My venomous words landed where he was putting on his clothes, his shoulders stiffening. He paused for a breath and then resumed what he was doing, not looking at me.

“Get your things on,” he said as he strapped his sword to his back and tugged on his gloves. With a nod, I stood and walked to my cage, where I picked up my cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders. My back straight, I faced him with my chin high. I’d at least go out with some dignity.

He opened the door and gestured me outside, where we exited to a sprinkle of gently falling snowflakes, the ground already covered in a thin layer of white. I rued the delicate slippers on my feet, wishing I had my boots.

When I’d stood at the edge of the forest with Margaret and my parents yesterday, I hadn’t planned on going any farther than the tree line. We were supposed to wait for the victor of the Hunt and then return to the castle to settle into our rigid predestined roles. It was what I’d been prepared for.

Regardless, I vowed if I got out of this alive, I’d never leave my room again without thick socks and proper footwear.

Wicked slammed the door, causing me to jump and nearly stumble into the snow. My limbs were stiff and I couldn’t get enough air. I’d never been so scared in my entire life. He brushed past me, his boots crunching.

“Come,” he barked. Taking a deep breath, I picked up the edge of my skirt and followed, tears flowing down my cheeks.

The air was mild, the wind still, which was a slight consolation. My cloak wasn’t nearly warm enough for this weather, and my feet were already numb. Wicked stomped through the courtyard and into the forest, where our footsteps were muffled by the falling snow. In any other circumstance, it might have been beautiful.

He cast a look in my direction, his expression dispassionate, and then turned and started walking again. I did my best to keep up, but the ground grew increasingly slippery and my feet had turned into stumps of ice. I cried out when I lost my footing and landed on my ass so hard my neck cracked.

Wicked stopped and whirled around, fury in his dark eyes. With the glow of the moon and the falling snow and those strange markings on his face, he resembled an avenging god sent to deliver me to Hell. I cowered at the anger in his expression, no longer able to leash my fear.

Without a word, Wicked approached as I scrambled back. He bent down and then scooped me into his arms, cradling me against his body. I was too surprised to say anything as he once again started winding his way through the forest. I wanted to tell him to put me down, but it was a relief to be off my feet and he was so warm that I felt myself curling into his welcoming heat. I couldn’t stop shaking.

He picked up his pace now that I wasn’t holding him back and was flying through the trees at a speed that was dizzying. My arms circled around his neck, and I closed my eyes while my vision spun. Eventually, I chanced a look up at him. He stared straight ahead as though I wasn’t there. He seemed to be holding his breath, his chest barely moving.

While he continued running, I buried my cold face in the curve of his throat. Gods, he was so warm. Right now, I didn’t care that he’d brought me here to kill me. I was so frigid and miserable I would’ve snuggled up to the devil himself if he’d offered me a blanket.

We continued through the trees for a while longer before Wicked finally came to a halt, the forest so silent it seemed as if it, too, felt the weight of the crime about to unfold. Wicked set me on my feet and then dragged me to the center of a small clearing. Rocks and boulders surrounded us on all sides, blocking off my view and reminding me of the boundaries of my existence.

I was trapped here, and I was going to die.

Lying in the center of the clearing was a set of chains and manacles anchored into the ground. My mouth opened in horror, realizing this was what he’d been doing out here today. He didn’t meet my eyes as he fell to his knees and secured them around my ankles and wrists. I said nothing while he worked, simply staring at him, wondering what kind of monster would do this to anyone.

Tears slipped down my cheeks, turning into burning rivers of ice in the cold air. Once he finished chaining me to the earth, Wicked stood and surveyed our surroundings.

“Are you really going to leave me out here?” I asked, forging steel into my voice. “I knew the Fae were terrible, but I didn’t know you had absolutely no conscience.”

He pinned me with a cold look. “Don’t lump me in with the Fae.”

I snorted out a hysterical laugh. “Are you kidding me? You’re the worst of the lot! You stole me from my family! From the man I was supposed to marry! You ruined my entire life to use as bait for a monster. And you won’t even tell me why!”

Wicked curled his lip, his dark eyes flashing, but said nothing in response to my outburst.

“I’ll be hiding in the trees,” were the only words he uttered before he stalked away.

“Fuck you!” I shouted at his back, relishing the words I was normally forbidden to utter. It felt good to let go of the metaphorical chains that once bound me, even if I’d now been snared by physical ones. It was the only comfort I had left. “You bastard! Come back and face what you’re doing to me! You coward! You asshole!” I yanked on the chains, the iron manacles biting into my skin.

Once his dark form disappeared into the forest, panic twisted in my nerves. He said he’d be in the trees, but I felt completely alone. I listened to the noises of my surroundings, interrupted by the clicks of my teeth chattering. The snow continued to fall, covering me, soaking into my hair and clothing.

“Please don’t do this,” I pleaded to the darkened night. “I’ll help you find another way. Anything you want, it’s yours.”

If Wicked could hear me, he gave no sign as I begged and pleaded for my life. When my voice gave out, I finally caved into silence. I’d lost all sense of time, but I was getting colder by the moment. I couldn’t feel my toes or my fingers. The least this bastard could have done was ensure I didn’t freeze to death before the ogre came for me.

Snow continued to fall until everything was coated in white. My eyelashes stuck together when I blinked, and the cold air made my lungs ache. Eventually, I sank to my knees, tired, exhausted, and no longer able to keep myself up. Instead of pleading for my life, I now pleaded silently for the ogre to end this misery.

A rustling in the leaves drew my attention, but the darkness prevented me from seeing anything beyond the clearing. My eyes drifted shut, and I collapsed to the ground, sliding in and out of consciousness.

Then I heard a snarl right next to my ear, but I was too cold and too tired to be afraid anymore. I welcomed the end.

But then I felt it. The soothing warmth of the fires of hell wrapping around me, bundling me into a cocoon of relief. As I let out a pitiful whimper, something lifted me into the air before I completely drifted away.

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Chapter Seven

My face was pressed to a soft surface that smelled like the forest. Like soil after a rainstorm and the kiss of a warm spring breeze. I buried my nose deeper, savoring the silkiness against my cheek and the scent filling my lungs. Something heavy lay on top of me, and I groaned when I moved, my fingers and toes protesting. My muscles were sore and achy, and my head was throbbing.

Was this what awaited in the afterlife?

Finally, I peeled my eyes open, surprised to find myself in Wicked’s small room. I was in the corner, lying on his bed with a mound of soft blankets covering me. My cage stood open across the room, and I squeezed my eyes closed, wanting to forget its presence. A shadow fell over me, and I looked up to find Wicked, eyebrows drawn together, a wooden spoon held in one hand.