I crouch beside the man. His hands are free, but the large metal collar is around his neck, attached by a chain to the stone wall.
Something feral sparks inside me, seeing him shackled like this. Immediately, I lift it off his neck, though I’m not sure what good it was doing. It was much too big for him, and he could have easily slipped out of it himself.
Gently, I shake his shoulder. “Hey, wake up.”
Slowly, he lifts himself up, floppy strands of auburn hair falling across his brow and revealing the sharp point of his ears. Dayton had asked me if he was handsome, and while that is certainty true, there is something more. An enchanting sort of beauty.
“You,” his voice rasps.
“I’ve come to rescue you,” I tell him.
“Rescue me?” he asks sleepily. Then his face shifts into a mask of horror. He clasps wildly at his neck, then looks down at the collar on the floor. “What have you done?”
“I let you go.” I gesture at the open cell door.
If taking the collar off had been the worst thing in the entire world, the open cell door is the end of all things.
“Oh no…” He turns to the cell window as the last of the red dusk dips beyond the horizon, plunging us into complete darkness. His golden eyes pierce mine as he chokes out, “You need to run.”
16
Rosalina
Istareatthefae, trying to understand the fear in his golden eyes.
“Run?” I repeat.
“Run!” he cries, but the command turns into a raw scream, and he doubles over.
“Are you okay?” I reach for him.
His skin ripples, a strange yellow glow emulating around him, and his scream of agony turns into a deep rumble as fur sprouts where his skin once was. His form doubles, then triples in size, changing, mutating. A new creature heaves in a shuddering breath, steam crowding the chilly room as it stands.
A horrifying monster towers above me. It has some resemblance to a wolf, with the long snout, pointed ears, and four paws. But it’s like something gruesome and monstrous has happened. From its body protrudes black twigs and sharp branches. Rotten, mulchy leaves coat its red-brown fur, and the smell of burning wood steams from its breath.
It reminds me of the goblins and their hounds. Except it’s giant, over six feet tall and twice as wide. Terror clenches a fist so tight around my heart I can’t even scream.
Suddenly, the giant collar on the ground makes a lot more sense.
The monstrous wolf’s gaze is entirely on me. Those golden eyes are the same as the fae man’s. But no recognition flashes as he looks at me.
A deep snarl erupts from its maw, and it lunges. Some inch of self-preservation awakens, and I scramble out of the way, reaching for the cell door. My movement accidentally closes it, locking me in here with the monster. A terrified scream erupts out of me. The creature swipes, and pain blossoms on my calf as its massive claws drag across my leg.
Desperately, I try the cell door again, prying it open and slipping through. Pain radiates with every movement as streams of blood trail down my leg.Holy fucking shit. I hobble as fast as I can, making for the stairs.
Behind me, the monstrous wolf gives a vicious howl, then lunges through the cell door, its massive body tearing the iron rods from the hinges. I propel myself down the staircase as fast as I can, hoping the narrow space will slow the creature.
I scramble through the thorny branches, using my arms and body to plow a path. Looking back, I see the briars closing in around the monster. But it barrels through them, snapping them like bone. The thorns tear at its fur, but the beast is undaunted, and a flurry of broken branches litter the ground in bloodied bits of purple. Stone and bark crumble from the castle ceiling.
A scream tears from me and raw terror floods my body.Help me. Someone help me.
The briars snatch at my cloak, tearing and ripping. My hair tangles, ponytail pulling free, and my long hair falls in my eyes. I trip over the last of the thorns, tumbling into the main foyer of the castle. Blood pools beneath me from the wound on my leg.
A rumble sounds from the staircase, falling rock and cracking stone as the thorns are ripped away from the walls.
I try to scramble up, but my hand slips in my blood and I fall back down, smacking my jaw on the hard stone.Get up, get up, get up.
My throat feels raw and tears drip down my face as pain slices up my body. I work through the ache, muscle by muscle, until I stand. My ruined leg flares with agony as I force myself to continue hobbling through the entrance hall.