chapter twenty two

Relief, a fleeting thing, washed over me as we reached the imposing palace gates. Here, within these fortified walls, safety, for now, awaited. But the terror that had gripped me like a vice loosened its hold only momentarily. Panic surged back, a cold tide threatening to drown me.

"Damian," I gasp, my voice tight with worry. "My family... I need to know that they are okay."

He met my gaze, the exhaustion etched on his face momentarily replaced by understanding. "I'll send the guards to check on them," he assured me, his voice firm yet laced with a new urgency I hadn't heard before. "There's no need to worry. Everything will be fine."

His words offered a fragile comfort, but they did little to quell the storm raging within me. With a curt nod, he turned and left the room, leaving me alone to grapple with the chilling reality of our situation.