Chapter 24

Cole thought she had fallen asleep when he lay on the empty side of the bed, but Aria felt his presence and rolled into him, curling herself under his warmth. He smiled faintly and cradled her in his arms.

But Aria wasn’t asleep yet. She couldn’t sleep. She was thinking of the things the doctor said, about her wounds and her being out in the dangerous woods; she was thinking of the things Ferro had said to her earlier; she was thinking of Cole.

***

Aria saw herself running blindly and recklessly through the woods, lungs-burning with every step she took and branches tearing at her skin as the forest swallowed her whole.

Ironwood fell away behind her in fragments. Stone paths turned to dirt and light vanished. The woods grew denser and more hostile, shadows stacking on shadows, the air thick with unfamiliar scents that made her stomach twist as she went deeper in.

Her bare feet hit roots and stones; pain bloomed, sharp and constant, but she didn’t slow.