The iron chains around Princess Evelyne’s wrists were cold, biting into her skin as she sat in the dimly lit carriage. The rhythmic clatter of hooves against dirt filled the silence, each mile taking her farther from the palace, farther from everything she had ever known.

She had been taken in the dead of night. One moment, she had been in her chambers, wrapped in silk sheets, lost in dreams of courtly dances and whispered promises. The next, she had been yanked from her bed, a hand silencing her scream, and a blade pressing against her throat.

Now, she was at the mercy of her captor.

Across from her sat Kael, the infamous rogue warrior—the man who had once served her kingdom before betraying it. His dark cloak was damp from the rain, his sword resting against his knee. He watched her in silence, his eyes sharp, calculating.

“Your father and his men won’t find you now. I’m taking you deep into the west coast. Only then will you arrive to your actual kingdom.”