Chapter 57

Theodore

The banquet hall hummed with laughter and chatter, but I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling crawling under my skin. Violet had stepped out with Helena a while ago, but I hadn’t seen her return. My eyes scanned the crowd, searching for a flash of her dress or the shine of her hair, but she was nowhere in sight.

Dahlia approached me, concern flickering in her gaze. “You’re restless. What’s wrong?”

“Violet,” I admitted. “She’s been gone too long.”

Before Dahlia could respond, a firm hand tugged on my arm. I turned to see the High Priestess, her expression calm but urgent.

“Walk with me,” she said, gesturing toward the doors leading out of the banquet hall.

I hesitated, but something about her demeanor left no room for argument. I followed her to the threshold, where the noise of the crowd faded to a low murmur behind us.

“Is this about Violet?” I asked, impatience sharpening my tone.

“Yes,” she said, producing a small, intricately carved token from within her robes. “I have to—”

Something yanked at my instincts. I turned. “Really. I would love to—”

She reached out to me, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. My heart was in my ears. Something in the air–my instincts— were roaring. I brushed her hand aside.

“Theodore, you have to—”

I snarled at her without even meaning to. My pulse was quick and pounding. Danger. There was danger. Here. Nearby, and she was in my way.

Her calm expression faltered, replaced by a strained calm. “You can’t afford to lose control, Theodore.”

That was true, but I heard the splash of wanted from too far away. My head snapped in the direction of the gardens. I could see the water and moonlight like a vision. Violet’s ring flashed in my mind’s eyes, her fingers digging into soft earth and stone.

Violet was in danger.

Without another word, I turned and rushed toward the garden’s path. The cool night air hit my face, and the faint sound of a distant scuffle reached my ears.

“Get away from me!”

Violet’s POV

The cold water clung to my skin as I clawed at the slick edges of the pool, digging my hands into the edges of the stones and earth. My body felt so heavy that every movement made me shake. How much time did I have before I couldn’t move at all.

I gasped for breath and fought to get out of the pool. I wsa back int he garder, deeper into the garden than I had been before and down a different path. Was there a way back to the pathway? Was I going to have to fight Lucas.

I felt him before I saw him—his hand clamping around my arm like a vice, yanking me the rest of the way out of the water. I yanked and twisted, pulling him off balance and to the ground.

“Get away from me!”

He snarled, rearing up and yanking me up by the front of my dress. He struck me across the face.

“I’m fucking sick of you!”Lucas’s eyes were wild, his face twisted with rage and something darker, something cruel. “You think you can just walk away from me? Humiliate me and not pay for it!?”

He struck me again. “You—”

I reared up with a roar, shoving my hands up to gouge his eyes. He twisted his fast away, but I brought my nails down hard and fast across his face. I lifted my hips as soon as I felt his weight shift. He howled in pain and tumbled off me. I dragged myself away across the shifting ground until I reached the edge of a bench and hauled myself up.

Standing was better. More force, better chance of escaping.

“You’re making this more difficult that it has to be!” He snarled. His hand clenched in my hair and yanked. “Is that it? He was rough with you? Never knew you were such a whore. I bet that’s the breeder in you.”

My fury surged and rammed my head back, aiming for his face. I missed and he wrapped his arm around my neck, pressing it against my throat.

“All this time you’ve looked down on me. Where’s your fucking training now, huh? Where’ your strength now, Violet?”

I lifted my legs and let them drop. He stumbled, unable to hold us both up and keep balance. I dug my nails in to his arm and carried the momentum forward, throwing him over my shoulder. He failed, but his hand caught in my veil and ripped it out of my hair. The pain was like a shot of adrenaline, and I turned, trying to get away from him.

I stumbled, my legs barely holding me up.

“I’ve had enough of this!” He kicked me hard, back into the pool. Then his hand was in my hair again holding me down as I struggled. My lungs burned. I reached down into the pool, hoping for a weapon. My hand fell on a rock. I grabbed it and slammed it against his wrist, forcing him to let go.

I rolled over, gasping for breath and kept rolling until my back hit another stone bench. I caught, pushing to my feet. The edges of my vision blurred, the drug making it harder to think, harder to fight, but for a moment, the world stopped spinning. I could see the lights of the party, I could see another path leading that way, and I went for it. He came up behind me, grabbing my arm and snarling. I tugged and twisted, but the drug was definitely taking effect, hard and fast.

How long had it been? Hadn’t anyone noticed I was missing yet? I dug my heels as he headed down a different path.

His laugh was low and menacing. “Must be kicking in, finally. I’m going to fucking enjoy this,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “We’ll see how much Nightshade wants you, how fated you two are by morning. I’m going to fucking ruin you.”

I yanked back, my feet skidding across the ground. He tried to haul me up, and I let my whole body go lax, making it harder for him to carry me. He faltered. He’d never been strong enough to lift me like that.

“Just fucking give in already!” He snarled. “I know you want it, and soon everyone else will, too.”

I blocked out his words and the fear. I didn’t waste my energy addressing him. I fought. Hard. Every second I could slow him down was a chance for someone to find me. I just needed one chance. One moment. If I could hold out long enough, someone would come. Theodore would come. I clawed at his arms, at his face, whatever I could reach with what little strength I had left. My heart was racing. Fear was starting to take over as I realized that my vision was getting fuzzier and fuzzier by the moment.

He growled and swung around hard, losing his grip on me. I landed on the hard stone of what felt like the main walkway.

Hope sparked in me. We were out of the garden. We weren’t near the gardens, but we were closer to where other people were. He snarled grabbing my ankle. I kicked at him, but he grabbed them both and started to drag me across the floor. I twitched, reaching for anything and everything within reach—the plotted plants, the stone edges of the path, even the tapestries. Table cloths, random decorations hoping to slow him down. Something fell and crashed off one of the tables I’d grabbed. The sound felt almost deafening.

Lucas growled yanking me away from the side of corridor so all I could do was dig my fingers into the ridges between the stone tiles. My nails scraped against the rough surface, breaking and bleeding, but I didn’t care. Every second was hope. Every second would get me closer to getting out of this, and I had to get out of this.

“Stop it, you little—” Lucas growled, his voice a dangerous snarl as he yanked me. His hand slipped, and I took the chance to crawl away. Then, he was on me, grabbing me just as I pushed to my feet. He yanked me back. My body collided with his, and I used the moment to push back trying to get him to fall, but we tilted and slammed into the wall.

“Just give in!” Lucas hissed, locking his arms around me and hauling me onward. “I might even be gentle with you.”

I dug my heels in, scrambling for friction and leverage, but it wasn’t working. I’d worn us both out, but he wasn’t fading fast. I screamed. The edge of it turned into a howl for help, hoping someone would come, but his hand clamped down over my mouth, muffling the sound. I didn’t stop struggling. I bucked against him, trying to scream again, but his grip was unrelenting.

“Shut up!” he spat, his breath hot and heavy against my ear. “There’s no getting out of this you—”

Desperate, I bit down hard on the palm of his hand, sinking my teeth into his flesh with all the strength I could muster. The metallic tang of his blood hit my tongue, and he let out a furious, pained yell.