Page 73 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

Chapter21

Adelaide

DAY FORTY-SEVEN

The night is full of beauty and wonder as I walk beneath the stars. The glimpse of a third moon has me longing for a mountaintop view of the Mongrel territory. It would be a blanket of lush green with dark blues threaded throughout and lined with the crisp color of the crystal ocean shore.

I can picture it clearly in my mind, but I know my imagination has nothing on the real view.

I’m lost in thoughts of the day’s events as I make my way back to the palace. It’s not too far from Talodus’s apartment in the guards’ barracks, but it’s enough of a distance to feel freedom.

And it creeps me out.

I’ve never been afraid of the dark, though this path isn’t without light to illuminate the way. Something about the night or being alone has the hairs on the back of the neck standing on end.

I pull my mind out of the stars and begin paying more attention to my surroundings. I sense nothing. All appears as it should. But I trust my gut, my intuition, and I’m not happy about what it’s saying.

Do I turn back and go to the guys? Or do I keep moving forward?

I’m in the middle of both locations. There’s safety and comfort in either direction. I wanted this freedom, so I know my decision is made out of pure stubbornness.

I continue walking at a steady pace, not outwardly showing my fear.

But it’s there, lingering on the surface of my skin as a thin sheen of sweat.

Don’t turn around, Ada.

I repeat it over and over until I can see the guards outside the palace doors.

Once I’m inside, it’s simple enough to write off the experience as nothing. I want to, except there’s something niggling in the back of my mind.

I should have gone back.

I don’t want to be alone anymore, but Ecaeris said they were leaving behind me. Right? He’ll be here in a few minutes with Connak, and I won’t be by myself any longer.

Rin is off tomorrow; she’ll be at her parents’ house already. And it’s the middle of the night, so there aren’t many staff walking around.

I climb the stairs slowly, both feet on a step before I take another, hoping the guys will catch up and all my anxiety will wash away. But I reach the top, turning around to stare at the closed door of the palace for a few heartbeats. They still aren’t here, and that bothers me.

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter to myself, counting my breaths before I head to my room.

I contemplate waiting in Ecaeris’s room. I want to take this dress off, though. It’s been wet and dry and wet again, and I just want to be clean and warm.

My hand touches the knob, and my head is slammed into the door.

I reach up, covering my nose as white spots blur my vision. The grip on my hair causes painful prickles against my scalp as a male body presses into my back.

“Move forward. Quiet.”

I try to step forward, to obey his command. He refuses to leave any space between us, so my movements are awkward.

My heart rate is climbing, beating with such force it will burst through my ribcage. As he yanks my head to the left, blood drips from my forehead into my hair, from my nose across my cheek. The sticky trails cause my temper to rise, the heat of my emotions building the hurricane inside me as my skin cools.

I will not be a victim again.

I am not powerless anymore.

I think through the training I’ve been doing with Tal and Rin as I take tiny steps into my dark room. If I flip him, he’ll likely drag me down and rip out a handful of my hair. I’ll gladly sacrifice the hair, but being on the ground right now is a no-go for me.