21. Dacre

CHAPTER 21

DACRE

V erena's hand trembled in mine as we made our way to the docks.

The sun had just begun its ascent over the vast ocean, casting soft hues of pink and orange across the still water. Unlike the chaotic scene we encountered the day before, the docks now felt much calmer.

I was so much calmer.

I had spent the night with Verena in my arms. But as the morning light seeped into our room, I could feel her body tense against mine. Her nervous energy radiated through the air, charged with anticipation and fear.

We were leaving everything behind—our kingdom, our families, our lives—and even though I had no regrets over my decision, a twinge of apprehension tugged at my chest.

Our escape from this kingdom was within reach, our freedom nearly tangible. The oppressive grip of both her father and mine was almost behind us, but still, a frantic panic coursed through my veins. I could feel my heart racing as we neared the port, and I knew that once we stepped foot on the ship, I could finally take a deep breath.

We walked through the quiet streets hand in hand, the same makeshift scarf from yesterday partially obscuring Verena's face, and we were just about to leave the city for the docks when I saw it.

A poster hung on a nearby building, its edges fraying in the wind. Nails punctured it and secured it to the wood.

The face of Verena was depicted with an unsettling accuracy, as if she were staring directly at me. I halted my steps, my breath catching in my throat as I took in the sight. A gasp escaped Verena's lips beside me.

In bold letters at the top of the poster read: "Reward for the Return of the Lost Princess." My eyes widened as they scanned down to the bottom where a number glinted in the light. Ten thousand gold coins were being offered for her return.

I looked over at her, studying her as I tightened the scarf around her face.

"That's my face," she whispered, her voice faltering.

"I know." I scanned the street. "Stay close to me," I warned her. "We need to get on the ship as quickly as possible."

The pressure on my chest was unbearable as we walked. Before today, most people had never seen her face. She was the princess the king hid away, the princess most people thought he was keeping safe. But now she was exposed.

I tried not to think about how many people had seen that poster. I tried not to consider how many posters were hung throughout our kingdom.

The sounds of men preparing the ship for launch echoed off the wooden dock as we approached, and I jumped when a loud bang rang out that no one else seemed to notice.

Our footsteps resounded loudly against the worn planks, and I tried to ignore it all as I spotted the ship.

Not much farther.

Amid the crew, I spotted the captain standing on the dock, engaged in conversation with another sailor. His stern expression shifted as he caught sight of us approaching.

He exchanged a few words with his companion before heading toward us, his long strides confident and purposeful.

We met him halfway. Only a handful of steps separating us and the sea.

"You made it." The captain's voice was deep and rough. He ran his hand over his unkempt beard, a mix of salt and pepper strands protruding from his weathered face.

"I told you we'd be here." I nodded, pulling Verena closer to me until she was tucked into my side. Her warmth seeped into me, and I tried to remind myself that she was safe.

Even if I couldn't stop that nagging feeling in my gut.

"We have a couple things we need to discuss before we set sail." The captain's words tore through the air, causing my spine to straighten instinctively.

"Okay. What is it?" I asked, trying to hide the unease creeping into my voice.

"Between men." The captain's gaze flicked to Verena before settling back on me, and her hand tightened in mine.

"Anything you need to say can be said in front of her." I looked around us, but no one was glancing our way. They all seemed at ease with the tasks they were doing, a routine that they knew well.

"I'd prefer not to discuss finances in front of a woman." He said the words calmly, but I hated the way his gaze narrowed on her.

"Of course," Verena bit out in a tight voice, her hand falling from mine as she took a step back.

I desperately reached out for her hand, my fingers straining to catch hers before she slipped away. But instead, she simply nodded toward the captain, silently urging me to go.

"It's fine." She crossed her arms and turned her gaze toward the endless expanse of the sea. Its cerulean waters churned and crashed against the sides of the ship as if in defiance of the cloudless sky above.

My feet faltered as I made my way toward where he now stood, a few feet away from Verena's earshot, and unease settled heavily on my chest.

I was prepared to promise him whatever it was he needed to secure our passage on this ship.

I had feared that he would become greedier before dawn arrived, and it appeared that I was right.

I clenched my hands tightly in my pockets as I approached him, the sound of the waves crashing against the hull filling the silence between us.

"What is it?" I snapped, my voice laced with impatience and a hint of annoyance.

"You never told me who she was," he replied coolly, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. "I would have charged much more if I had known."

That sinking feeling in my gut turned to lead, and I could hardly breathe as I turned back to Verena, desperate to stop whatever was happening.

But it was too late.

A surge of dread coursed through my body as I caught sight of the King's Guards, their armor gleaming in the sunlight, charging down the docks toward us, toward her.

The rhythmic thud of their heavy footfalls reverberated against the wooden planks of the dock, creating an ominous soundtrack to the chaos unfolding around us. All other sounds seemed to fade away as panic consumed me, and I frantically looked for a way to escape.

Verena's eyes widened in terror as she saw them approaching. My heart dropped as I watched them get closer, my mind racing for a way to protect her, but it was too late.

"You bastard," I spat at the captain, my anger and fear boiling over.

I charged toward her, desperate to do something, but the captain latched onto the back of my shirt and pulled me back, causing me to collide against his chest with a jolt.

"Dacre!" Verena cried out just as the first guard reached her. He wrapped his hand tightly around her bicep as he jerked her backward and her eyes searched for me.

When they met me, all I could see was fear, pure raw fear in her eyes, and there was nothing I could do.

"Let her go!" I demanded as I slammed an elbow into the captain's stomach, but he didn't drop his hold. Instead, I felt a dagger press to my neck, my mother's dagger.

One of the guards scoffed at me as he stepped in front of Verena, blocking her from my view.

His sword gleamed in the rising sunlight.

"Who are you to command a king's guard?" he sneered, taking another step toward me with a smug grin on his face. "Who are you to defy the king's orders and take the heir?"

"He wasn't…" Verena started to explain, but I cut her off.

"I'm the son of the rebellion leader," I declared through my teeth. They were clenched together so tightly that I feared they might shatter. "The king's order means nothing to me."

My heart pounded against my rib cage, a fierce drumbeat urging me to do something, to do anything.

I lifted my hand slightly, but the captain caught the movement, his dagger pressing harder into my throat.

"If a trace of magic leaves you, I'll slit your throat before you could do anything to save her."

The mere thought of her enduring her father's cruelty once again was unbearable. The memories of her scars, etched into her skin by his brutal hand, clouded my mind.

She had confided in me about the horrors he had inflicted upon her, and I knew that if she was brought back to him, his wrath would be even greater.

She had run from him, and he would make her pay.

He had spent her lifetime trying to pull her magic from her, and I feared what he'd do once he found it.And if he did, he would stop at nothing to drain every ounce of it from her.

"Let me go!" Verena's desperate plea echoed through the air, but it fell on deaf ears as the guard pressed a sword to her neck.

"The captain here said he had a boy with too many coins in his pocket and a dagger that looked like it belonged to someone well above his station," the guard standing before her spoke. "Then you were foolish enough to let him see her. You brought the fucking heir to the docks and thought we wouldn't find out."

My gaze shifted to Verena, and I could see the regret and guilt swimming in her eyes.

"I never knew the king's men were capable of being so perceptive," I said through gritted teeth, trying to play off my fear with sarcasm. "Aren't you all usually ripping families apart and taking what little our people have to survive?"

"You insolent little…" He lunged toward me, brandishing his sword just as the captain roughly forced me onto my knees on the wooden dock. I didn't have time to react before the cold blade pressed deeper into my throat, a trickle of blood spilling down my neck.

"No!" Verena cried out, her voice laced with fear and desperation as the guards tightened their grip on her. "Do not touch him."

Her words were like a command, but the guard before her sneered his response. "You don't give the orders here, Princess," he spat. "We have our orders from the king to return you to the palace, and that's what we'll do."

"Do not touch him!" Verena's eyes burned with a fire like I had never seen before. Her gaze met mine, and I saw a myriad of emotions as I searched her face, committing every dip, plane, and freckle to memory while I still could.

I could feel her power surge within me as her fear grew. I could feel it trembling in my own body as if it belonged to me as much as it did her.

And I couldn't stop thinking about the night before, about the things she had said, the story she had told.

I hadn't been sure before, but it thrummed through me now, making sure that I wasn't foolish enough to mistake it again.

Verena was my mate.

And I couldn't protect her.

She leaned forward, her body tilting slightly as she reached out to touch the rough wooden dock. The ship at our side rocked vigorously against the waves, mirroring the tumultuous anger in her eyes. I felt that same fury rise within me, allowing the anger to fill my senses just as her eyelids fluttered shut.

The sound of crashing waves and creaking wood enveloped us in a tempestuous symphony, making it seem as if the sea itself shared her wrath.

Then I tasted it, the salt water on my tongue.

I opened my mouth to call her name, to tell her to stop, but when her eyes opened again, I knew that it would do no good.

"Don't, Verena," I whispered, my voice barely audible. If her father didn't know of her power, she might have stood a chance. But the moment she revealed it…

The wooden planks of the dock quaked beneath our feet as a towering wave surged through the sea. The frantic shouts and screams of the crew echoed in my ears, urging everyone to flee the docks.

My eyes were fixed on the churning water, its deep blue surface frothing with fury and danger. The sheer power of the ocean threatened to overwhelm us, and I could feel my heart pounding in fear and awe.

Verena's gaze was also fixated on the raging waters, her expression a mix of determination.

This was her.

"Verena," I called out her name again, but it was too late.

The massive wave crashed down against the dock, engulfing us all in its destructive force. The splintering wood, the screams, the sea—it all blurred together in a chaotic maelstrom.

I felt the icy grip of the ocean claim me, pull me down into its depths. I fought against it, screaming Verena's name over and over, but it was futile.

My back hit the dock, the crushing weight of the water still pressing down on me, and I coughed as my surroundings came into focus.

Verena was no longer held captive by a guard; instead, she stood defiantly, her hands squeezed tightly into fists at her sides.

There was so much anger still burning in her eyes, but she looked pale. Her power had unleashed a torrent of magic that had all but destroyed the dock we were on, leaving behind only twisted wreckage and screams of the dying.

The remnants of her power lingered in my body, a heavy weight that drained me from within. I could practically feel the embers of her strength burning out, leaving behind only a shell of who she was. Her exhaustion radiated from every pore, like a fire that had consumed all its fuel and now flickered weakly before dying out completely.

That exhaustion settled deep within me, making it hard to stand.

"Verena!" I called out her name, but the cold steel of the knife pressed against my throat before I could move.

"What did you do?" The guard behind me gasped as he struggled to catch his breath behind me.

"Let him go!" she demanded, ignoring his question completely.

"I'll slice his fucking throat." The guard spat as some of the others climbed back to their feet.

"If you make another fucking move, I'll kill him."

Verena dropped her hands limply at her sides as she looked at me, and I could see it in her eyes. She was giving up.

She was willing to give it all up for me.

"Verena, run," I called out, but she was no longer looking at me.

"Let him go," Verena demanded, though her voice was filled with desperation. "Let him go, and I'll do whatever you want. I'll do whatever my father wants."

I looked at her. Her eyes were wide with panic, and I could see tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Verena, no."

The guard's boot connected with my spine, sending me crashing to the ground. The impact was so forceful that I felt blood fill my mouth, and my vision blurred as I struggled to get back up.

"Verena." It was a plea, but I didn't know if she could hear it.

"Get him on the ship," I heard one of them command before I felt their hands on me, lifting me from the ground as I tried to fight against them.

My voice trembled with rage as I snarled, "I'll fucking kill you."

But the guard only laughed in response before roughly throwing me onto the ship's deck.

My body hit the hard wooden planks with a thud, pain shooting through my limbs. Through blurry eyes, I watched as the guard effortlessly cut the ropes that bound me to the pier, causing the ship to sway and rock. I struggled to lift myself up, feeling disoriented as I looked for her.

"You've got your reward." The guard shouted as the captain stepped onto the ship. "Deal with this damn traitor and make sure that he doesn't follow us or the king will have your head."

"Yes, sir." The captain chuckled as if he had no fear of the king.

But I did, and when I finally spotted Verena, she wasn't struggling as the guards surrounded her and forcefully pulled her away. Her eyes met mine, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Wait!" I yelled, attempting to crawl to her. "Please."

The waves crashed against the side of the ship, their rage deafening as they mocked my helplessness. I struggled to lift myself to my feet, the cracks and groans of the ship echoing my own anguish.

My voice caught in my throat as the ship began to pull away from the dock, and Verena's pleading eyes were the last thing I saw before she disappeared from sight.