Page 3 of Caged Love

“He is,” I agree.

“How is he doing after losing his mom?” she asks.

“He’s doing well,” I assure her, tilting my head to the side and studying her. “No one can replace his mom, but he’s thriving with Rave and Astrid.”

I’ll give her that much.

“Good.” She nods slowly, eying the bread still in my hands. “I’ve held off Rion for as long as I can, August, but you’re not giving me any information. Sooner or later, he’s going to be the one coming down here.”

“Let him come,” I murmur.

So Rion is still alive.We once thought he was an ally, but apparently, we were very wrong.

The truth is that I’m tired.

So tired.

The beauty in front of me is meant to be mine, and the fact that she falls farther out of my reach every day is draining my soul.

“August…”

“Do you ever think what it could have been like?” I ask her, closing my eyes.

“What?” she rasps.

“Us,” I whisper, bread falling from my fingers onto the cobblestone ground.

What if we’d just randomly met at an inn or a party?

What if we weren’t standing on opposite sides of a battlefield?

What if I left everything I believed in for love?

What if our love was simple?

I’m already drifting off when I hear her soft reply, “Every single day.”

Chapter Two

Panting, I wake from a dream of blue eyes.

But these eyes are warm, not cold. My brow furrows when I notice something in my cell, right in front of where Milana was standing when I saw her last. Standing, I take a few steps to pick it up. The chains cuffed to my ankles drag behind me, stopping me from using any magic, which is smart because one of my abilities is to walk through any type of ward.

She has left me chocolate.

And wrapped in brown paper are an apple and some beef jerky. I take all my gifts and sit with them, taking a bite of the apple first. So far, I haven’t been harmed, but like she said, Rion hasn’t gotten his hands on me yet.

I spend the rest of the day waiting for Milana to return.

When she finally does, I’m almost asleep.

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to show,” I murmur, sitting up from the cobblestone ground with my hands resting on my knees. I’ve got nothing but a thin blanket to sleep on, but I suppose it could be worse.

“Me either,” she admits, sitting in front of the cell and crossing her legs. Her long blonde hair curtains her face, and it looks so soft. She appears like an angel that doesn’t belong down here in the dirt with a mere commoner like me. However, the fates saw me fit for her, so that has to mean something.

“Tell me something about yourself,” she asks, and for the first time, I notice dark circles under her eyes.

I like that she wants to know about me. But right now, I’d rather learneverythingabout her.

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