+25 Points
Chapter 101
_Lisa’s POV_
My feet carried me quickly down the hallway, but my heart moved slower. It thudded in my chest like it was caught between choices, like it didn’t know where to go. I had just seen Rylan.
I had looked into his eyes, the eyes of the man I once loved. The man who held my heart so tightly, then let it fall like it meant nothing. He stood there, pleading, full of pain. And I stood there too. Not as the girl who used to cry for him, but as the girl who no longer knew who to trust.
My breaths were shallow and short. Each step I took away from him felt heavier than the last.
“You did the right thing,” Sierra said softly in my mind.
“Then why does it hurt so much?” I whispered back.
“Because love always hurts. Especially when it breaks.”
Katherine caught up with me just outside the corridor. Her soft blue eyes looked warm, but I had learned not to trust warmth too easily. Not here.
“Lisa,” she said gently. “Are you alright?”
I forced a nod. “I’m fine.”
She looked at me for a long moment, like she was trying to see through the lie.
“You did the right thing,” she said. “Rylan… he doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Not after what he did. He hurt you. You should forget him and move on.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t trust her enough.
So I faked a small smile and said, “I’m just tired. I think I’ll
She nodded and I walked away.
go rest.”
The moment I closed the door to my room, I let out a shaky breath. I pressed my back against the door and slid down to the floor.
“Sierra,” I whispered. “What do I do now?”
“We can’t stay here,” she said. “This place… it’s dangerous. Something is wrong with Fenric.
1/5
Chapter 101
And Katherine too. I don’t trust them.”
“Neither do I.”
I stared at the closet for a long time.
+25 Points
“Maybe I need to swallow my pride,” I said slowly. “Maybe I should go back to the Nightshade Pack. I don’t care if Kael and Roxanne are there.”
“It would be safer than here,” Sierra agreed. “And you would be with your own kind.”
“Then I’ll leave. Tonight. When everyone is asleep.”
“Tonight,” Sierra agreed.
I started packing.
I pulled open the closet and shoved my clothes into a bag. Earlier that day, I had stolen some food from the kitchen–bread, cheese, and dried fruits. I wrapped them in cloth and stuffed them into my satchel.
I moved fast. I was checking the hallway through the small crack in my door every few
minutes.
Eventually, night fell.
Dinner came. I had no choice but to go. If I stayed hidden, Fenric would get suspicious. And I couldn’t risk alerting him.
So I went.
The dining room was warm and full of golden candlelight. The food smelled rich. There was roasted duck, honey–glazed carrots, and warm spiced wine.
Fenric sat at the head of the table. He was smiling like always. Katherine sat to his right. I
took the seat across from her.
“You look tired, Lisa,” Fenric said kindly. “Have you been sleeping well?”
“Not really,” I said while forcing a laugh. “Lots on my mind.”
He nodded as if he understood. “Of course. So much has happened. But you’re strong. Just like your mother.”
That name sent a chill through me.
“Althea was special,” he went on while cutting into his meat. “She was fierce, loyal and
2/5
Chapter 101
beautiful. You remind me of her.”
I picked at my food. “You said she was a friend.”
+25 Points
“She was more than that,” he said. “She was family. Which makes you like a daughter to me.”
I smiled, but inside, I wanted to scream.
Sierra hissed in my mind. “Liar.”
“Hypocrite,” I whispered under my breath.
“What was that?” Katherine asked.
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “Just tired.”
“You should rest well tonight,” Fenric said. “We have plans for you tomorrow.”
“Plans?”
He nodded. “Training. You’ll start tomorrow with the others. It’s time you learn how we do things in Shadowrune.”
I gave a small nod, pretending to be grateful.
But inside, I was done pretending.
Later that night, I waited.
I watched from my window as lights in the mansion blinked off, one by one. I waited until the hallways were dark and the air outside was still.
Then I moved.
I pulled on my boots, strapped my bag to my shoulder, and cracked open my door.
There was silence.
I stepped out and closed the door behind me.
The hallway was empty.
I moved fast. I was keeping to the shadows and ducking behind walls whenever I heard footsteps. My heart pounded the whole time.
I slipped past the main corridor and reached the back stairs. I took them two at a time, all the way down to the ground floor.
X Chapter 101
+25 Points
At the end of the hallway, the main door stood wide and tall. I crossed the entry hall quickly, then pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
The night air hit me like a breath of freedom.
But I wasn’t free yet.
I moved across the courtyard. I tried my best to stick close to the bushes. I crouched behind
a rose shrub when I saw a guard pass by. His eyes scanned the area but he didn’t see me.
I held my breath until he turned the corner.
Then I ran.
I darted between trees, ducked behind stone fences, and crawled beneath hedges. My clothes snagged on branches, and my bag pulled at my shoulder, but I didn’t stop.
Finally, I reached the main gate.
It was tall and made of iron. It stretched into the sky. Two guards stood on either side.
My stomach sank.
“We can’t fight them,” Sierra said. “Not yet.”
“I’m not planning to.”
I looked around. There were stones on the ground. They were smooth and jagged. I picked up one and studied the angle.
Then I threw it. Hard.
The rock arced over the wall and landed somewhere on the other side with a loud clang.
Both guards stiffened. One turned to the other. “Did you hear that?”
“Let us check it out.”
They moved toward the noise.
I bolted.
I squeezed through the side gate as it opened briefly for the search, and slipped into the woods beyond.
I ran.
Branches whipped at my face. My legs burned. My breath came in sharp gasps.
Chapter 101
But I kept running.
Until I heard it.
“Lisa.”
My body froze.
I didn’t have to turn to know that voice.
It was Rylan.
+25 Points
* Chapter 102
Chapter 102
