Book 19: The Last Resort

Naomi

“No.”

The word bounces through my skull with nowhere to land. I grip the edge of Oakley’s bed, my fingers winding around a spire of worn wood in the same shade as her hand-me-down dresser and bedside table. “No?”

“No, I will not return to Fraser’s–to his palace.” She waves a hand in dismissal and looks down at her lap. “I’ll make things so much worse for Ian.”

My scoff resounds through the room, but Oakley doesn’t even wince. She moves so slowly. Her skin has a sick, gray pallor, and her eyes… Goddess. She is very ill. 

I’m sure her family is under the impression that she’s just exhausted after being kidnapped by a beast and carted across the kingdom. I’m sure they’re forcing her to drink tea and keep busy. I’m sure everyone in Silverhide has heard the fake tale I’ve spun