Crown Of Blood And Lies

Chapter 15: Safe...For Now

{Avina}

A servant was waiting in the corridor, hands clasped, expression neutral. "Miss Sinclair. I've been instructed to escort you to the gates. One of the Ashmere will drive you home—on the Blood King's orders due to the roads not being safe."

My stomach tightened. "That's… not necessary. I can walk—"

"His Majesty insists," the servant said gently but firmly. "For your safety."

I swallowed and nodded. There was no arguing with a royal command.

We walked in silence. Through the corridors. Past the gardens. Ashmere and staff members paused to stare as I passed, their whispers following me like shadows.

"Who is she?"

"Why is she here?"

"Do you think she's the Kings—"

I ignored them. I didn't care what they thought. I just wanted out.

Finally, we reached the gates. The massive iron doors loomed ahead, the snarling wolf seal glinting in the morning light. A sleek black vehicle waited just beyond the threshold, engine idling quietly. An Ashmere guard stood beside it—tall, broad-shouldered, his uniform bearing the royal wolf insignia. His expression was stoic, professional.

The servant bowed. "Travel safely, Miss Sinclair."

"Thank you," I said, offering a small smile.

I stepped forward toward the vehicle when a familiar voice called out.

"Leaving so soon?"

Dutton.

Leaning against the trunk of an ancient oak just outside the gate line. His hair caught the sun, and his eyes—those unsettling crimson eyes—locked onto me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

He pushed off the tree and closed the distance, stopping so close our shoulders nearly brushed. I could feel the heat radiating off him, the coiled tension in his posture.

“You’ve been released,” he said, his voice cold. “How convenient.”

I swallowed. "The King's investigators cleared me. I didn't do anything wrong like I said."

"So they say." His gaze raked over me, assessing, suspicious. "Funny how quickly that investigation concluded. Almost like someone wanted you out of here."

My pulse spiked. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "I'm telling you. You're still under suspicion. Just because the King says you're innocent doesn't mean I believe it."

"Then arrest me," I shot back, my defiance flaring despite the fear coiling in my gut. "If you think I'm guilty, do something about it."

His jaw tightened. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—something that wasn't suspicion. It was sharper. More desperate.

Because he knew he couldn't.

"I'll be watching you," he said quietly. "Every move. Every step. If you so much as breathe wrong, I'll know."

The Ashmere escorting me cleared his throat. "Miss Sinclair. We should go."

Dutton's gaze flicked to the escort, then back to me. He stepped aside, but his eyes never left mine.

I turned and walked to the vehicle, my heart pounding. The Ashmere opened the door for me, and I slid into the back seat. The leather was cool against my skin, the interior pristine and smelling faintly of cedar.

The door closed with a solid thunk. Through the tinted window, I watched Dutton standing there, his silhouette framed by the massive iron gates. The gates began to close with a deafening clang that reverberated through the ground, through my bones.

He'd sounded angry. Suspicious. But something about it felt… off. The way he'd looked at me. The way his voice had dropped when he said "I'll be watching you."

It didn't feel like a threat.

Jeez… what is this guy's problem? I muttered under my breath, shaking my head. Flip your pad over so the sticky side isn't up, my dude.

But even as I tried to brush it off, Dutton's words lingered.

"I'll be watching you."

And beneath that, the King's letter.

"My gates are open to you, always."

Two men. Two warnings. Two promises I didn't understand.

The vehicle pulled away smoothly, the engine a low purr. The escort drove in silence, his eyes on the road, his posture military-straight. Professional. Stoic. Just doing his job.

I studied the hairpin still resting in my hair, the polished steel catching the light filtering through the windows.

The Blood King… He really isn't at all what I thought he'd be like.

The forest closed in around us. The canopy filtered the morning light into fractured patterns that danced across the windshield. The same forest where I'd found Elijah. Where the rogues had attacked. Where Dutton had saved me.

My body moved on autopilot, one hand gripping the hairpin, the other pressed against the cool window glass, while my mind churned through everything that had happened. The forest. The rogues. The assault. Dutton's gun. The King's letter.

Through the window, I could see the area where I'd found Elijah, and I couldn't stop myself from looking. The blood was still there—dark stains visible on the road. My vision blurred. My hands trembled.

Keep it together. You're safe. You're in a vehicle. You're protected.

But I could still feel it. The weight of the rogue pinning me down. The terror as his fingers—

I shoved the memory down, forcing myself to breathe. My breath came in short, shallow gasps. My pulse thundered in my ears. Every shadow in the forest looked like a threat. Every movement in the undergrowth made me want to run.

But I didn't have to run. I was safe in this vehicle. Protected by an Ashmere. On the Blood King's orders.

For your safety, the servant had said.

The King had done this. Had made sure I wouldn't have to travel alone. Had made sure I'd be protected.

Why?

The question echoed in my mind, but I had no answer.

The forest began to thin, and then we emerged into open countryside. Familiar fields stretched ahead, golden in the morning light. The distant shape of my cottage came into view, and relief hit me so hard my breath caught.

The escort pulled up to the cottage and put the vehicle in park. He got out and opened my door, his expression still neutral, professional.

"Miss Sinclair," he said with a slight nod.

"Thank you," I managed, my voice hoarse.

He nodded again and returned to the driver's seat. I stood there for a moment, watching as the vehicle pulled away, disappearing back down the road into the forest.

Then I turned toward the cottage.