Page 77 of Lore of the Wicked Wood
And it caused Atlas’s blood to run cold.
“Because time,” Veros ventured, “much like fate, is not always kind.”
Fuck.
“Go after her.” Veros sighed heavily in resignation, swiping at the blood streaking down his chin. “She won’t listen to me, but she might listen to you.”
Atlas didn’t hesitate.
He turned without another word and ran.
Twenty-Five
Everinne sprinted through the palace gardens. She had no clue what direction she was going, no idea on how to escape, all she knew was that she had to get away. She had to put as much distance between herself and Atlas as possible.
A gust of cold wind slapped at her, stinging her skin. It tangled into her hair and sank into her bones, causing her muscles to tense and seize.
She stumbled blindly through a maze of flowering bushes and ornamental hedges, the pointy heels of her shoes sticking in the solid ground. With only slivers of moonlight to guide her, she barely avoided running right into a massive pond, dodging its grassy banks at the last second. She veered to the left, cutting across an uneven gravel path, desperately trying not to break her ankle in the process. All the while, Atlas’s words continued to echo in her mind.
She’s my mate.
Mate.
The word struck her, sending a reverberating chord of fear through her soul. She shook her head, willing the thought away as her eyes blurred. It couldn’t be true. If it was, the leashKralv Oldrich had placed around her neck would only tighten, squeezing the last of her resolve. He grasped her fate in the clutches of his fist, and she knew nothing would stop him from ensuring she upheld her end of the bargain. Her stomach tangled into unforgiving knots at what he might ask of her, of what he might force her to do.
A line of trees appeared before her, their thick, inky branches the perfect place to hide. She didn’t think there was a small forest on the palace grounds, but at the moment she didn’t care, because she heard Atlas in the distance, calling her name. She tossed a hasty glance over her shoulder just in time to see him running after her at full speed.
“Ever!” He lifted a hand as he rushed toward her. “Wait!”
Later.
She would talk to him about this later, after she had time to formulate a plan. It had been different when she’d agreed to marry him at Kralv Oldrich’s demand, when she thought she was only protecting him and Veros. But if Atlas wasn’t lying, if she was his mate, they would both suffer for it. The kralv was anything if not ruthless in his endeavors, and if he discovered she was fated to his son, he would use that knowledge to the best of his advantage to control them both.
And that was something she couldn’t allow to happen.
No.
First, she had to figure out how to navigate the web she’d been caught in, then she would talk to Atlas. And no matter what, no matter the circumstances, she would deny being his mate. Even if it meant taking that heartbreaking slice of knowledge to her grave.
Everinne braced herself and darted into the trees, wincing as their low-lying limbs smacked at her, and the spindly evergreen branches snagged at her dress. She’d half expected the forest to be dense, that it would possibly go on forever and afford her theopportunity to get lost. But instead, she burst through the other side in seconds, the toes of her heels sliding against slick stone.
She glanced down, realizing her mistake all too late.
Throwing her arms out for balance, she grappled with the air to stop herself from falling, but her foot caught the ledge and she shrieked, right before toppling into a steaming pool. The force of her momentum plunged her beneath the surface, and she jolted in surprise as warm water sloshed over her, heating her frozen body.
She kicked through the water as a strong arm wrapped around her waist, hauling her upward with far more efficiency than she would have thought was possible.
Everinne broke through the surface, gasping and sputtering, blinking away the droplets of water that clung to her lashes. She shoved her soaked hair back from her face, chest heaving as she welcomed the reprieve of fresh air, only to find herself entangled in Atlas’s arms.
His grip was firm and she struggled against him, trying to break free from his hold.
“I know how to swim, Atlas.” She grabbed his forearms and shifted away from him. “Let me go.”
“No.” His fingers dug in and he pulled her closer. Golden strands of hair slanted across his forehead like wet silk, curling slightly at the nape of his neck. In the pale light, his eyes reminded her of the ethereal green of the Ladova Bay, the streaks of gold glinting like when the early morning sunlight hit the smooth waters. But his brows were drawn and his expression was stern. “Because the second I let you go, you’ll run.”
“I won’t…I won’t run away.” But she couldn’t handle him holding her, touching her. It awoke a ravenous kind of longing, one she didn’t want to experience ever again.
“Please,” she pleaded with him, her voice hoarse. “Let me go.”
