Carissa was still smiling when she awoke, sunshine-yellow happiness spilling from her. She wasn’t certain if she’d been smiling all night or if her smile had returned as soon as she’d awoken. Elon was sprawled across the sheets. She ran her gaze down him, her body warming. Perhaps she should awaken him with a kiss…
Something sweet and sharp pierced Elon at her request, just as the fire within him blazed into an inferno. When he didn’t immediately react, she turned away, muttering something about “a wife’s needs” and how he should be the one begging her. A laugh burst from Elon as he turned her back toward him and…
Elon lead her within. There wasn’t much but a fireplace full of ash and a rotting bedframe. Drops of rain dribbled from the roof above. Elon seated her in the driest corner he could find before tipping the bedframe on its side and dragging it outside. The wood wasn’t strong enough to support their weight,…
Carissa scrambled toward her discarded sword, and Elon’s heart stopped beating. She was headed toward the rest of the men, but if he wanted to help her, he’d first have to dispatch this one. He grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted it until he released his sword, and knocked the hilt of his dagger against the…
“Please come with us,” Carissa said. She could see the pity pouring into Dove’s eyes and was tempted to shake the woman. Elon wasn’t crazy; this was a matter of life of death. And yet Dove stood there, her polite smile barely showing her teeth, her hand patting Carissa’s shoulder as if she were the…
She unfolded the paper, resenting how her hands trembled. Finally, she set it on the bed so she could read it. Dearest Carissa, There’s a water mill at the edge of the town. Should you wish to meet me, I’ll remain there until dawn. Ever Yours, Elon She forced her lungs to expand, reminding herself…
“Oh, lands! Look at the dirt beneath her fingers.” “And those gashes must be infected. See how black they are?” “Ladies, ladies, give her some room! She’s coming to.” Something cold touched Carissa’s cheek, and she startled. She peeled her eyelids back, and immediately regretted it as the glare from the evening sun stung her…
Two Days Later How she was still alive was beyond her. Carissa knew from her time in Zonah that the human body could be incredibly resilient, living on even when one was perpetually in pain. Each step was a miracle given how she could barely keep upright. She even doubted she’d have enough energy to…
She was so exhausted she was ready to fall onto the ground and cry. She had been walking all day, and she hadn’t seen a single sign of Elon. Didn’t he want her to find him? He had claimed he’d always love her. But maybe she had blown it. She’d told him to leave, after…
When Carissa staggered for the fifth time, she decided to call it a night. Even though nightfall wasn’t yet upon her. Carissa collapsed to the ground, leaning against her thick backpack as she caught her breath. She’d forgotten how debilitating it was to be constantly injured. She’d become so used to Elon’s healing. Carissa drew…