travel straight to the market and collect her brother before abandoning the town. The second was to distance herself. It would take her longer to get to Cyan this way but wouldn’t lead the prince straight to him. It also gave her the possibility that she wouldn’t be found.
Her heart pounded as she thought about Winter’s vile hands around Cyan’s tiny neck, tightening, then snapping it as though he were nothing. Just another lowly human to him.
No. Sterling skirted around various tree trunks, leapt over bright green foliage until the scent she’d been waiting for washed over her. Up ahead, the apple orchard blossomed, the sweet and slightly tart smell filling the air. Along with the mud near the lake, it was the one thing she knew that could mask her smell. The prince could easily sniff her out, but with any luck, this would conceal Sterling long enough for her to circle back to the market.
A freshly painted red and brown barn sat beside a beautiful cottage, calling for her to go there first. She tore open the door of the wooden structure, and two of the horses startled and snorted.
Sterling ignored the smell of manure and scanned the walls for a pitchfork oranythingthat could be used as a weapon. Just past the hay, nestled in the corner beside a line of tools, were two bows and a quiver holding arrows.Even better. She didn’thesitate to snatch a bow and the quiver up, then hurried toward the lake while surveying her surroundings.
No one was outside of the cottage, and she prayed to the gods that they weren’t peeking out through the slits in the curtains either so they couldn’t alert the prince of her location when he came. Because he would certainly be there soon.
Red, green, and yellow fruit dotted the trees, and she plucked one, biting into it to release the apple’s fragrance. It only took her a few more moments to reach the lake, its shimmery surface reflecting the sun. She slathered mud at the water’s edge across her body and crouched behind a nearby tree, keeping her breath slow and steady as she drew back an arrow on the bowstring.
Sterling waited and waited andwaited. Her legs and arms ached from remaining in the same statuesque position.
Not a single wolf came. Winter should’ve at least entered the apple orchard by now, even if he couldn’t find her after that. Fear struck her then, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
What if the prince wasn’t coming after her at all—what if he’d gone to find her brother first?
Fuck.
Slowly, Sterling stood from her crouched position as she lowered the bow to her side. She knew she’d made a grave mistake, but maybe luck was with her, that he somehow didn’t know where she worked, only where she lived.Please.
Heart lodged in her throat, Sterling darted back through the orchard and toward the market center. Perhaps she was wrong, and Winter had simply stayed in her home, waiting for her or Cyan to return. The bastard had to be toying with her in return for what she’d done to his pack. Even though Winter was the reason she loathed wolves, she should’ve let vengeance go. She and Cyan had a good life now, one she’d worked hard for, and her vendetta could cost them everything.
Nareth had been a bodyguard at the brothel, though his job was mostly tossing out drunkards. There was no way he could take down a shifter. Not with their strength.
If she got to her brother in time, they would flee with nothing but the clothing on their backs. They would have less than before, but at least now she knew how to hunt while Cyan could grow herbs and vegetables. Together they would find solace in one of the other eleven courts and make a new life for themselves.
As perspiration slicked the back of Sterling’s neck and face, she peered up toward the cloudless sky.Please, Grandmother. Please, Mama. Give me strength. Get me to Cyan.
An eerie quiet washed over her as she reached the market, not a single customer wandering the street, not a single worker outside their stores.
Something wasn’t right.
Sterling threw open the door to her shop, and the usual scent of blood permeated the air. But this time it wasn’t only from the meat in the back. Nareth sat slumped on the floor, his wrists bound behind him around a pole, his head hanging downward. Blood smeared his shirt, and she couldn’t tell if he was dead.
“Nareth!” Sterling shrieked and hurried toward him, her heart galloping.
A gurgled sound left Nareth’s mouth as he lifted his head to peer at her. A few bloody gashes marred his cheek and nose, the rest puffy and red from where he’d been beaten.
Thank the gods! He’s alive.Sterling sprinted to the back of the shop, glass crunching beneath her boots. “Cyan!” she shouted. “Cyan!” But her brother was nowhere to be found.
Sterling grabbed a knife and rushed back to Nareth. “Where’s Cyan?” she asked while cutting through the ropes.
