With a gasp, I open my eyes. Pitch-black darkness cloaks me, the musky stale air making it hard to breathe. An eerie familiarity raises the hairs on my neck; it's like a horrible déjà-vu sensation of my worst nightmare.

But it can't be.

It just can't.

Searching around me, my hands only run over rough, solid walls.

Right. Left. Above. Below.

Panic seethes, ripping through me and immobilizing every other fiber of my existence.

No, no, no.

Not again.

I pound against the wood with every ounce of my strength. The boards don't give; only sand seeps through the tiniest gaps between the panels. My breath fails me and I gasp for air.

"Help!" The shriek hurts my ears. "Help! Help!"

I pound harder, my body thrashing to break through the tight confines. It's to no avail. The coffer was built to sustain the test of time.

"Help!" Tears stream down my face. "Help!"

Why doesn't anyone hear me?

As the strength leaves my arms, desperation settles in.

I'm gonna die.

"Help!"

The shrill cry has been reduced to a whisper. I hit the top of the casket, again and again, but nothing caves. No light that gives me hope that one of the prayer guards has heard me and has started to dig. I'm alone—trapped—underground.

Silence.

Darkness.

The stench of death.

"Please help me."

I choke on the words. My fists ache and burn; there is no more strength left in my arms. Every breath stings my lungs and the oxygen level is so low that my head swims.

It won't be long now.

Just as I'm about to surrender to succumbing calmness, a new bout of panic claws at my chest. The walls are closing in.

But how?

Closer and closer, they crowd around me, squeezing the little life that this left out of me. I scrape over the wood, my fingernails down to the skin, throbbing and bleeding, my head close to bursting open. Nothing breaks the stillness but my hysterical sobs; my will to live is crushed with every winding second, the helplessness paralyzing. I'm slipping away.

My life.

My sanity.

My spirit.

Wiped out by being buried alive.

No one can escape such a fate twice.

The darkness around me is about to swallow me up when my lungs fill with fresh oxygen. I open my mouth, soak up the freshness of the forest, the scent of rain, wet earth, and pine needles teasing my nose.

Strong arms embrace me. "Shh, shh, it's over."

The tears still flow, sobs shaking my body. My mind is in shambles, refusing to accept that I cheated death a second time. I expect the trees to lash out, swoop their arms down to slice me in half. The rotating strokes on my back prove soothing and I raise my head. My surroundings are coated with the surreal blue light of dusk and in the distance, the silvery moon has started to rise.

Lifting my chin a little further, I find the eyes of the man holding me in his arms. They are as dark as the black tourmaline rocks found in the fields of my village. Realization settles in.

He's the Chieftain.

Talon.

My master.

My yelp hurts my raw throat, my limbs so weak that I can't break his grip.

"Easy, little sparrow. Haven't you learned anything at all? Don't make me angry again." His voice is a deep rumble, rich and a bit gravelly but still ending in a pool of warmth. It tingles on my skin and leaves goosebumps behind. He's a blend of terror and deliverance.

I gaze at him from under my teary lashes. "What are you?"

"I'm a fear whisperer." A grin spreads on his lips. "I bring your worst nightmares to life and can make you relieve the darkest moments of your past."

My brows knit together. "That type of magic hasn't been around in centuries."

"Four-hundred and sixty-six years, to be exact." The smile turns smug. "It's a gift that can only be bestowed by Genessa herself and only occurs twice in a millennia."

That's freakishly scary.

Pap called fear whisperers an abomination of nature. They disturb the balance of the magical allocations of power. It's too much strength in the hands of one man.

I drop my gaze. Once we are bound by blood, I have to guard these thoughts.

He gets to his feet. "We should go back. The temperatures will drop to a dangerous level in less than an hour."

I look around. "What happened to the Tisi? Did he fly away?"

"Fly?" He lifts a brow.

"He shapeshifted from a Sotaro."

"You mean his friend did?"

I shake my head. "There were only two, and the other one was a horse."

"And you are sure he transformed from a Sotaro and not a field mouse?"

I scoff under my breath. How stupid does he think I am? "Positive. I know the difference between a bird and a mouse, and Sotaros are natives to a region that is not too far from where I grew up."

Thoughtful eyes cut into me. The mistrust and ridicule are obvious, but there's also a glint that could be worry, or fear even.

He whistles and a beautiful brown mare steps out of the woods. Her coat is glossy and soft puffs drift from her muzzle. She nudges Talon's shoulder and he strokes her nose. I sense the connection of the Anou to nature; it's their special gift of the gods. The forest is his playground and I was a fool to abandon the manure cart this early on during my escape. If I had stayed on it until the next village, I might've had a fighting chance to get away.

"Let's go." Without waiting for a reaction, he lifts me up by my hips and sets me on the back of the horse. In the next breath, he mounts the mare, almost pushing me off. He glances over his shoulder. "Hold on tight, little sparrow."

My name is Moone.

I grip the saddle blanket.

He shifts and turns his upper body to look at me. "You might want to hold on to something more than the pad."

The amusement sparkling in his eyes brings out my stubbornness. I'd rather be trampled to death by the horse's hooves than touch him.

"I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself."

He spurs the horse and the mare leaps forward, briefly rising on her hind legs. I slip backward and my natural reflexes force my arms to wrap around his midsection to avoid the fall. His chuckle is like a slap to the face, but the speed of the horse is too fast to allow defiance. The mare is the embodiment of power and strength, carrying us through the forest and into the field. Talon coaxes the horse to pick up even more speed; as we gallop toward the walls of the Stye, the cold air pricks at my skin. My bare arms and legs are soon numb and I no longer feel the muscles in my face. The frigid wind summons the tears into my eyes. My natural urge for comfort takes over once again and I rest my cheek against his broad back. The warmth emitting from him calms my chattering teeth and his spicy scent has my hormones reeling. Heart racing, my mind strays to places that are absolutely appalling.

He is an Anou.

Cruel and controlling.

A fear whisperer who will manipulate me through the blood bond.

Master and slave—nothing else could ever be between us.

We pass through the gates of the Stye and he slows the horse to a halt. As he lifts me down, I'm still dazed from the wild ride, but the lowering of the portcullis sobers me up. I'm back in my prison and my fate is grimmer than ever. With slow steps, I follow him, just to freeze in my tracks. There, in the shackles of the whipping pole, hangs Jaslynn. The life has been beaten out of her; I don't detect a breath. Her eyes stare at me with glassy accusation.

My body goes numb and a wail escapes. I clutch my hand over my mouth to keep in the bile. "Is she dead?"

Talon cocks his head. "Looks that way."

"Is it because of me?" A few tears spring loose and roll down my cheeks. Incredible guilt and blame rock every part of my body.

It's not fair that I get to live and she is gone.

"Rohan took the whip to her as punishment." Talon's gaze holds a certain bewilderment. "What else did you expect? You escaped on her watch and made her master look bad. He's not a forgiving man, especially when it comes to Elowen slaves who are easily replaceable."

"He didn't have to kill her."

I close my eyes.

I should've known.

All the warnings of the elders, of my parents and my teachers, everything I learned over the years emphasized that there could only be this very outcome.

You disobey the Anou, you die.

And Talon probably only dragged me back here to execute me in public. "Will you kill me, too?"

His lips curl to a smile. "No, not today." He leans so close that his breath brushes the sensitive part below my ear. "But make no mistake. Your life hangs by a thread, and if you step one more toe out of line, it will be my pleasure to end you with your worst nightmare."

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