Page 86 of Wild Bond

I could feel soft fabric against my cheek. When had I laid my head down?

I blinked once, finding it harder and harder to keep my eyes open. My gaze drifted to the fireplace. It was too warm for a fire.

I blinked again, but my eyes stayed closed this time, and the stray thought floated away. Then there was nothing more.

“Go!”Ihissed,tryingto keep my voice down. “I’ll lead them away and be right behind you.”

Lessa stared at me in horror, her big brown eyes shining in the lantern light from further down the corridor. “But—but I want to stay with you.”

“You can’t.”

“But they’ll catch you!” she protested.

“No, they won’t,” I assured her, knowing it was a lie. I pulled her into a fierce hug, and her little arms grasped onto me tightly. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, wishing there had been time to enact my plan and get us both to safety. Freedom had been so close. I kissed the top of her head and pushed her away from me. “Now, go!” I commanded, more firmly this time.

Tears spilled over and left streaks on her cheeks. “I love you, Rinny,” she said, worry for me evident on her sweet face before she turned and scurried down the hall, her dark hair and clothes disappearing into the shadows.

Hefting the ancient sword in my grip, I turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

As the old memory faded, I fought to open my eyes. I was lying on something hard. My head was pounding and my muscles—my entire body—felt weak, as if I hadn’t used them for some time. My mouth felt like it was filled with dust, and my stomach felt like I hadn’t eaten in days. The feeling brought back horrible memories, and it was odd to think I wasn’t used to that feeling anymore. I blinked rapidly several times, but my eyes still felt heavy as I forced myself to sit up.

Confusion bombarded me. Where was I? I definitely was no longer at The Tower.

I took in my surroundings and became aware of several things at once. It was night. I was outside. And I was alone. I looked down and could just make out in the moonlight that I was wearing my boots and riding leathers.

What had happened to me? How had I gotten here? But no answers came. There was nothing. My mind was a blank.

Frustration washed over me, and my head seemed to throb even more as I strained to remember. The last thing I recalled was . . . going to my bedroom . . . finding the daggers and reading Rake’s note . . . then feeling tired and . . .

Skye.

Skye!I called out to her, searching the bond. But again, there was nothing. Panic rose as I searched and searched for the connection, the thread that bound me to my dragon, but it was gone. That wasn’t possible. Skye wasn’t dead. I would know if she was . . . so then why couldn’t I feel her?

I made to stand and gasped when I felt a twinge of pain in my arm. I stood and examined it in the meager light and saw I had several places on my arm with cuts and bruising, all of which appeared to be a few days old.

What had been done to me? Why couldn’t I remember? Had I been kidnapped? I thought of the griffin attack and those men who wanted to take me. But why kidnap me just to leave me . . . here? I looked around. Whereverherewas.

The night air was chill, and I could make out trees and rocks around me and hear the rustle of animals and the call of night birds. A forest, then.

I took a tentative step forward and nearly went sprawling on my face as I tripped over something. Crouching down, I was shocked to find a short sword and a . . . feather? And this wasn’t just any feather, but a phoenix feather—I recognized the long, elegant shape and could just make out a hint of reddish gold in the moonlight—which looked for all intents and purposes to have been intentionally left there for me to find.

Baffled, I picked them both up. Why would someone kidnap and drug me, then leave me in the middle of the wilderness with a sword and a feather? I suppose the feather could have just been left there, but for some reason I didn’t think so. This felt deliberate.

Instinctively, I reached for Skye again and felt nothing. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on her, knowing she had to be there somewhere. Again, I felt like I came up against a wall. But then I realized that itwasa wall, that I could feel a hint of something on the other side that might be Skye; a tiny thread of energy and life the wall couldn’t totally conceal. The wall was simply blocking it. My relief that the bond was still there was palpable. But what could be blocking the bond? I didn’t think that was even possible. I opened my eyes again with a growl of frustration. So many questions with even fewer answers.

I swallowed hard and was reminded of how raw my throat and mouth felt. First things first, I needed to find water. I had heard somewhere that it was better to drink from running water like a stream or river rather than a stagnant pool, so I set off in search of one. Then I needed to find a tree to climb or someplace high and out of the way to wait out the darkness. Hopefully, I could avoid any unfriendly creatures that might be nearby. In the morning, I would have light on my side and could figure out where I was.

I didn’t know much about surviving in the outdoors, having spent nearly all my life in Dessin. Admittedly having no sense of direction, I decided forward was as good a direction as any. With the sword clutched in one hand and the feather in the other, I tried to remain aware of my surroundings while watching where I put my feet in the darkness. The ground beneath me was on a slight incline, and the last thing I wanted to do was slip and fall.

I was focusing so hard that I almost missed the gentle sound of trickling water up ahead. When I realized what I was hearing, I couldn’t believe my luck. As I headed in that direction, I came up short when the feather in my hand started glowing. The light emitting from it was faint but unmistakable. I stood there in stunned surprise wondering what it meant. The last thing I wanted was to become a beacon for some hungry creature, but I also felt like the phoenix feather had been left with me for a reason. Deciding to keep it with me, for now at least, I tucked it as best I could beneath my leathers, concealing its glow for the most part.

Unfortunately, the light continued to grow brighter the closer I got to the stream, and by the time I reached it, the light was so bright I knew I would have to get rid of it for my own safety.

Deciding water was more important for now, I set the sword and the feather aside. I knelt by the stream and had just taken my first drink of the blessedly cold water when a horrible stench like rotting flesh reached my nose. Then a menacing growl split the night.

I glanced up, and the blood froze in my veins, as an ancient, primal fear took hold.

Not a dozen feet away, on the other side of the stream, were a pair of white pupilless eyes staring out from the face of a large lupine creature. It crouched on all fours with short black fur, a lean muscular frame, pointed ears, a long whiplike tail, and sharp yellowed teeth. Drool dripped from its snarling jaws as it prowled another step closer. The ground sizzled, and smoke rose wherever the creature’s spittle fell.

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