Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Kora stared at the closed door long after Derek left. The way he had gone utterly still after she told him she was a hellhound, as if every muscle in his body clenched, kept flashing in her mind. He hadn't outright rejected her, but it felt the same.

She threw off the covers and stood. After one last look at the door, she walked to the tub and turned on the faucets. Kora stared at the flow of water as it filled the container, but she couldn't stop thinking about Derek or his reaction.

It wasn't until she was about to step into the water that she looked at her body. There wasn't a trace of blood anywhere. Her head swung to the bed. There was none on the sheets either. The clothes she had worn were gone, but her boots sat by the settee. Clean . The only explanation was that Derek had wiped the blood away and gotten rid of her clothes in case someone came looking.

Kora wasn't sure what to make of that. She sank into the water and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her cheek on her knees. She had been sure he was asleep when she left the night before. There was no way she had woken him. He must have only pretended to sleep.

She ran through the events of the previous night from the time she left their room. All she had wanted was a closer look at the temple without others watching her. She had been right in thinking that most residents had taken to their beds. While she studied the building, she'd heard a child cry out in pain. That , with the clink of armor, had pushed all reason aside. She took off toward the sound without even wondering what might be going on—or if she should get involved. Then she saw the soldier priests and the one who had the girl by the arm.

Fury had swept through her. She felt the heat of flames licking her skin but somehow kept them from erupting. No one commented on the smoke around her. After ignoring her responsibilities for so long, she needed to do something . Unfortunately , she had once more been reckless about it instead of coming up with a plan.

She should have hidden and watched where the priests took the girl and then gone in to save her—and potentially others. Instead , she had gotten the mother and child killed, along with herself. Her blunder had also shown Derek she had magic. Something she had never intended to reveal.

" What am I doing?" she whispered.

Everything she touched fell apart. Her good intentions got others hurt and outed her. How soon before Villette knew a hellhound was in Stonemore ?

Her gaze slid to the door again. Derek had said he would return, but she wasn't so sure. Her admission had shocked him. There was no doubt about that. He had cleaned her wounds and seen her come back from the dead. That hadn't bothered him. He could've left well before she woke. He could have even turned her in. Yet , he hadn't.

So , why the reaction to the confession?

She frowned as she thought over his words. He'd said he followed her. That meant he saw everything. How had he gotten to her without sustaining any injuries? The soldiers wouldn't have left her body in the streets. They would've likely taken the dead. Which begged the question: How had Derek gotten her body?

Moreover , how had he carried her back to the inn and past numerous soldiers without being stopped?

She'd had to talk her way past guards just to get to the lower levels. She couldn't imagine them freely opening the gates for Derek while he carried her bloody body. None of it made any sense.

A knock yanked her from her musings. She lifted her head. Derek wouldn't knock. He hadn't before, and he wouldn't now. " Enter ," she called.

The door swung open to reveal the young servant from the previous day. She carried another tray of food inside.

" Your gentleman said you weren't feeling well," she said.

Your gentleman . There was nothing about Derek that was hers. Nothing about him belonged to anyone but him.

Kora wanted to ask where Derek was but was proud of herself for not giving in. The servant wouldn't know anything anyway. " Thank you."

" Let me know if you need anything else," the girl said and left.

A great sadness filled Kora . She had never told anyone she was a hellhound. She wasn't sure why she had with Derek . She could have told him anything but the truth. But she hadn't. She'd said the words that would condemn her. He wasn't coming back. She should dress and leave the city immediately while she still had a chance. Hide out until she knew for sure she wasn't being hunted. But that meant more innocents dying. All because she was scared.

She was tired of being afraid. Tired of running. Tired of all of it.

Yet she didn't move. She remained until the water turned chilly. Kora let it drain and refilled the tub. Heated water was a luxury she rarely got, and she planned to take full advantage of it while she could. She stretched out and let the heat ease her muscles. Her body had healed on the outside, but it took the muscles and tissue longer to stop hurting.

Kora washed thoroughly, even though there was no blood on her. She had felt it gush from her with every stab and slice. The screams of the child and her mother had penetrated her cloud of pain. She had tried to reach them to help, but the only way she could have saved them was by letting loose the hound within her. She hadn't.

To save herself.

She stood and let the water sluice down her body. Kora stepped out of the tub and dried off before putting her black garments on. Then she stirred the embers in the hearth to life before sitting before the flames and combing her wet hair. It was always tangled and took forever to dry.

When that chore was done, she attempted to eat. She was normally famished after coming back from the dead, but the thought of food turned her stomach. Her thoughts shifted to Derek again and how he had gotten them to the inn, but no matter how she looked at it, she realized he must have had help.

Was he part of the soldiers? Did he know someone? Was that how he had gotten them into the city and up to the sixth level? When he offered to accompany her, he never said anything about an invitation. Had that even been real? Had anything been true?

But there was a more alarming question. Did he work with Villette ?

She had known Derek was dangerous and idiotically found that appealing. Her attraction obscured any misgivings. After being alone for so long, it had felt good to have someone share her bed. She had known not to let it go further. She should've walked away and forgotten him. Shouldn't have agreed to travel with him to Stonemore .

Rash and reckless. No matter how many times she messed up, no matter how many people died, she hadn't learned anything.

Kora stood and walked to the window. She felt the coolness of the day even through the closed blinds. She raised them and peered outside to see the overcast skies and plants swaying in the breeze. She snapped the shutters closed and stood in front of the fire to warm herself. Did she dare stay and see what happened? Or did she stuff the food into her bag and run?

She was the closest to Villette she had ever been. She might not get another chance. Nay . There would be no more running. But if she was to get inside the palace, she had to do it the right way. That meant she needed a plan.

Kora considered the plan she had begun the day before. She needed a backup, however. There had to be more than one way to move between levels. There must be secret passages that weren't guarded like the gates. They would be tucked away somewhere. It would take time to find them, but she could do it. The wee hours of the morning provided the best cover with the least number of eyes.

Once she got to the palace, she needed a way in. Soldier or servant. She still leaned toward soldier. Everyone was used to seeing them, and they likely moved about in places servants couldn't go—they were usually restricted to certain areas.

Each level had a station of guards. There had to be someone near her size. Finding them would take more time, but that was the easy part. Then again, if she got the armor first, no one would stop her from moving between levels, and she wouldn't have to worry about finding any secret passages.

" Looks like my first order of business is staking out the soldiers," she said aloud.

Since she knew nothing about the palace, it was impossible for her to plan anything for when she was inside. She needed to get in, and she would. After that, it was a matter of learning the layout and determining where Villette was before she was discovered. There were likely a dozen other things she was forgetting to consider or factor in, but she had the start of a really good plan. It would work.

It had to.

For the second time that day, a knock startled her. Her heart sank deeper because she knew it wasn't Derek . She told herself she'd stayed to plan, but she had remained in hopes he would return. Even when she knew he wouldn't.

Kora walked to the door and opened it. Standing there was one of the girls from the clothing shop. She carried a large box wrapped in a pale blue bow.

" Sorry this is late. The extra order took more time than we thought," she explained.

Kora stared at the package, remembering the gown she had chosen for the party. " I won't need that now."

" It's already paid for," the young girl said with a shrug. " It's yours."

Kora hesitantly accepted the box and closed the door. New clothes, a soft bed, ample food, and as much hot water as she wanted. She had been indulged beyond her wildest fantasies. It had been great, but it was over now.

She placed the package on the bed, intending to leave it. But the more she stared at it and recalled how she'd felt in the dress, the more she wanted to peek. Kora untied the bow. Then she lifted the lid and looked inside. She smoothed her hands over the gown's supple fabric. She lifted it from the box and held it up to her. She had been excited to dress in such finery and stand beside Derek .

The realization that she wouldn't get that opportunity was like a kick to the stomach. She sighed and began folding the gown when she glanced inside the box and stilled at the sight within. Kora set the gown aside and pulled out two tunics and two pairs of pants. Beneath them were sandals meant for the gown. There was also a small box nestled to the side, wrapped in another blue bow.

Her hands shook as she opened it to find a decorative hair comb with vibrant blue and white stones. She ran her fingers lovingly over the gems. The only time she had come close to anything so fine was when she'd held her mother's alabaster hair comb.

By the stars, she missed her family. Sometimes , the ache was so deep and all-consuming that she thought it might swallow her whole.

And other times, she wished it had.

She didn't want to be the last. The weight of that responsibility was too much. She had stumbled repeatedly over the years. She couldn't fail. But she feared that was exactly what she would do.

Warmth suddenly spread through her. Her stomach fluttered because she knew that feeling.

And she knew the cause.

Kora turned and found Derek standing in the open door, watching her.