The moment you let your guard down is the moment everything goes to hell. Distractions can be fatal, as they prevent you from being cautious. I learned that the hard way. I should never have ventured into the woods by myself. I needed to clear my head, but I should’ve waited or have gone somewhere else. I should’ve remember what… or whom… I had seen in those woods just hours before.

My feet propelled me forward, deeper into the woods than I normally would’ve gone. My thoughts were still racing by the time I saw him. I froze in my tracks, my body paralyzed.

If only I could have gotten my limbs to work again I could’ve run to hide before he saw me. He wasn’t looking in my direction, but shock overwhelmed me. Rational thought, although with me in the moment, couldn’t get my arms or legs to respond. Then he turned around.

John’s eyes found me. At first he was staring blankly, like I was some random girl in the woods, but slowly, recognition dawned on him. Those dull blue eyes widened and a satisfied grin spread on his thick lips. He closed the distance between us before I even had time to fully process what was happening.

“Of all the sights I expected to see here, I can assure you, your pretty face was the last. What a pleasant surprise,” John said, a malicious glint in his eyes. “Do tell me, where has Lana Eleanor been hiding all these months? Your family spun quite the story about what happened to you. I didn’t believe them, and now I am justified.”

“John,” was all that managed to scrape across my lips.

My stunned demeanor amused him, his lips quirking as he started to stalk me like a tiger. “They told me you were gravely ill and died of heightened fever. Yet, here you stand right now.” The distance between us was now closed. He leaned in closer, his foul breath on my neck as he stood behind me. “Now, I cannot help but wonder, what exactly did you do to make them say that? Since obviously you aren’t dead, but they are grieving your loss.”

Somehow I managed to find my voice again. Andreas was twenty times as scary as John, I just had to keep reminding myself of that. Although I kept telling myself this fact, my fear wouldn’t ease. Old habits die hard. “What I did is none of your business. All you need to know is that I am no longer your fiancé,” I said boldly even when I was feeling far from it.

His lips grazed my ear lobe and he lowered his voice to a whisper. “That is where you are wrong, my dear. You died as my fiancé, which means our engagement was never broken.” He pushed back some of my hair and gave me a soft, wet, kiss on my cheek, causing every hair on my body to rise. “Technically, sweetheart, you are mine.”

The same words spoken from a different mouth did not have the same effect. Andreas saying them made my heart race with excitement, it meant he wanted me and he would fight for me. But John? It meant he would take me for himself and that I had no choice.

I stepped away from him, attempting to put some distance between us. To my surprise, he didn’t immediately close it again. “I do not belong to anyone,” I replied evenly, my gaze locked squarely with his.

His chest shook as he chuckled. “You have gotten mouthy, not at all the shy little thing I remember from last year. I like the change in you. It would make it so much more fun when I break your little fighting spirit.” The malicious glint was there again. Logically, I shouldn’t be afraid of him. I was a witch. I had magic. I threw an entire dresser across my room for heaven’s sake. He was merely a knight. Yet, deep inside I knew I was no match for him. My magic meant nothing when I didn’t know how to control it. I had been taught a couple of tricks from Kalen and Andreas, but not enough to save me if John really wanted to hurt me.

“You won’t be able to break me,” I commented with a defiance in my voice I hadn’t realized I had. Perhaps living with Andreas for so long had taught me to fight for myself more.

John closed the distance between us again and stroked my cheek. It took everything I had not to flinch away; I would not show this man weakness. Never again. “I love a challenge. Even if you are delusional.”

My emotions were all over the place, but he didn’t have to know that. I smirked, indicating I had a secret of my own. “You aren’t even curious as to why they lied to you about my death?”

He shrugged, his hand still on my cheek. “It doesn’t matter. But my best guess would be that you ran away, bringing shame to your family.”

I suppressed a giggle, all for show; in reality, the last thing I felt like doing was laughing. I had to keep up the act to make him think he no longer had any hold over me. He was like a dog, able to smell fear from a mile away. I couldn’t give him even a whiff of that. The longer he thought I was a worthy competitor now, the longer I was safe. I just needed to keep it up; a harder task than I previously thought. “It should matter, because your theory is far from the truth.”

His hand slid down my cheek and his fingers laced around my neck, pulling me closer to him. I pushed down the bile rising in my throat. The mere thought of having him this close to me, repulsive. “Do tell,” he encouraged, still amused. He wasn’t taking me seriously.

“I’m a witch, John,” I said bluntly and gave him some time to process that information. He burst out laughing.

Leaning his forehead against mine. “You really are delusional.”

“Am I? The night before we were supposed to set out to meet you, my powers showed themselves. My parents changed course immediately and instead of going to your home, they were on their way to take me to see the king so I could be sentenced to death. Why would I make that up?” His hand tensed on my neck and he pulled back slightly.

“Stop lying. There is no way that you of all people could be a witch.”

“Then explain how I could possibly know Andreas Grigoli,” I challenged through clenched teeth.

His nails started digging into my neck and he pulled me so my face was inches from his. “Andreas Grigoli, what possible business could you have with him?”

I made and attempt at calming my pounding heart before I answered. My chest expanded with the amount of breath I had taken in. “He’s the one that saved me when my parents were taking me to my death. He’s the reason I’m here.”

For some reason this information made John smile. “Even if this little tale of yours is true, I don’t see your hero anywhere around. Which means you are all mine. And my dear, it has been a while since you and I have been together.” He stroked my cheek again and kissed me. I tried to turn my head away, but he didn’t let me.

To my relief, the kiss didn’t last very long. “Witch or not, you were promised to be bound to me on your eighteenth birthday, and now I shall take you. You will be my wife, Lana, whether you like it or not.” He let go of me briefly, reaching into his pocket for something. I didn’t stay around to find out what it was. As soon as his hands were off me, I turned on my heels and started running deeper into the forest, hoping that by some miracle I could outrun him.