CHAPTER 30
AVA’S POV
The folded parchment lay on the table like a coiled snake.
I hadn’t touched it again after pulling it from beneath the saucer. The ink was neat, but the blood-mark stamped at the bottom made my stomach turn. *The hunt was only the begining. You won't be so lucky next time.* The words echoed in my head long after Selena and Elena had left the pavilion, their polite smiles hidden behind layers.
Three days had passed since then. Three days of Draken watching me like I might shatter if the wind blew too hard. Three days of Maya hovering, of the rune stone from Madame Lira growing warmer against my skin, and of my own body stubbornly healing.
I was done waiting.
This morning I slipped into a simple but sturdy training gown. A deep grey wool with silver embroidery at t
