12. Dacre

CHAPTER 12

DACRE

M y grip tightened around Verena, my fingers digging into her skin as I fought to control my breathing. The heat of Verena's body mixed with my own creating a slick sheen between us, and her heart beating frantically against my chest mirrored the rapid pace of my own.

Every movement she made was like a storm raging inside me, her body tense and resistant in my grip.

The anger that crackled between us was tangible, but I could deal with our anger.

It was the fear that was etched across her features that tore me apart. That fear was a constant reminder of the enemies we both faced, of the enemies we had become.

I could hear it in her gasping breaths, feel it pulse through her body as she trembled against me. I wanted to push it away, to ignore the invisible, suffocating haze that threatened to smother us both.

The distant sound of twigs snapping made my muscles tense and my heart race even faster than it already was. I froze and held my breath, hoping somehow that our stillness would keep us hidden.

Verena's eyes widened with fear as I finally let her feet touch the ground. She opened her mouth to speak, likely to scream at me, but I silenced her with a finger pressed against her lips and the shake of my head.

We both listened as the sound of footsteps grew closer, our hearts pounding in tandem.

For a moment, our gazes locked, and time seemed to stand still. I wanted to drown in her, to beg for her forgiveness, but we didn't have time for that. Not now.

Not when her pupils dilated as they darted back and forth, searching for an escape we both knew was unlikely to be found.

I looked away from her and scanned the forest.

"Stay close to me," I whispered, my voice barely audible over our ragged breaths.

She didn't answer, her eyes fixed on mine with determination and fear mirroring my own.

The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, sending my heart into a frenzy against my ribs. With a deep breath, I took Verena's hand and guided her deeper into the thicket of trees, their gnarled branches creating an intricate maze around us.

The pain in my thigh was brutal, but I refused to remove the dagger embedded in it. If we stopped now, I risked bleeding out before I could tend to the wound. We had to keep moving, no matter how agonizing each step became.

I led Verena through the dim forest, the trees seeming to swallow everything around us, but the footsteps continued to follow. It was as if they were closing in, the echoes of men coming closer and closer.

I didn't know if they were her father's men or mine, but I didn't care. I refused to allow either one of them to get to us.

"Over here!" The shout pierced through the air, far too close, and jarred us into action.

I gripped Verena's hand and pulled her to the ground, both of us landing with a soft thud. I pressed my body against Verena's, shielding her as I peered through the bushes.

The soldier's footsteps pounded against the forest floor, the leaves and twigs crunching under his heavy boots as we watched him pass. Our own breaths were loud in our ears, the sound of our heartbeats drowning out any other noise.

Verena's body convulsed against mine, her terrified whispers filling the air around us. I wrapped my arms tightly around her, pressing my lips to her ear as I tried to calm her trembling form. "We're okay," I whispered urgently in her ear. "Just breathe. I won't let them touch you."

I leaned back slightly and gazed down into her eyes, searching for any sign that she believed me, that she trusted me.

But all I could see was fear and doubt reflected in them.

Fear and doubt that I had given her.

But she didn't look away. We held each other's gaze for what felt like an eternity, listening intently as the footsteps of the soldiers faded into the distance.

With a heavy sigh of relief, I slowly released my grip on her and eased my body off hers before helping her stand up on shaky legs.

Her hands were entwined with mine, the warmth of her touch sending a rush of power coursing through my body.

In the distance, a lone shout echoed from the west, the sound of footsteps receding behind it. But I refused to release her hand as we began moving forward, heading south.

As the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance, I slowed my pace, wincing when I looked back and saw the pain on Verena's face as she struggled to keep up.

"I need to stop," she gasped, pulling her hand out of mine before bending over and bracing herself on her thighs.

"Let me see." I started to crouch before her, reaching for her wounded leg, but she pushed me away forcefully.

"I told you not to touch me," she snarled, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she backed away from me.

I gritted my teeth, my frustration boiling just below the surface.

"We need to find a place to rest," I said, my voice low and steady, trying to keep any emotion from leaking out. "We need to find somewhere for me to heal you."

But she took a step back, her face contorting with anger and hurt. "We don't need to do anything," she spat, pointing aggressively toward the forest behind us. "You need to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere," I stated firmly, my resolve unshaken.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips, filled with pain. "Why the hell not? Wasn't it you who fucked me then threw me out like the traitor I am?"

Her words were like daggers, but I refused to look away from the emotions burning in her eyes. The pain I saw there, the hurt I caused, made me recoil.

"Verena." I reached out my hand toward her, pleading with her to listen.

But she flinched, avoiding my touch as if I would burn her. Her eyes flashed with anger and resentment, as if my very presence was causing her pain.

"Don't call me that." Her tone was laced with venom and resentment.

"Your name?" I scoffed, feeling a surge of anger bubbling up inside me. I didn't want to be angry with her, but it was like trying to grasp onto fire, volatile and unpredictable.

And I couldn't stop it even though I knew I had been far more cruel to her than she could ever be to me.

"The one you used against me? Yes."

I fought against the urge to lash out, to take my anger and fear and use it to hurt her back, but I felt so volatile when it came to her, so out of control.

"You mean the name that you lied to me about over and over again." My heart clenched at the memory of her betrayal.

"I didn't have a choice," she said through gritted teeth, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"And you left me no choice," I countered, my voice trembling with all the things I wasn't saying. "What did you expect me to do? My father knew who you really were, he demanded…" I shook my head and tried to push thoughts of my father from my mind.

"I don't give a damn about you or your father." Verena's face was contorted with anger, her eyes narrowed and filled with undisguised hatred. "What was it that he demanded of you, Dacre?"

My name on her lips sent a chill across my skin.

"Did he order his son, his successor, to fuck the lost princess before he threw her out of the only place she had been safe for years?"

"Verena," I called her name again, but she wasn't listening.

She looked behind her at the way we had just come. "I want to go back to Eiran."

A wave of hot, red fury surged through me at the sound of his name on her lips. My hands clenched into fists and my jaw tightened as I forced myself to stay calm.

I had betrayed her, had hurt her, but Eiran would do much worse. "Over my dead body will you go back with him."

"That's not up to you." Her words were like venom, sharp and deadly, and I let out a low growl before taking a step closer to her.

But she didn't back away. Instead, she met my gaze with defiance, her eyes blazing with a fire that mirrored my own.

"Stay away from me," she warned, her voice so low and so filled with hurt.

"We both betrayed the other, remember." The fight was leaving both of us.

But as her vulnerability slipped through her facade, her voice trembled with hurt. It made me want to crumble before her, despite everything she had done. Everything we both had.

"Then why are you here?" The fire in her eyes dimmed as she searched my face. "Why, Dacre? Do you not think I know what your plans are, apparently what they have been all along? If you want to take the kingdom, then take it. You don't need me to do so."

"Is that why you think I'm here?" My voice was barely audible, barely there.

She stared up at me, her expression inscrutable.

"I think that Eiran found me to help me get away, but you?" She shook her head as she assessed me, her gaze unwavering. "You're as much a pawn to your father as I am to mine. The difference is that I don't want to be."

My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing like a drum in my ears. It felt as though I was drowning in her words, suffocating under the weight of their truth. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but it only seemed to smother me more. "I am not here for my father."

"I don't believe you." There was no deceit in her words or the way she was looking at me. If she had ever trusted me before, I had completely torn that away.

"My father plans to use you to lure out the king." I hated how traitorous I felt saying those words. I was betraying my blood, betraying the entire rebellion, and even as pain sliced through my chest, I didn't regret it. "They are going to use you at the tithe, a trade to find the power reserves."

"What?" There was so much fear in Verena's eyes now. "He won't give up those reserves. Not for me, not for anyone."

"I overheard my father and Reed talking. If he doesn't give them up, they plan to torture the information out of you, tear you apart limb from limb and send them back to your father until he relents."

"I don't know where the reserves are. My father, he…" Panic. I could taste her panic on my tongue as if it flooded the very air we breathed.

"Listen to me." My hand reached out to grasp her arm, but she violently jerked away from my touch. Her eyes darted behind her, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of jealousy. "I won't let that happen to you."

She looked back behind her again, and I hated that she was probably looking for him.

"He sent Eiran here to find you." I clenched my teeth, my voice laced with bitterness. "They are planning to meet him at the Southern Sea to take you back."

Verena's piercing gaze met mine, searching for any hint of truth in my words. "Yet it is you who they plan to make king?"

"That's not what I want." The admission tasted like poison on my tongue. It had been my father's plan all along, a plan that I had known since I was a young boy, and I had wanted it until her. But everything was different now. I was different. "Not anymore."

"I don't believe you." She shook her head in disbelief and took another small step away from me.

"Let me heal you," I pleaded, motioning toward her ankle. "I don't need you to trust me, but at least let me heal you."

"My dagger is in your leg.," she stated the obvious, and as if she had summoned it, pain immediately gripped me.

"I will deal with my leg after your ankle is taken care of," I promised, determined to ease her pain.

Her expression hardened, her eyes narrowing on my face. "How long have you been watching me?"

I swallowed hard, feeling a knot form in my throat. "Long enough to know that you need my help."

A brief glimmer of hope shone in her eyes before quickly fading away into a cold wall of mistrust. "What do you want from me?" she demanded, her voice raw with emotion.

"I want to heal you, then I want to get you out of this kingdom," I answered honestly. I couldn't make sense of anything other than those truths.

She took a step back, warily eyeing the surrounding forest before meeting my gaze once again. "I'll never trust you again."

"Good." I nodded. "Don't trust anyone, Verena."