Page 17 of This Vicious Dream

My horse is waiting in the closest stall to the entrance, and I don’t waste any time, grabbing the saddle and reins. She shuffles on her feet, likely as unhappy to be fleeing in the middle of the night as I am.

“I know, girl. I’m sorry.”

The scent of hay and leather engulfs me as I tack her as quickly as possible. It’s been too long since I’ve ridden bareback, and I don’t have the muscle strength to stay on her back at a gallop. Still, my heart pounds in my ears at the sound of more shouting from the inn.

A shadow slips into the stables and I wrestle my sword from my sheath.

Calysian steps toward me. He angles his head, lifting one eyebrow. “Leaving me for dead?” he drawls. “Ice cold.”

Calysian

Madinia mounts her horse with a sniff. “I had a feeling you’d be just fine. And clearly I was right.”

This woman.

I haul my saddle onto my horse. Fox snaps his teeth at me, displeased at having his rest interrupted. “Yeah, yeah, me too,” I mutter. I need much less sleep than most creatures, but I spent the last two nights traveling in order to get to the cold-hearted woman currently trotting out of the stables.

Moments later, I’m trotting after her, Fox throwing his head to ensure I’m aware of his irritation.

Madinia glances over her shoulder at me, her hair spilling down her back. “How did they find us?” She’s a little out of breath, her face flushed, and the combination makes me shift in the saddle. She’d be flushed and panting just like that in my bed.

I push that thought away. “This is the closest town to your tower. I’d hoped the search wouldn’t start until morning, but clearly Kyldare is motivated. What exactly is it that they want from you?”

She opens her mouth, but her face closes down and she turns to face forward. Either she hasn’t remembered the book, or she’s refusing to tell me its location. I study her tense shoulders.Wasthis woman the one who stole it from me?

My mood turns dark, and the temperature surrounding us drops suddenly. Madinia shivers, eyes wide, clearly spooked. Fox’s longer stride brings him up next to her mare.

No. Madinia doesn’tfeelcenturies old. And her ingrained haughtiness is little more than a desperate attempt to hide the fact that her mind is cracked.

And still, some part of me remains irritated.

“Where are we going?” she asks.

“How about you tell me? Are your instincts steering you in a particular direction?” Her head whips toward me and I keep my expression carefully blank. She may not have taken my book, but she’s connected to it somehow. Even if she’s unaware of such a thing.

This is why my own instincts pushed me toward her. This is why I suddenly feel more myself than I ever have, with a strange clarity of mind. Madinia Farrow just became priceless, her safety more important than anything else.

“And if I told you they are?” she asks carefully.

“Then I’d tell you it’s likely fate that is steering you in that direction, and you should always listen to fate.”

Her eyes narrow and I almost smile. At her core, this woman is sharp, distrustful. But she knows she needs me.

We’re both silent for several minutes. When she sends a narrow-eyed look my way, I raise one eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Why are you helping me?”

I shrug. “I’m an honorable man. How could I leave you to die?”

The jab hits, and she stiffens before sending me another dismissive look. “I hadn’t realized you would need to be rescued. Now that I know, I’ll be sure to help you in the future.”

I can’t help but laugh. “You do that.”

Some part of me wishes she remembered me, even as I’m sure it wouldn’t help my case. If anything, I should be hoping for the opposite. Once she does shake off whatever has been done to her mind, she’ll become even more of a handful.

We travel all night, riding along the dirt road, away from the forest. I might be imagining the warmth growing in my chest as I follow her lead.Or, it’s my book, calling me to it. Twice, she dismounts, walking slightly off the dirt path and shoving something into her pocket. When I ask what she’s collecting, she ignores me, peering at her nails.

It sets my teeth on edge. Women have never ignored me.

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