Chapter 369

• The chamber is as cold and dark as I imagine. My arms ache. I’ve been waiting, chained, for what feels like hours, but through the grate overhead, I can tell the moon isn’t directly above us yet.
• This isn’t how Tara said it would go. She’d mentioned a ceremony, other people being here with us.
• I’m all alone, in a cell that smells of earth and is oppressive in its chill humidity. The acolytes did anoint me, that part was true, but they didn’t wait for my mate to arrive. Now, with my back to the door, chained to a damp wooden post, there’s no way for me to tell who will come in. And if I change my mind…