Chapter 93

I woke up with a scream stuck in my throat.

I could still see the rogue clawing at his neck, his eyes begging me to stop.

I sat up fast, my heart hammering against my ribs. The room was dark, but the reality hit me harder than any nightmare. The castle. The Rogue Kingdom.

It was all real.

My hands shook as I pressed them to my face. Goddess. I killed them.

I couldn't stay in bed.

I kicked the blankets aside and walked barefoot into the bathroom, desperate for cold water to wash away the memories.

I splashed my face, but when I looked up at the mirror, I saw it.

The silver collar around my neck looked ugly. It was a leash — a constant reminder that I wasn’t free.

I touched the cold metal carefully and pulled my fingers away instantly. The silver burned my skin. Strange.

The inside of the collar didn’t burn my skin. A thin strip of dark leather lined the inner part against my throat.

But