Hunted By My Dreams
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The next morning, I woke up in a bed that was not my own. The sheets were soft and warm beneath me as I stretched out on top of them, but the blankets only served to remind me where they came from—the guest room at Maven’s mansion, which had been converted into a temporary prison for me after he’d taken control of his father’s army.
He hadn’t wanted any evidence left behind if someone decided to search the house when we fled with our prize. Now it looked like I wouldn’t even get a chance to escape before he found us again.
I sat bolt upright, pushing myself off the mattress so hard that my head spun dizzily back and forth. It took several seconds more until I could finally take stock of what else lay around me: a desk against one wall beside an open window, bare walls everywhere else except for a few paintings hung crookedly along another wall; two chairs by the door opposite the bed, both empty now.
A single candle burned between them, casting flickering shadows across everything in sight.
Maven must have already gone through here while I slept. If nothing else, there would be no need for him to return anytime soon—he didn’t seem interested in searching every inch of this place just yet. But that meant that whatever plans he had laid out for me weren’t going to happen right away either.
Sooner or later, though, I knew he was coming back. And once he did, I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d last under his thumb.
My stomach turned sour at the thought. No matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about the things he’d done during those long hours alone with him outside the city. The way his fingers had trailed down my skin, exploring all the places he shouldn’t have been allowed near… the sound of his voice whispering promises into my ear while he kissed me senseless…
His hands on my body felt too good, far better than anything I’d ever experienced before. Even now, I shuddered at the memory of it, wishing desperately that I could forget the whole thing.
But I couldn’t. That night would haunt me forever because somehow I still loved him anyway. As much as I despised his selfishness and cruelty, deep inside I craved him like nothing else in the world. Maybe it was wrong, maybe I should’ve hated him instead, but I never could bring myself to do so.
Every time he touched me, every kiss he gave me, I melted beneath him. Not in fear anymore, but in surrender.
And now he’d given himself over completely to the same lusts that consumed me. All the power in the world meant nothing compared to the thrill of being desired above everyone else. How could anyone blame us? We were young—younger than most people realized, really—and we both needed something different from life than others expected.
What other choice did we have besides falling together into the darkness?
It made sense to me then why Maven had been willing to give up everything for me. Why he would risk his throne, his family, his reputation, and possibly even his country itself for a girl who didn’t care enough to fight for her freedom. He might hate me right now, but someday he’d realize what we shared was worth fighting for.
Once he saw the light, there would be nothing stopping him from doing whatever he wished.
Except for me. I couldn’t let him go without trying to change his mind first. There was too much riding on what happened next. For both of us.
That realization brought me crashing back into the present, and I quickly scanned my surroundings again to see if there was anything useful lying around that I could use for some kind of defense. In addition to the candles, there was only a single chair, which I suspected belonged to whoever had occupied this room when Maven had arrived. Nothing else.
There was also no sign of my clothes anywhere nearby—not surprising considering how thoroughly I’d searched them earlier. At least my weapons were still stowed securely in their hiding spot beneath the floorboards, although I doubted I’d find any knives or daggers among the collection.
At this point, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was all just the latest example of how little control I had over my situation. I didn’t want to stay trapped here, but neither did I feel strong enough to escape on my own yet. I’d barely managed to get free of Prince Jaxon’s clutches after all these years. My strength hadn’t improved since then.
I glanced toward the door again, wondering where Maven had disappeared to. Had he left me alone, knowing full well that I wouldn’t dare try to leave? Or perhaps he wanted to keep me close, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Either way, I wasn’t taking chances. I needed something solid to stand upon, something heavy and immovable, to help me reach the window. Unfortunately, the closest thing I could think of was a bookcase standing against the far wall. I ran forward and seized hold of its top shelf, pulling myself up onto it.
Then I pulled myself up higher until I could grasp the edge of the wooden frame surrounding the window.
With great effort, I hauled myself upward on my fingertips and knees. When I finally reached the sill, I threw my legs over the side and dropped down to sit cross-legged on the floor below. From there, I used my elbows to lever my upper body up and over the opening, landing softly on the ground outside.
It took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the dim light outside, but soon I spotted the small garden beyond the walls: tall hedges, stone benches, and lush bushes growing in between the cracks. A few steps away stood a large iron gate leading deeper into the estate grounds, flanked by two guards in dark armor. They looked bored, but not overly alert.
“Hello?” I called out tentatively. “Is anybody home?”
The guard nearest the gate stepped closer, glancing in my direction briefly before returning to staring off into space. The second man walked past the gate and approached me slowly. His hand rested near the hilt of his sword, but otherwise, he seemed relaxed. I guessed they weren’t expecting trouble tonight; at least, none that required them to take action.
I waited patiently while he studied me carefully from head to toe, then asked hopefully, “Do you happen to speak English?”
He shook his head with a smile. “No.”
My heart sank. Of course not. But I tried one more time. “Can you tell me where I am? And how long I’ve been gone?”
His eyebrows rose as he tilted his head slightly. “Are you sure about that? You look familiar somehow… Have we met before?”
Before I could respond, he continued, “You’re very pretty,” he said, looking me over once again. “If I were a younger man…”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from someone like you.”
A broad grin spread across his face. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m just teasing. Everyone knows your name—you can’t hide from it. Not even in a place as big as this.”
Despite being surrounded by strangers, I felt a wave of relief wash through me. Maybe it was because of our similar appearance, or maybe it was simply because I knew that I was finally safe. Whatever the reason, I allowed myself to relax for the first time since leaving the castle.
“Thank goodness,” I muttered under my breath. “Now can you please give me directions?”
When nothing further came back to me other than laughter, I decided to be brave and approach the gates myself. If Maven really wanted me dead, then surely he would have come after me already. He might be able to kill me himself, but I had no doubt that he’d send men to do it instead. With luck, they’d never make it inside the grounds.
As I neared the guards’ position, though, I heard voices behind me—the same ones who’d spoken to the guard outside. Now they sounded angry, and when I turned around, I saw why. Two figures emerged from the shadows of the house, carrying lanterns and torches.
One was dressed in black leather armor, the other wearing a simple white shirt. Both wore short swords strapped to their sides, and both carried wickedly curved knives tucked into their belts.
They stopped directly beside me without saying anything. Without warning, the man in black drew his sword and pointed it straight at my chest. I froze instantly, unable to move despite having nowhere else to go. My mind raced frantically, searching for any possible escape route. There was only one option left to me now.
At least, so I thought. Before I could act, however, the man in white spoke quietly into my ear. “Don’t be afraid, little mouse. We mean you no harm.”
Relief flooded through me. These were allies! Finally, some good news.
But then the knight in black began speaking again. “We know what you are,” he said menacingly, “and we will see you dead if we must.”
My blood ran cold. So far, these people hadn’t done much except intimidate me—but they clearly meant business. I glanced nervously at the knife at the other man’s belt as he lowered his torch toward me. “Please,” I whispered desperately, trying to sound calm, “don’t hurt me!”
The man in white laughed aloud, slapping the armored figure on the shoulder. “Who says we want to hurt her? She doesn’t seem dangerous enough to us.”
The knight in black snorted. “Of course she isn’t,” he replied. “She looks too helpless to do any real damage.”
That earned him another slap from the other man. This one didn’t stop until he finally relented. “Well, whatever happens next, remember: we’ll always keep an eye out for you.” Then he returned his attention to me, lowering his blade. “What is your name?” he asked gently.
“Cinder,” I answered quickly. “And yours?”
Both men smiled. “Call me Ash,” said the one in the white shirt. “This is my brother, Rook.”
Rook nodded curtly. “So you’re Cinder. Nice to meet you.”
Ash raised his sword again. “On behalf of the Order of the Silver Star, welcome to Haven.”
***
It took two days for me to find my way out of the city. By that point, I’d grown accustomed to traveling alone; besides, there wasn’t much choice. The streets were teeming with soldiers everywhere, all of whom looked ready to fight anyone who made them cross.
Even worse, most of the locals seemed to take great pleasure in scaring newcomers whenever they got the chance. In fact, it was almost impossible to walk down a street without hearing shouts of “traitor” or “enemy spy” echoing behind me.
By the end of those first few hours, I was exhausted and terrified. It hardly mattered that Ash kept promising me protection—he couldn’t protect me forever. And once I found myself wandering deeper into the city, I realized how badly I needed help.
Luckily, it didn’t take long before I stumbled upon a familiar face. As soon as I spotted the tall blond boy standing near the gate, I hurried over to greet him. When he saw me approaching, he broke off his conversation immediately. His dark blue eyes widened slightly as he studied me curiously, but otherwise showed no sign of recognition.
“Hello,” I said hesitantly as I approached him. “I’m sorry to interrupt—”
He waved me away irritably. “No need to apologize. I don’t care about your reasons for coming here. Just stay close by, and everything should be fine.”
I frowned at this sudden change in attitude. Wasn’t he just talking to me a moment ago? But then I noticed something strange: there was a small group of men surrounding him. They weren’t members of the Order of the Silver Star, nor did they wear the distinctive red uniforms like everyone else.
Instead, each had on a different colored tunic, ranging from green to brown to gold. Some of them even wore bright orange shirts, which clashed horribly with their dark hair and skin.
Most disturbing, though, was the fact that none of these men gave any indication of recognizing Ash. At least not yet.
For a brief second, I considered rushing forward and demanding answers. After all, it would be easy enough to overpower the strangers while Ash distracted them. But then I reconsidered. If these men really were spies, I knew better than to reveal my identity to them.
Not when there might still be more of them hiding somewhere nearby. Besides, I already had plenty of enemies in Haven. Why add to the list? Better safe than sorry . . .
Instead, I turned back toward Ash. “Um, where are you going?” I asked. “You can’t leave me here!”
His expression darkened. He shot a quick glance at the men around him before returning his gaze to my face. “Don’t worry,” he said gruffly. “They won’t let anything happen to you.”
Then he started walking away from me, heading straight for the gate. There was nothing I could do to stop him now. Still, I hesitated for a moment longer, torn between following him and staying put. But eventually, I decided against both options.
My time in Haven wouldn’t last forever, after all—especially if I wanted to get home safely. Which left only one option: finding someone else willing to escort me out of town.
Fortunately, I happened to spot a woman carrying a basket full of oranges along the side of the road ahead. Her head was covered with a wide-brimmed hat, so I couldn’t see what color her hair was, but judging from the way she walked, I suspected it was blond. So I hurried up to her, hoping to ask for some assistance.
But instead of stopping, the lady merely glanced at me briefly before continuing on. I watched in confusion as she headed farther and farther away, disappearing entirely within minutes. Then, suddenly, the world began to spin.
For several seconds, I couldn’t tell which direction was up or down. Everything seemed hazy and indistinct, like a dream. All I remembered next was waking up on the ground, surrounded by people staring down at me.
A few moments later, I managed to sit upright and look around. To my surprise, I recognized many of the faces looking down at me: Rook, Ash, and Callon among them. Others included soldiers dressed in black and red, a handful of unfamiliar women wearing colorful dresses, and an elderly man holding a cane.
A number of others stood watching nervously nearby. Several children peered at me through the crowd, too young to understand why we were gathered together in such a large group. One girl, however, stared intently at me, clutching the edge of her father’s shirt tightly. She seemed to recognize me somehow, although I couldn’t imagine how.
The old man stepped forward finally. He lowered himself carefully onto the grass beside me and offered a handkerchief. “Here,” he said kindly. “Wipe your face.”
It took me a moment to realize he meant the blood trickling down from my nose. Once I’d wiped it clean, he wrapped another cloth around my head and helped me stand. Then he led us all away from the gate.
We moved quickly past the guards, who had begun shouting angrily at one another again. The rest of our party followed without hesitation, including the two men in red tunics whom I hadn’t seen before. As we passed through the outer wall, I caught sight of Ash hurrying toward me. His eyes met mine for a fraction of a second. And then he disappeared inside the gatehouse.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked over my shoulder. It wasn’t long until I spotted a new set of guards standing outside the door, blocking anyone from leaving the city. Their leader glared down at me coldly. Even though I knew it was futile, I tried once more to explain myself. “Look, I know I shouldn’t have come here,” I shouted desperately. “But I didn’t mean any harm! Please—”
“Silence,” snapped the guard. Then he motioned to his companion, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial filled with a dark blue liquid. From the way his lips curled upward, I guessed it must contain something very unpleasant indeed. “I don’t care about what you did in the past,” he went on. “All that matters is whether you’re loyal to the king. Do you understand?”
He held the bottle up to my face. When I refused to answer, he slammed it hard against my forehead. Instantly, I felt dazed and dizzy. Just when I thought I might pass out altogether, the guard grabbed my arm and dragged me roughly across the threshold. With no other choice, I stumbled after him. After all, there was nowhere else for me to go.
The End