Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Maya

The forest felt different tonight.

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It wasn’t hostile, exactly, but it wasn’t welcoming either. The air was heavy with damp earth and melting frost, the kind that seeped through boots and skin alike, and every sound carried farther than it should have.

I moved carefully between the trees with the basket tucked against my hip, trying not to think about the fact that Caden planned to lock me away tomorrow night like a dangerous thing that needed to be contained.

I told myself I was here to be practical.

That I was being smart.

But the truth was uglier than that, and I hated it.

I hated that a part of me still hoped he would change his mind. I hated that I had packed the basket anyway, memorized Elise’s instructions anyway, like a contingency plan for heartbreak. I hated that preparing for the herb felt like admitting defeat, like accepting that he would choose fear and pride over me when it mattered most.

Still, I walked.

The river came into view through the trees, wide and slow-moying, its surface reflecting the last light of the evening sky.

I crouched near the bank, relief loosening something tight in my chest when I spotted the herbs Elise had circled in red on the picture she sent. It had pale leaves and thin stems, and somehow thrived in the snow. Unassuming for something that could make me violently sick and still be preferable to the alternative, which was getting pregnant.

I set the basket down and began picking carefully, counting under my breath, my fingers cold and clumsy as I worked.

I almost had enough when a voice spoke behind me.

“I knew you wouldn’t want their offspring. I mean, ours will be even stronger. Good choice, mate.”

The basket slipped from my hands.

I spun around so fast I nearly lost my footing, watching in horror as most of the herbs tipped into the river and vanished beneath the current. A curse tore out of me before I could stop it, sharp and furious and useless.

The handful still clutched in my fist would never be enough for the recipe Elise sent, and the light was already fading. I was too far from home to start over a new search.

And standing a few steps away from me, entirely too pleased with himself, was Rohan.

Instead of fear, what surged through me was something hotter and uglier.

Annoyance and hatred.

“Well,” I said coldly, forcing my hands to unclench. “Look at that. The coward finally shows his face. Got tired of trying to lure me into your little pack?”

He laughed softly, like I had amused him rather than insulted him, “Oh, Maya, darling. I’ve never lured you to anything.”

I squared my shoulders, meeting his gaze without flinching. “Then what do I keep running to?”

He lifted one shoulder in a careless shrug. “You’re asking me?”

10:40 Thu, Dec 25 M

Chapter 112

“You have something to do with it,” I snapped. “The council wouldn’t be threatening me if you didn’t. You and your pack of

rogues.”

His head tilted slightly as he studied me, eyes flicking over my face, my posture, the basket at my feet. When he spoke again, his voice softened in a way that made my skin crawl.

“How’s Aclera?”

“That’s none of your business,” I said sharply. “Aren’t you more concerned about Astrid? She’s been silent since the start.”

He clicked his tongue, mockingly disappointed. “I have to say, I am disappointed that I won’t get to join in on the fun tomorrow night.” He drew in a slow breath, eyes half-lidding. “From here, your scent is already exquisite.”

Revulsion crawled up my spine, and I took a step back without thinking. “You’re disgusting.”

“Patient,” he corrected lightly. “My time will come.”

“Over my dead body,” I ground out.

“That will be tomorrow if your little mates don’t fulfill their duty.”

The words sent a chill through me, even as anger surged to meet it. He stepped closer, slow and unhurried, and I realized with unsettling clarity that he had no intention of taking me. Not now. Not like this.

He reached out and plucked one of the remaining flowers from my hand, fingers brushing my skin just long enough to make my wolf bristle. He tucked it behind my ear with infuriating gentleness, then traced a finger down one of my curls.

“A word of advice, Maya, darling,” he murmured. “I’m only telling you because I’m waiting patiently for you, and I would hate to see you die.”

My jaw clenched. “What.”

“As much as I hate it,” he continued calmly, “and as much as it makes my job harder, the only way you’ll survive tomorrow’s heat is if the next two put their marks on you as well. That’s assuming they complete the task.”

What? What the hell did he mean by that?

“It’s not an assignment,” I snapped, although my defense had dropped.

He rolled his eyes. “Yet they treat it like one. If it were up to me, and my timing, you wouldn’t even be with them tomorrow night. But you’re not ready.” His gaze sharpened. “Let them mark you, Maya. Your body won’t be able to manage all three energies on one mark alone.”

A low growl sounded behind us.

Rohan sighed theatrically and straightened as Tylon and Caden emerged from the trees, fury written into every line of their bodies. For a heartbeat, the forest felt like it was holding its breath.

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