Lucia
The forest was her oldest confidante, the only place in the Blackwood territory where Lucia truly felt she could breathe.
Even so, the air felt heavy today, thick with the lingering tension of Kaelen's dismissive commands and Ragnar’s unsettling proposition.
She could still feel the phantom pressure of Ragnar’s hand on her back, the unsettling warmth of his promise. Even if I have to bleed for it. The thought both thrilled and terrified her.
Being a pawn in their games, a solution to their problems, a body to be claimed, instead of a living, breathing person, was slowly driving her insane.
She pushed deeper into the woods, past the well-worn paths, towards a small, sun-dappled clearing tucked between ancient pines.
It was her sanctuary, a place where the constant scrutiny
