Chapter 42
Deborah had always trusted her instincts–and today, they were dead on.
That afternoon, just as the group began venturing deeper into the predator zone, her warning bells went off.
Then it happened. A cold arrow sliced through the air, aimed straight at her.
Even though she’d been mentally prepared and on high alert, ambushes were nearly impossible to predict. The arrow came out of nowhere and nearly struck her.
A cry rang out in the distance. Someone had been hit and went down.
Deborah turned to Damian, a flicker of fear in her
eyes.
She’d expected Nigel and Gwendolyn might try to test her–but she hadn’t expected their “test” to come in the form of an actual assassination
attempt. This wasn’t a warning. Someone had genuinely tried to kill her. M
“Your Highness…” she whispered. That one arrow had changed everything. The deeper part of the forest was no longer just dangerous—it was lethal.
Damian didn’t say a word. He urged his horse forward, came up beside her, and without warning, reached out and pulled her up.
“Ah-!” Deborah gasped as he lifted her and dropped her onto his saddle.
“Your Highness!” she protested. “This isn’t proper!”
“When have I ever cared about propriety?” Damian said coolly, wrapping one arm around her. With a sharp tug of the reins, his horse reared up and bolted toward the direction the arrow had come from.
“What happened?”
“I heard Deborah was nearly shot!”
“What?” Kenneth spun his horse around and galloped in their direction.
Luisa followed close behind.
Deborah stayed on Damian’s horse. By now, word had spread about the arrow, and everyone had seen it. So even though it felt odd to see her riding with him, no one said a word.
After all, Damian was clearly protecting her.
“Your Highness,” Thomas reported after checking the scene, “a man in black. He bit down on a poison capsule before we could interrogate him.”
The arrow was still embedded in the man’s chest, but it was the poison hidden in his tooth that had killed him. This wasn’t some reckless attacker- he was a trained assassin.
Nigel and Gwendolyn arrived on the scene. Gwendolyn’s eyes flickered with something unreadable as she glanced at Deborah, her expression more complicated than before.
Nigel scanned the group and spoke grimly, “There’s an ambush. Everyone stay sharp. It’s not just wolves out here–we’ve got assassins too. Find
them.”
With that, he spurred his horse and rode deeper into the forest.
Deborah had assumed something like this would make the group rethink their plans–but instead of backing off, the atmosphere only grew more charged. They weren’t intimidated. If anything, they were fired up.
Time to hunt assassins.
Kenneth rode up beside them, lifting his bow with a proud grin. “Don’t worry, Deborah! I’ll take care of every last one of those bastards for you!”
“Kenneth-” Deborah started, but he was already off, charging into the trees like an overexcited child.
She turned and looked up at Damian behind her.
“Not one of Prince Nigel’s men,” Damian said darkly. But the real question was–why had the assassin targeted her?
Deborah had the same thought. This wasn’t some subtle test. That arrow was meant to kill. She thought, ‘But why? Who have I offended?‘
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Chapter 42
“Your Highness,” Thomas said carefully, “perhaps I should escort the Princess Deborah out of here?”
As much as he wanted to stay close to Damian, Deborah’s safety came first.
Damian looked down at Deborah. “Are you coming with me, or leaving with Thomas?”
Deborah wanted to leave. But something about the situation didn’t sit right. It felt too deliberate, too orchestrated.
“I’ll stay with you,” she said. “But I just think-”
“Then hold on,” Damian cut her off, and with one sharp nudge of his heels, the horse shot forward like an arrow.
“Wha-?” Deborah barely got the sound out before the speed of the horse sent her lurching backward, straight into Damian’s chest.
She tried to sit up, but the galloping horse made it impossible to balance. She had no choice but to cling tightly to his robes, bouncing and jostling with every stride–half riding, half being carried.
This was a nightmare. She could barely breathe, let alone think straight. She thought, ‘Is it too late to take it all back? Can I still switch teams and go with Thomas? Please?‘
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