I slammed the door shut and turned the lock with shaking fingers. My back hit the wood, and I slid down until I was sitting on the cold floor, my dress pooling around me like spilled wine. My chest rose and fell so fast it almost hurt.
Images from the vision kept flickering behind my eyes like a broken reel... the blade, the blood, his face.
Kairan.
Meredia's husband.
My stomach twisted so violently I almost gagged. Meredia had fought her family to marry him. She had tried to end her life when they arranged her to someone else, but in the end they gave in and she got her prince. The man she'd risked everything for.
And six months later… he killed her.
I buried my face in my hands, nails digging into my scalp. If fate was just a wheel and I was stuck on it… if I had to live her life all over again—
I swallowed hard, tears blurring my vision.
I'd die too.
I had to leave right now.
If I stayed here another second, I'd choke on my own heartbeat.
I shoved off the floor and stumbled to my feet, wiping my palms on my skirt. My eyes darted around the room like a trapped bird. Gold-framed mirror. Velvet curtains. Chandeliers. None of it would save me.
I don't care about luxury. I don't care about this life. I don't want to die again.
And then I saw the wardrobe, nt just a wardrobe. It was a small room dressed up as one. The gold doors gleamed at me like an exit sign.
I lunged for it, yanking the doors open so hard they clanged against the walls. Dresses tumbled toward me in a waterfall of silk and lace. One by one, I ripped them out, piling them on the floor. The soft sound of fabric hitting wood felt like gunshots.
My fingers moved on its own, knotting, twisting, pulling. Dress after dress, silk after silk. The rope grew longer, heavier, a lifeline made out of wealth I didn't want over my life.
I glanced at the main door. I couldn't escape from there but he could be right outside. Even Servants, guards, my family...they could be out there.
I had no choice than to jump from balcony.
I dragged my makeshift rope across the room, threw the gold latch open with shaking hands, and pushed the balcony doors outward. The cool night air hit my face.
I looped one end of the rope around the pillar of the railing, pulling it tight until my knuckles went white. Then I hurled the other end over the edge. It unraveled down into the darkness below, swaying slightly in the wind.
I looked down. The drop was too long. My stomach flipped.
It's this or a knife in my chest. Choose.
I swung my leg over the railing, gripping the rope. My hands trembled so hard the fabric bit into my palms.
My palms burned against the rope as I lowered myself further down. My breathing was loud in my own ears, ragged and uneven.
Almost there. Just a little more and I'd be free—
A low sound rolled up from the dark below me. It wasn't wind or a human.
I froze mid-climb, legs pressed against the stone wall, the rope swaying slightly under my weight. My heart thudded so hard I thought it might give me away.
Another growl, this time deeper, vibrating through the night air. It wasn't an echo. It was real.
I tilted my head down and that's when I saw two blue eyes glowing faintly in the bushes below.... Almost electric. They blinked slowly.
Every inch of my skin prickled.
And then, out of the shadows, it stepped forward.
It wasn't a lion or a tiger. Not even a wolf. It was… something else... Something in between.
It moved like a cat but its legs were too long, too lean, canine in shape. Its face was unmistakably feline but with dog-like whiskers and big, alert ears. Its fur was mottled grey, streaked with white down its mane, and dotted with faint blue luminescent spots that made it easier for me to see it clearly.
It growled again, a low, rolling sound that made the rope vibrate under my hands. And then it opened its mouth. It's teeth were so sharp it could rip a steak or maybe my leg into two halves.
I clung to the rope tighter, my whole body trembling.
Okay. Fine. Escape plan postponed. Tomorrow. Definitely tomorrow. Tonight I'm going back to my room before I become cat-dog dinner.
I started climbing back up, my arms burning, my dress snagging on the rope. The creature below tilted its head, watching me climb with those glowing eyes, growl rising and falling like a warning.
I yanked at the rope, my feet scraping against the wall, but sweat and pure terror had turned my palms slick. My arms felt jelly.
"Why won't you go up—" I hissed, fingers sliding, nails digging into the fabric. "My hands… slipping—"
And then, slip.
The rope slid through my hands like water and I flailed, trying to grab it back, but gravity didn't care. Gravity just yanked me down.
Okay. It's fine. It's totally fine. It's better to die and become some animal's dinner than be stabbed to death later. Free catering.
I hit the ground hard, landing on my hip. A sharp, ugly pain shot up my spine and burst in my shoulder. The impact knocked the air out of me, left me gasping and dizzy.
My vision blurred for a second, but the growl snapped everything back into focus. It was closer now...low, guttural, like a purr if purrs wanted to kill you.
And then it appeared.
It sprinted forward so fast my eyes almost didn't catch it. The thing planted itself right in front of me like a dog about to pounce...neck low, hind legs tense, head tilted just enough to show all those nightmare-teeth. Its eyes glowed an electric blue that pulsed faintly, and spots along its mottled gray fur lit up the same way, like stars under its skin. Its long ears twitched. Its whiskers quivered like antennae. Its body was wrong, all canine muscle but feline grace.
Pain throbbed in my hip with every heartbeat. I could taste blood from biting my tongue.
Okay. I don't wanna die this way. Please call 911. Actually no, this is probably Valkathra, there's no 911. Somebody call… a witch, a priest, a Pokémon trainer. Anyone. Save me from your hybrid escape-science-lab catdog monster.
The creature inched closer, its growl deepening, the blue spots flickering like warning lights.
The creature lunged at me with a low, menacing growl. My arms shot up instinctively, hands covering my face, my body curling in on itself. I pressed my knees to my chest, digging my feet into the ground, screaming, "No! No! No!"
Every instinct screamed to fight, to escape, but my limbs felt heavy, as if I were sinking. My mind teetered on the edge of panic, imagining sharp teeth tearing into me, blood, pain, the end—
And then… nothing.
No teeth sank into me. No claws tore flesh. I froze, trembling violently, heart hammering like it would burst.
A wet, warm, sticky sensation brushed against my hands. Confused, I opened my eyes slowly. The creature's muzzle hovered over my palms, its rough tongue licking, not tearing, just… licking.
It paused for a moment, sensing my wide-open eyes, then wagged its long, furry tail so hard the ground thumped with the motion. Its eyes were fixed on me...not with malice anymore.
I stayed frozen, muscles tight, every breath shallow, unable to move.
The creature's head snapped toward the dark trees behind it, ears twitching. Its growl faded.
And thenz out of nowhere, someone stepped into the clearing as if the night had just spat him out. One blink and he wasn't there, the next he was.
I sucked in a sharp breath, chest heaving. Kairan.
No. No. No. Don't kill me. Don't kill me.
My body locked up. I couldn't move, couldn't even twitch a finger. Run! Run! Please, move! Nothing.
He stopped a few steps away, eyes on me, then reached down and patted the beast's head.
"Shadow," his voice was low, almost amused, "I told you to scare her, not love her."
The creature rubbed its neck against his boots like some giant housecat.
"I think you might have broken her bones."
His eyes slid back to me.
He narrowed his eyes. "Why did you run, Lady Meredia?"
Because you'll kill me…dumb bloodsucker.
"Everything tonight," he said, voice deliberately low, each word cutting through the cold night, "wasn't what I expected." He flexed his fingers, slowly pulling off his gloves, letting them fall to the ground. "I had to come invite you to dance… when in truth, it should have been you asking me."
My mind spun. Asking him? For what? Is he autistic?
And then a glow pulsed from his hand. Blue light shimmered as he lifted it over my head, palm hovering just above me.
No, don't... Blue-fy me. Don't kill me.
"You've embarrassed me, Lady," his other hand ghosted through my hair. "In front of all those lowly men…" He leaned closer, gaze narrowing, and it wasn't gentle...i. "I do not accept such insult when I am only trying to be a gentleman."
My lips trembled. I tried to speak, tried to explain… but nothing came out. My throat burned and tears blurred my vision.
"Is your pain gone?" His voice softened for just a second, but there was still that arrogance like he enjoyed the fear curling around me.
Huh… what pain? The one in my ass or the one in my heart?
Before I could respond, his hand swept to my cheek, patting it before brushing the tears away. My vision cleared. His face loomed closer, impossibly perfect, dangerous, intoxicating.
"Your pain, my lady?" he said, lips quirking, the ghost of a smirk forming. "You fell from such a height…"
Oh right… the height…
The ache in my hip vanished under his touch. My hand went to it reflexively, astonished.
I managed a whisper, barely audible.
"You… did… it?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"Of course I did," he said, each word dripping with insults. "Do you think a man like me, Crown Prince Kairan, would leave a lady like you broken?" He leaned closer, the heat of him almost suffocating, voice dropping so low it was meant to make me shiver. "No, my dear… I fix. But I do expect gratitude… and perhaps… a little respect."
Every word dripped dominance, arrogance, and... something I couldn't name but made me excited too.
I was doomed to death by this man either way.