13. Verena

CHAPTER 13

VERENA

N ight had already fallen, shrouding the world in a deep indigo hue, and Dacre and I had hardly exchanged more than a handful of words.

He strode ahead of me, leading the way with purposeful strides, and I wanted to scream.

Every step he took was filled with restrained power, his muscles visibly tensing and releasing beneath his shirt. Despite the anger etched into his features, that same anger that stewed inside me, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the way his shirt hugged every bulge and curve of his broad shoulders and back.

And that only fueled my frustration further.

"How much farther to the coast?" I asked, my voice strained as I sought to divert my mind to anything else.

Dacre turned back to me, his expression momentarily startled by my question. "At least another day," he replied, his voice steady but tinged with uncertainty. "Maybe more."

His gaze wandered over me, lingering as it fell to my ankle. "Why? Is your ankle hurting again?"

"No. It's fine." I shook my head, trying to push away the rising feelings in the pit of my stomach.

I had allowed him to heal me, allowed him to touch me, and now my ankle was healed, but my stomach was in knots.

His hand had been too gentle against the back of my calf as he prodded and massaged my injury, just like he had before in the springs. The touch of his fingers had been a caress, a promise of something more that I shouldn't want.

He had branded me a little traitor, but it was my own body that had turned against me. My skin betrayed my pleas to the gods, responding to his touch as if bewitched.

My flesh didn't recall the venomous way he uttered my true name before casting me out of his room, exiling me from his city. Instead, it held on to the ghost of his caress, the way he made promises with his fingers that could never fall across his lips.

Ignoring the pain of my dagger lodged deep in his thigh, he poured his magic into healing my battered body. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he focused every ounce of strength on repairing me.

And I remembered what Eiran had told me.

"Even the strongest magic users can only do so much before it takes a toll on their body and their mind."

With a gasp of relief I watched as my wound healed, leaving nothing but the faintest of bruises in its wake.

Finally, with a shaky hand, he removed the bloodstained dagger and pressed a firm palm against the gaping wound in his thigh. His face contorted in agony as he channeled his power into mending the severed muscles and tendons.

But even as he winced in pain, his gaze roamed over me again, as if checking to make sure that he didn't leave any spot unhealed.

And when he was done, he wiped his blood from my blade and handed back my weapon without fear or hesitation, as if I posed no threat to him.

My fingers trembled as I grasped the familiar weight of my dagger, its sharp blade a comforting reminder of the power I held in my hand.

Without it, I felt utterly vulnerable and powerless.

But even though I had lodged the blade into his flesh, he had given it back.

"We'll need to be careful as we travel closer to the coast. My father and his men will be looking for you and Eiran there, and I'm sure the King's Guards will be as well." He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "He should know that there's nowhere else for you to run."

Why was he here?

The thought flooded my mind, drowning out every other, and leaving me struggling to make sense of it all.

He had pushed me away with such cold indifference, ordering me to run. And now he was guiding us farther south, away from his father's stronghold.

My instincts screamed that this could be a trap, a cunning ploy to capture and control me. Perhaps he had only healed me to gain my trust before leading me straight into their clutches.

My gut churned with turmoil, torn between the need for answers and the lingering ache in my chest that begged me to trust him.

He had done nothing to earn my trust, yet foolishly part of me still clung to it.

I had been hopeful when Eiran found me, desperate for his help, but this was different. There wasn't a single part of me that wanted to trust Dacre.

I wanted to scream and plead with my stubborn heart not to give in, yet it seemed to have a will of its own. It fluttered and ached, torn between logic and emotion.

"We need to stop for the night soon and get some rest." His voice broke through my thoughts, causing me to jump slightly. "We'll have a full day of travel again tomorrow."

But before he could suggest a spot to make camp, I spoke up hastily. "I want to keep going."

My words hung heavy between us, filled with unspoken tension. But the thought of being alone with him in the dark, quiet night put me on edge.

I had been following him on a mission to get somewhere safe, but the moment we stopped…

He stared at me for a moment before slowing down his pace. But I didn't stop walking, determined to put as much distance between us as possible.

"Verena, we need to rest," he called out after me, his voice filled with concern.

But I didn't stop, unwilling to give in to his demands, and the sound of his footsteps getting closer only fueled my determination.

"Maybe you do, but I want to keep going."

"Do you always act this foolish?" His words were sharp and laced with frustration, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

My blood seethed beneath my skin as I halted, fire coursing through me, and spun to face him. "Do you always insist on behaving like such an ass?" I shot back, struggling to keep the tremor of fury from my voice.

But he merely smirked, a wicked glint dancing in his eyes, a mocking challenge laced with something deeper—an emotion that twisted in the depths of his gaze, enticing yet elusive. "We need to rest."

"I'll be damned if I sleep out here with you." I gestured wildly toward the looming trees that seemed to close in on us like hungry shadows.

His jaw tightened like a vise, but he brushed aside my protests. "You can rest. I'll keep watch."

I let out a scoff, disbelief flooding my veins. "That's not going to happen."

He bristled at my defiance, his stormy eyes flashing with indignation. "You were willing to sleep with Eiran," he pointed out sharply.

"I was willing to do a lot of things with Eiran I'm not willing to do with you."

I watched Dacre's face twist into a mask of rage, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked like it might shatter. The darkness pooled in his eyes deepened, and tension radiated off him like heat from a volatile flame—a tempest raging just below the surface, ready to erupt at any moment.

It was clear that there was a deep-seated hatred between him and Eiran. Every time I mentioned his name, it seemed to evoke a tumultuous mix of emotions in Dacre—jealousy and anger.

My stomach twisted with guilt at the thought.

"Did you let him touch you?" His voice dripped with venom, his eyes blazing with fury. My heart raced as I faced him, my breath catching in my throat.

"How dare you ask me that question? How dare you pretend you would care?" I choked out, my throat tight with emotion.

"Of course I care," he retorted gruffly, but there was a flicker of hurt in his eyes.

"Why? You got exactly what you wanted from me. Why do you care who touches me now?" My cheeks burned with embarrassment and irritation as I spoke, my fists clenching at my sides.

"I'll never get what I want from you." His voice was harsh, which only angered me more.

"You got exactly what you wanted from me." There was so much resentment in my voice, but I couldn't hide it. "Becoming just as your father wanted you to be. Exactly like him."

"Don't say that shit again." Dacre's face contorted into a mask of fury, but I refused to back down.

"Why not?" I shot back, my words sharp and cutting. "You've always been his little soldier, haven't you?"

"Was it his idea for you to make me come before you told me you knew who I really was?" I challenged, each word like a dagger. "Or did you come up with that all on your own?"

Our gazes locked, both of us seething with emotion.

"Trust me, Verena," he rasped out hoarsely "When I fucked you, the only person who had any part of that is me."

"Well then, don't worry." I clenched my jaw, trying to hold back the quiver in my voice. "It'll never happen again."

His laughter was stinging and cruel, twisting his lips into a mocking smirk. "Whatever you say, little traitor."

My anger flared at his words, and I wanted nothing more than to hurt him, to make him feel even a fraction of the pain he had caused me.

"The next time I come, it'll be with Eiran's name on my lips," I said boldly, trying to mask the fear in my voice.

But before I could even finish speaking, he was on me. His hands pinned me against a nearby tree, his face mere inches from mine. His eyes blazed with jealousy, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe.

"What are you doing?" I gasped, my heart racing as adrenaline coursed through my body.

"Don't ever say that shit to me again," he growled as his hand gripped the back of my neck.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared up at him. He looked like he was ready to set the world on fire, and all I could think about in that moment was how badly I wanted to burn.

"I never want to hear his name leave your lips," he seethed. "He won't touch you."

"Because you said so?" My voice trembled with both anger and uncertainty.

"Because you are mine," he declared, his words cutting through me like a knife.

I stood there speechless, taken aback by the possessiveness in his voice. But beneath it all, there was a hint of vulnerability that I had never seen before.

"Let me go," I whispered, the words catching in my throat.

He hesitated for a moment, his stormy eyes still fixed on mine before finally releasing me. We stood there in the darkness, surrounded by the heavy night air and our own unresolved feelings.

"We're stopping for the night." He left no room for argument.

I hesitated but could feel my resolve weakening under his touch, the way his fingers dug into my flesh tempting me to give in to his demands.

With a sigh, I finally relented and agreed, feeling a mixture of relief and anger. "Fine," I gritted out. "But we need to find somewhere better than this."

Dacre nodded in agreement, his gaze roaming over my body with desire. It felt like a lazy caress, igniting a fire within me.

"Let's go," he said in a low, husky voice that sent shivers down my spine. The forest loomed ahead of us, but it was his presence that unsettled me more than anything else ever could.