The icy road underfoot seemed to stretch endlessly before me, and with each step, my exhaustion deepened. I dragged my feet, my mind weighed down by the same dark thoughts that had been haunting me since Ciro set me free. I was mentally exhausted more than physically.
Why had he done it? What was his game? A Blood Wraith, freed from the chains of the High Fae... Was this some kind of test? Or was he trying to make a move of his own, to play a different hand in the grand scheme of things?
And Theo. The betrayal still burned in my chest like a festering wound. I had foolishly trusted him. I had tried to be cautious after taking him as my slave, knowing he could have been used against me.
I had always assumed Deyanira would manipulate him, just as she had with Soren. I never expected it to be his decision. Had I hurt him that badly by denying being together? I thought I'd been doing what was right by all of us.
