Page 238 of Bound By Crimson

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The words still echoed between them, carried by stone and cold air.

Then finally, softly:

“Lyric… I would take you out of here tonight,” Grayson said. “You just have to say the word.”

Her breath caught.

God, she wanted to say yes.

But—

“I can’t leave without Noah.”

He didn’t hesitate.

“Where is Noah?”

“In the nursery,” she whispered. “But I’m… I’m not allowed to see him. I’m supposed to be locked in my room.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze.

Too much.

The silence that followed made her stomach knot.

“Locked in your room?” he asked.

She said nothing.

Didn’t breathe. Didn’t move.

“Lyric… it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything,” he said quickly. “When do you want to go?”

She hesitated.

“I’m supposed to be leaving in two days,” he added.

That should have made her panic.

But instead—

“Two days is perfect,” she said, too fast.

She winced. She sounded too eager. Too desperate.

Because she was.

“Okay,” he said gently. “Meet me at the road, just past the clearing. I’ll be there.”

Her heart sank.

“The gates,” she muttered. “I can’t get out that way. They’re always locked.”

She felt the hope draining from her chest, just as it had started to rise.

But he didn’t miss a beat.

“That’s okay,” he said. “Come here. I’ll bring a ladder.”

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