Page 123 of White Raven

“Why not?” I seethed.

His gaze tracked mine, his body plastered against me, the thin robe doing nothing to hinder the feel of his body against mine, the wetness soaking through us both. The moment strained, the silence between us filled with aggression.

“My lady—” The door swung open. “What in the hell happened here?” Meya stepped in, coming to a stop, Kara and Sassa slamming into the back of her. The other two names I had forgotten, holding clothes and items in their arms.

Meya’s mouth parted. “Hersir . . .” She dipped into a quick curtsy, while Kara tried to peer around, their eyes wide with awe. “I wasn’t expecting you here.”

Onyx stepped back, his expression impassive. “The king asked me to watch over her tonight.” He cleared his throat, stalking for the door, making them scramble out of the way. Their heads bowed in respect to him, though Kara was gaping at the huge guard.

“Which is more than you were doing,” he went on. “Someone already tried to kill her.”

“What?” Meya’s gaze shot from me back to him.

“Don’t let her out of her sight until she gets to the ceremony later. And if anything happens to her, I will come for you. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Meya curtsied, her face turning white.

He nodded, stepping past her.

Kara dipped in a curtsy next to Meya, covering her mouth and dramatically tugging on her sister’s arm when he passed by.

“Hersir . . .” I called out to him in with a queenly tone, a slight taunting in it. He halted, his head turning back. “How do I know it wasn’t you who tried to kill me?”

“Because, kanin . . .” His voice rolled to me like a thundercloud. “I would have done it weeks ago.”

CHAPTER 27

It was well into the middle of the night when the carriage rocked back and forth, carrying us down a dusty, rough path. My five handmaidens and I were stuffed inside, knocking about as the horses took us deeper into the murky forest. The trees played hide-n-seek with the moon, dashing the light away behind the leaves. Fog crept over it, blocking the brilliance of it. Kara explained how a sliver of it was already missing, and it would shave down until nothing was there, the sky black in mourning over its absence. It was odd to me, the moon changing shape until it disappeared. The sun for my territory was a constant. There were days the clouds would hide it from view, but it was always there, invariable in shape and brightness.

Thick fog curled around the base of the trees and wove like serpents through the branches the deeper we ventured into the woods. Blackness seeped in so deep that it wanted to claim me, swallowing me into the void. Taking a piece of my soul to bury.

Fire torches flickered alongside the carriage windows gave us the only light, twisting the condensation billowing from the Friesians’ sleek black noses into frightening forms. The guards on horseback stayed close, navigating us through the dense forest.

My fingers threaded together, squeezing tightly, the only outlet for my fear, my expression fixed.

“I’ve never been to a ritual before. This is so thrilling.” Kara’s endless chatting dug into my ear like a worm. No matter how many times Meya tried to shush her, the girl would not stop blurting out her thoughts or coyly adding innuendos about finding the hersir in my room.

Elvina would have shut her up with a look, but Meya did not have the same dominance a primary handmaiden needed. She seemed far out of her depth, play-acting what she thought a chief handmaiden would do. It was clear she’d never had to be one before.

“Almost as exciting as seeing the hersir this morning . . .” Kara smiled coquettishly. She was so much like Sarina, I hated her for it. My hands squeezed together until I heard bone creak.

I ignored Kara, but couldn’t fight glancing out the back window, spotting the king’s carriage. I knew right behind it was Onyx, riding Fluffy.

A frown sank me back into the seat, my pocket empty of my tiny friend.

Even he had forsaken me.

The moment Munch spotted Fluffy in the courtyard, he beelined for the huge horse, clicking happily like he was seeing an old friend. Fluffy stomped at the ground and huffed angrily as Munch scurried up his leg to his head, gripping onto his mane and whipping the strands like they were reins, as if to say, “Go pony! Ride like the wind!”

I watched Onyx scowl at the groundling, my breath in my throat, understanding he could pluck Munch off and feed him to Fluffy before I could even blink. But the Northerner just mounted the draugrhest, ignoring the tiny figure, like it was an ordinary day to be riding a fanged beast while a tree root twittered happily on top.

“Whoa!” A man’s voice bellowed out and the carriages slowed their pace, sitting me higher in my seat. Anxiety washed around in my stomach, my fingers automatically going to the marks on my chest, rubbing over them.

Whatever is ahead, you hold your head up with dignity.

The carriage came to a stop, voices booming around giving orders, when the door was swung open.

“My lady?” Sven dipped his head, dressed in his black leathers, his face marked with ritual runes. He offered his hand as steps were placed below.