Page 120 of Song of the Heart Scale
We clasped forearms.
The pact was made.
The war had truly begun.
24
CAT
Pain.
It came in waves, dull and hot, flaring down my back and across my ribs like fire licking the edges of my skin. My eyes cracked open to blinding light. Sunlight poured in through sheer, embroidered curtains, soft as silk but far too bright for the dull ache throbbing behind my eyes.
Everything hurt.
A whimper to my right snapped me out of the haze. Maeve was kneeling on a thick carpet beside a massive bed with her head on the mattress, dried tears crusting her cheeks. Her fingers clutched the sheets like they were a lifeline.
“Maeve?” I croaked, my voice raw.
Her head shot up, eyes wide. “My lady! You’re awake!”
She reached for me like she was afraid I might disappear if she blinked. I tried to sit up, but pain screamed through my side and legs and I collapsed back into the plush bedding with a hiss.
“Where are we?” I asked, blinking around at the unfamiliar room.
The space was lavish, almost gaudy. Floral patterns were carved onto gilded ceiling beams. Intricate tapestries the size ofhouses. Marble floors half covered with soft rugs. A canopy bed with sheer gauze curtains. Heavy wood furniture that probably cost more than an entire block of homes in the Northern District. And the perfume—roses and something citrusy—hung so heavily in the air, I nearly choked on it.
Maeve looked nervous. “The palace.”
My blood turned to ice. I tried again to get up.
“No, no, please,” Maeve begged, moving to stop me. “You’re badly hurt. Your back... they did somethingterrible.”
“I can’t stay here,” I ground out. But my limbs weren’t listening. I swung my legs over the edge and tried to stand—only to crumple like a rag doll. Maeve barely caught me before I crashed to the marble floor.
She sank to the ground with me, clutching me close. “This is my fault. You were hurt because of me. I shouldn’t have—”
“Stop,” I whispered, breathing through the pain. “None of this is your fault.”
The door slammed open.
Maeve flinched.
Thorne strode in like he owned the stars. Behind him, a woman in dark robes followed, carrying a pouch of herbs and crystals.
His eyes landed on us—me crumpled on the floor, Maeve helping me sit upright. His lips curled in disgust. “Is this how you care for your lady,servant?”
Before I could react, his hand lashed out.
The crack echoed through the chamber. Maeve went flying backward and crashed into a table, glass shattering around her in a cloud of sparkling shards.
Rage ignited in my chest.
I snarled and dragged myself upright, blood pounding in my ears. “Touch her again, and I will end you!”
Thorne slowly turned to me. “Big words, considering you can't even stand.”
I shoved off the bed, barely catching myself on the edge of a chaise. My knees trembled. Though I had no strength left, I still stared him down. “I don't need strength to hate you,” I fumed. “Or to promise you this—if you lay another finger on her, I will find a way to make you bleed.”
