Avery's POV.
I took a step back, my shoes squelching against the wooden floor.
“If the answers will ruin me, then let me go,” I said, my voice gaining a desperate edge. “If I’m such a burden, such a danger to your secrets, open the gates. Let the storm have me.”
Lucian stood perfectly still, water dripping off his clothes. He tilted his head, listening to the frantic rhythm of my heart. A cold, dark smile touched his lips like a predator humoring its prey.
“You want a chance, Avery?” his voice hissed through the wind. “Fine. A game. The main gate is half a mile through the forest. If you reach it and pass through before I lay a hand on you, you are free.”
My breath hitched. “And if you catch me?”
“Then you stop fighting and come back,” he growled. “The gates are five minutes from he
