I shoot her a look. I warned them it was risky escaping. I’m not sure what they expected. Thankfully, that’s the last of moving along window ledges for us. Now we just need to get out of the castle without any of the guards spotting us. Pushing myself to my feet, I brush dust from myself as I glance around at the women.
“The halls will be crawling with wolves and guards,” I warn them. “We must be silent.”
They nod their understanding. Moving toward the door to the servant’s hall, I send a silent prayer to anyone listening that we make it out without being caught. Imagines of the women being tortured by the Grey Prince come back to me, sending chills down my back. That could be any one of us if tonight doesn’t go as planned. I can’t let the guards see us.
The hallway is darker than during the day, and I wish I had a candle or something to lead the way. Behind me, the women follow in my steps. Hazel holds to the back of my dress, slowly my steps. I feel her trembling through my entire body as we move. It’s unsettling and causes my steps to be slower, the progress painstakingly slow. I’m antsy by the time we reach the sitting room exit. From here, we need to move down several the stairs, and we should have a straight shot out a side door. I plan on seeing the women to the edge of the castle, to the trees that rise up to hide the castle from there. They’re on their own.
Holding up a hand, I stall them as I move into the room. It’s nearly identical to the one we entered through the window. As I creep toward the door, I strain my ears to listen. But the halls are quiet. It’s late enough that most of the castle residents are asleep. Or up to their late activities. I push that thought far from my mind. I don’t want to know what the guards or their prince get up to on a nightly basis.
Ava is at my side the moment I glance back, waving the others over. I narrow my eyes at her, but she just shrugs off my annoyance. If not for the others and the cracked door, I’d taken a moment to remind her of what’s at stake here. The others gather around us before I motion toward the hall, pressing a finger to my lips. They nod before Ava and Isabelle slip from the room. Sophia hesitates, glancing at me and waiting for my nod before she follows them. Hazel is next, and I take up the rear.
Flickering torches barely light the hallways as we slip through the shadows. The slippers on our feet are soft enough against the hard marble that we don’t make a sound as we move. Reaching the stairs, the others hurry down them as I follow, Hazel at my side. We reach the bottom level, and I pause. Ahead of me, Isabelle, Ava, and Sophia continue on. Before I can hiss at them to wait, I hear the unmistakable thud of boots coming toward us.
15
Rose
My heart pounds as I let out a quiet curse. Ahead of me, the others turn. Their eyes are wide as their steps waver. Gazes bouncing from me to the hall behind me, they freeze. Another curse escapes me.
“Run,” I hiss at them.
Grabbing Hazel, I drag her into a nook next to the stairs. The shadows just barely conceal us as four guards round the corner. Hazel lets out a small sound at the sight. I wrap my hand around her mouth, being as gentle as possible while praying she remains silent. The others are still frozen to the ground.
“What the hell are they doing here?” one of the guards mutters as they pass my hiding spot.
One of the women lets out a cry as the guards approach them. It takes everything in me to stay hidden. Biting my cheek, I taste the familiar tang of metallic as the women are dragged away. Their cries and pleas bounce off the walls before stabbing me in the chest. Guilt slams into me to as my legs wobble beneath me. Hazel’s tears hit my hand, still around her mouth, as I force myself to keep my eyes open.
When quiet finally returns, I stay in the shadows. Two guards remain. I can just barely hear the rustling of their uniforms as they follow the others. I brave poking my head out of the shadows just slightly. One of the guards glances over his shoulder. My breath catches in my throat. I can feel his golden eyes meeting mine. I tense as I wait for him to turn and come for us. But he just continues walking away.
Blinking, I drag myself back into the shadows. I wait until I’m positive that the guards are long gone before I drop my hand from around Hazel’s mouth. She shags against me, her silent sobs causing her body to shake. I know we should move. The longer we stay, the higher the chance the guards will return. Especially the guard that looked straight at me. I felt our gazes lock for a heartbeat. So, why didn’t he come and drag us along with the others? I’m not sure, and that makes me more and more uncomfortable.
“We need to move,” I whisper to Hazel.
She glances up at me, sucking in a shaky breath. Her face is red, her eyes puffy from her tears. I wish, for just a moment, that I could react the same. Surely, the others deserve it. I’m not sure what will happen to Isabelle, Ava, and Sophia. They’ll be tortured. I’m confident in that. But past that, what will their fates be? If I’m here, then it stands to reason that the Grey Prince and his wolves are desperate for a human female. I can’t imagine they would end the three women for simply seeking their freedom.
“What about the others?” Hazel asks.
I shake my head. “They’re gone. And unless we want to join them, we have to move.”
Hazel glances away, looking to where the others were just minutes before. For the first time tonight, she pulls herself up. Her moment of bravery is brief, though. A sob hits her, and she shrinks back in on herself. I’d thought she might argue. Might demand that we save them from whatever torture awaits them. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to resist. I’m barely able to continue standing here as my mind searches for some way to protect them. It doesn’t matter that I keep coming up empty. I hate feeling as useless as I do.
“They’ll be back,” Hazel says. “They have to be. He needs us.”
All I can do is nod my head in agreement. It’s enough that Hazel finally steps away from me. She dries her eyes on her nightgown before pulling herself up. I still see the tenderness in her eyes, though. She’s not made for a place like this. None of the women are. Perhaps that’s the point. Or perhaps, that’s why the Grey Prince continues to steal our women away. He’s taking the wrong ones.
“Stay close,” I warn Hazel.
She nods as we slip from the safety of the shadows. Creeping up the stairs, I pause at the top. But the hallways are empty again. Flickering light leads me back to the sitting room. Closing the door with a soft sigh, I pause. It feels wrong to return to the other women. To return to bed. Even Hazel seems to hesitate as she glances at the door.
“There’s nothing we can do for them,” I tell her, though, in truth, the words are just as much for me as for her.
Hazel lets out a soft sound. Her shoulders sag as she glances away from me. Here, tucked away from the immediate danger of the guards, I let her fall to pieces. She sinks to the floor, her hands covering her face as she cries. Crouching next to her, I place a hand on her back. I’m not sure what comfort I can offer her, if any.
“You were right when you said that the Grey Prince needs all of us,” I say. “He needs women to carry his heir. He can’t just dispose of us.”
I wish I could believe my words. But I don’t. I can’t keep the memory of stumbling across the woman being tortured from my mind. Her cries haunt me now as I imagine Sophia or Isabelle in her place. Hazel sniffles as she glances at me, her wide eyes filled with tears.
“We’re all going to die.”