Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

NYRA

My gaze rose up past the towering trees, my entire body aching as the man lowered me to the ground. I could hear the familiar rushing of the waterfall, though the sound was distant and calming.

Which meant we were farther from the palace than I had ever been before.

We had been walking for what felt like forever.

“We need to get underground,” the man who stood next to Wren spoke, but I couldn’t look at him. I was too busy staring up at the man who had carried me out like I was a damned child.

His inky black hair was messy, curling into his face, and matched his eyes that were still bearing down on me. They were so dark that they reminded me of a stormy night when the sky was so black that it swallowed the light of the stars.

He was tall, the line of his jaw was strong and clean-shaven, and his full lips pursed as he searched over my face.

He was beautiful, although harsh, and I hated the way he was looking at me.

I remember you from somewhere.

His words from before echoed in my mind, and they made being with the rebellion far more dangerous than even I believed it could be.

If he knew who I was…

I didn’t know which was more dangerous—being a prisoner in my father’s palace or being with the rebellion if they were to figure out who I was.

He squatted down beside me, and his hand shot out and grabbed my forearm, pulling me closer to him. The muscles of his arms tensed as he raised the sleeve of my shirt, revealing the forgery of a brand.

His thumb slowly traced the length of the mark, and a chill ran down my spine. I tried to pull away from him, but he held firm, his grip digging into my skin. “You wear the mark of a traitor so well.” His voice was low and intoxicating, and I found myself watching his lips as he spoke. “Next time, get someone better to fake your mark.”

“What?” Wren asked from behind him, and there was a part of me that felt bad for lying to her. She had been kind to me.

“Get up.” He stood, pulling me with him, and I had no choice but to climb to my feet.

The night air was cold, and my torn clothing did little to ward it off.

“It’s a fake.” He held my arm out to the others, not caring at all that his fingers were still digging into me.

“I saw it in the cell, Dacre. It didn’t look fake to me.”

Dacre.I had heard her call his name in the cell, but hearing it now, when I could see him, when his skin felt like it was searing mine, I remembered where I had heard that name before.

“You’re the commander’s son.”

I had overheard my father and his advisers talking about him and his father time and again. They spoke of their ruthlessness, of how they heartlessly killed in the name of a rebellion.

His fingers flexed around my arm, but he didn’t respond to what I had just said.

“Look closer,” he said to Wren, and both she and the other man stepped forward and looked at my arm before glancing up at me.

Her green eyes were laced with disappointment, but I couldn’t let that affect me. Not when I needed to get away.

“Why?” Wren asked, but she looked away from me and toward Dacre as she spoke.

“Because she’s a fucking traitor. The only reason someone would forge one of our marks is because she’s betraying her kingdom while being too fucking cowardice to fight against it. What was your plan? To use this mark to escape the tithe you know is cruel without ever lifting a finger to earn it?” Dacre slipped his fingers into my hair, yanking my head back until I was forced to look up at him, and he scrutinized my face.

“Who are you?” His touch was painful against my scalp, but I locked my jaw, refusing to answer him as he narrowed his eyes.

“Kai, stop him,” Wren begged, but Dacre wasn’t paying her any attention. He was far too busy inspecting my face as if he could decode my every secret.

I squeezed my hands into fists as I tried to stop them from trembling.

“I saw you in the raid,” he said so effortlessly, leaving no room for doubt or confusion.

And my heart sank with his words.

“That’s not true.” My words quivered and betrayed my false confidence, the pitch of my voice rising with each syllable. I took a deep breath and tried to steel my nerves. “I’ve never seen you before in my life.”

I hadn’t. That part wasn’t a lie. I would have remembered him.

“Were you in the palace that day?” I could feel his anger radiating from him, could practically taste it on my tongue.

And I knew that I needed to be careful with my answer.

“Dacre, let her go.” Wren placed her hand on Dacre’s arm, but his hold held firm. “We need to go. You can finish this when we get home.”

Home.

I had heard stories of their hidden city, and I knew that once they got me there, there would be no chance of escaping.

And Dacre was far too close to the truth for me to ever be safe there.

“Were you in the palace?” he repeated, his voice low and threatening.

I hesitated for a moment before answering, searching for the right words to say.

“I was.” I nodded. “My mother lived and worked there.”

My mother.Gods, I didn’t have the energy to think about her today. Not if I didn’t want to falter under his scrutiny.

“I don’t believe you.” I could feel the roughness of his calloused palm against my skin as he spat out the words.

He finally looked away from me and dropped his hold, causing me to stumble forward. “Let’s get home. We can deal with her lies there.”

Kai nodded before leading the way, and Wren moved to my side. Her arm pressed against mine momentarily, and I could feel her watching me, but I stared ahead. Too riddled with guilt to meet her gaze.

And I knew I would feel even more guilt for what I did next.

We moved through the trees, the forest becoming more dense with every step we took, and I followed behind them. Dacre kept glancing over his shoulder at me, but I refused to look at him. I was too busy in my own head trying to figure out my next move.

The darkness pressed in on me, suffocating and unyielding. Every muscle in my body ached from exhaustion, and I had no sense of direction, lost in the maze of the trees.

Lost in the overwhelming fear that every option that lay before me would end in my death.

Hunger clawed at my stomach, and I clamped down on it. I tried not to think about the last time I had eaten, didn’t dare count the days.

How long was I in that cell?

Kai raised his hand in the air, and both Dacre and Wren slowed immediately. I tried to listen for something there, but I didn’t hear or see anything.

Which meant they were preparing to take us to the hidden city.

If I was going to run, I had to do it now.

I would never be free in my father’s kingdom or the rebellion, and it was the only thing I longed for.

I took a deep breath and mustered every ounce of strength I had left. My heart pounded in my chest as I took a small step back, careful not to make a sound.

No one turned to look at me.

Without warning, I darted off into the dark forest. I moved as quickly as I could, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

The crunch and snap of leaves and twigs echoed behind me as I sprinted farther into the darkness, and I ducked behind a thick oak tree, hoping to shield me from view.

I swallowed down a deep breath as I looked back over my shoulder and didn’t see any of them following me.

“Little traitor.” Dacre startled me, his voice low and menacing, each word laced with venom.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath and quickly looked in the other direction, but still there was no sign of him.

I crept out from behind the tree, my heart pounding in my chest as I searched for him in the darkness. I filled my lungs before running again, my weak legs pumping furiously as I tried to put as much distance between us as possible.

The night air was cool and damp in the forest, and I could feel my clothes sticking to my skin. The sound of footsteps behind me spurred me on, and I pushed harder, my thighs aching as I did so.

A hand gripped my shoulder with such force that I was whipped around until I collided with Dacre. My heart raced in terror as I tried to catch my breath and regain my bearings. The grip on my shoulder was firm and unyielding, like a vise closing in on me.

He smirked down at me, his fingers digging into my shoulder. “What’s this? You’re running from me?”

“Just let me go.”

“That’s not going to happen, little traitor.”

I flinched as his fingers dug into my shoulder, the pressure sharp. I struggled to break free from his grasp, panic rising in my chest.

“Don’t call me that.” I swallowed hard as I tilted my chin and looked up to take in his harsh features that were in startling contrast to the way he smirked at my words.

“But you are a fucking traitor.” His voice was low and intoxicating, and I found myself watching his lips as he spoke. He lifted my wrist in front of him as if he were inspecting the mark once more. “It’s almost as if you have something to hide.”

“You got her, Dacre?” I could hear Kai coming toward us, and panic clawed at me.

I thrust a heavy boot forward with all my strength, aiming it at the healing wound on Dacre’s thigh I had noticed earlier.

“Fuck!” With an agonizing groan, he doubled over in pain and dropped his hold on me.

I wasted no time before bolting away from him again, running as fast as I could.

But I didn’t make it more than a few steps before I felt an impact strike me from the back that sent me tumbling to the ground.

The force of my body hitting the ground reverberated through my chest, leaving me gasping for air. I felt his oppressive weight on my back and frantically clawed at the soil and moss beneath me, desperate for leverage to push against it.

“Get off me!” I shouted, twisting onto my back, desperate to free myself. But Dacre was relentless, his fingers digging into my flesh as he forced me into the hard, damp ground. I bucked wildly, trying to kick him off, but he pinned down both of my legs with his own until all I could do was writhe beneath him.

I tried to buck my body against his, to knock him off me, but it did nothing but press him harder against me. “You’re only making this harder for yourself.” His body was unmovable, and I could feel the heat radiating from him. He leaned in close, until his face was just inches from mine, and spoke in a low voice. “Just give up now, and I won’t hurt you any more than necessary.” The threat in his words sent a chill down my spine and my heart hammered wildly in my chest. I knew if they took me back to their city, it could mean more than just death–there were far worse things waiting for me there.

If they were to find out who I was.

I fought against his hold, my eyes blazing. “I’d rather die than go back with you,” I snarled through gritted teeth.

It was a lie. I didn’t want to die, but more than anything, I didn’t want to become a pawn in my father’s game.

Dacre’s lips curved into a smile and his dangerous gaze seemed to bore right into me. My heart raced as a strange sensation crept up my spine–fear intertwined with something unfamiliar that caused a deep ache in my belly.

“Then I’ll make you wish for death.” As he spoke, his voice was barely audible, barely a whisper, and it sent shivers down my spine.

I tensed my thigh muscles to launch a kick into his groin, but I did nothing but slam it into his hard thigh. “You’re going to regret that.” He moved closer until his breath brushed my ear, low and raspy.

Before I could react, his calloused hand pressed firmly against my throat, and I saw fiery rage in his eyes.

His thumb slowly brushed over the pulse in my neck, and I felt like a current had been fired through my veins. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.” He leaned back slowly until he was sitting astride my hips.

He grasped me firmly, his hands rough against me. I tried to still the shaking in my fingers as the finality of the situation sank in, leaving me no hope for escape.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see Kai in the moonlight standing above us glowering at me, eyes narrowed with anger. But all I could focus on was the way Dacre’s pupils dilated as they locked with mine.

“Let’s get her underground.” Kai’s voice was dark and soft, but demanded attention. “We need to get there before the guards become brave enough to search these woods for us.”

But Dacre’s eyes were like fire, blazing against my skin as I held his gaze, despite the fear that threatened to consume me. I clenched my jaw, refusing to give in.

“I won’t go back to the capital city,” I said defiantly, though it came out little more than a whisper. “I refuse to go back there.”

The tan skin around Dacre’s eyes crinkled as he studied me. His hands clamped around my wrists like iron shackles as he pulled me to stand.

Fear flooded my veins as I thought of the tales that had been whispered about what the rebels did to their captives. Images of torture and pain flashed through my mind.

They were going to take me to the hidden city. The city we had heard stories about for years, but the monarch had never been able to find.

The monarch whose bloodline ended with me.