The sun pierced the wagon's canvas with scorching needles. The wheels counted every stone on the broken track, responding with dull thuds in my spine. Dust clogged my nostrils, settling on my tongue with a bitter film. My throat turned into dry sandpaper.
"Another mile, and we'll stop for a rest."
Jake lifted the edge of the awning. A blast of hot air hit my face, making my vision blur.
"Water."
My voice sounded like the rustle of dry twigs. I reached for him, but my fingers only weakly scraped against the lining.
"Hold on," he jumped onto the edge of the cart, blocking the blinding light. "Your lips are cracked and bleeding."
"Water, Jake. Please."
He pulled a worn, leather-bound flask from his belt. He shook it near my ear—a dull, tantalizing splash.
"Just a little at a time. If you gulp it down, you'll throw up."
"Give me..."
Jake carefully lifted my head. The metal spout touched my lips, burning with cold. The first drop seemed like liquid gold. I flinched, trying to grasp the flask with both hands.
"Easy, girl! Spill it, and you won't get any more."
He held my wrists with one hand. Strong, calloused fingers. He smelled of old leather, horse sweat, and tobacco. Not at all like him.
"More."
"That's enough for now. Catch your breath first."
"Why is it so hot?" I leaned back against the wool bales. "Are we close?"
Jake wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, smearing dirt.
"We're heading south, Alina. The earth breathes fire here. It'll get easier by evening, but for now, lie still."
"I can't feel my legs."
"That's from the shaking. And from not eating anything. Here, have a hardtack."
I turned away. My stomach clenched into a tight knot at the sight of the dried piece of bread.
"I can't."
"The Alpha will have my head if I deliver a skeleton to the destination. Eat," he placed the hardtack in my palm, closing my fingers around it. "You have to be strong. Out there, on the border, no one will coddle you."
"He doesn't care," I closed my eyes, feeling my eyelids grow heavy as lead. "He just likes knowing I'm suffering."
"Don't speak of him like that. The wagon walls are thin, and the boys have long ears."
Jake sighed, adjusting the rolled-up cloak under my head.
"Sleep. Sleep is the only free medicine in this caravan."
"Don't leave."
"I'm right here. I'll be mending the harness on the driver's seat. Sleep."
The world began to slowly blur. The creak of the wheels turned into a monotonous hum, and then vanished altogether, absorbed by a heavy, sticky darkness.
The darkness brought no coolness. It was thick, like tar, and smelled of burning.
"Did you think the road would save you?"
Cale's voice rumbled somewhere beneath my ribs. I turned, but there was only endless gray emptiness around me.
"Get out of my head," I screamed, but couldn't hear my own voice.
"You let me in yourself. The night you accepted the mark."
I felt his presence behind me. The heat emanating from his body was stronger than the midday sun. His hands settled on my shoulders—heavy, dominant.
"Look at me, Alina."
I squeezed my eyes shut, but images flashed directly beneath my eyelids. His thoughts burst into my consciousness in a discordant chorus.
"Stupid... little... useless."
The contempt was cold as steel. It pricked my skin, making me shrink in humiliation. He saw right through me: all my fears, my weakness, my pathetic attempt to escape.
"But how soft her skin is..."
Following the icy contempt came a wave of scorching desire. It was primal, dirty, and frantic. I felt his hunger as my own. It wasn't a man's feeling for a woman—it was the hunger of a predator cornering its prey.
"No!" I tried to push him away, but my hands passed through him as if through smoke.
"You are my possession," his voice softened, turning into an insinuating whisper right in my ear. "My broken, beautiful toy. I hate your weakness. And I can't wait to see you tremble under my fingers again."
"I'm not yours..."
"Distance is an illusion," his laugh echoed with pain in the back of my head. "Every breath you take belongs to me. Every drop of sweat on your neck is mine."
He pressed his face into my hair. I tasted his thoughts—a bitter cocktail of possessiveness and a deep, genuine self-loathing for that hunger.
"To destroy you... to erase you... to tame you."
Suddenly, his grip on my shoulders changed to a sharp yank. Pain flared in my collarbone, where the invisible mark lay hidden beneath the skin. It began to expand, pulsating, as if a red-hot brand was being driven into me.
"Cale, please!" I pleaded, choking on his fury.
"Endure it," he cut off. "That is the price of your freedom."
The pain became unbearable. It tore at my muscles, melted my bones. I felt sweat stream down my back, turning into icy rivulets.
I cried out and sat up abruptly.
My head slammed into the wooden support of the wagon. Sparks flared in my eyes.
"Hey! Easy, easy!"
Jake was there in an instant. He grabbed my shoulders, trying to steady me.
"Let me go!" I thrashed in his arms, not understanding where I was.
"It's me, Jake! You're in the caravan. Everything's fine."
I froze, breathing heavily. My shirt clung to my body, my hair damp with sweat. My chest heaved as if I'd run several miles.
"Nightmares again?" he gently brushed a strand of hair from my face.
"It... it wasn't just a dream."
I pressed my palm to my chest. The skin beneath my fingers burned. The pain didn't go away; it lay dormant deep inside, pulsating with the rhythm of my frightened heart.
"You're burning up, Alina. Come on, drink some more water."
"He was here, Jake. He saw everything."
"Who? The Alpha?" Jake quickly glanced towards the wagon's opening, as if expecting to see Cale standing on the road. "He's not here. We're three days away from the city."
"You don't understand," I clutched the edge of his sleeve. "He doesn't need to be here. He... he's inside."
Jake's face darkened. He took the flask and practically forced it to my lips.
"Drink. Stop talking nonsense. It's just a fever from the sun."
I took a gulp, but the water tasted bitter. The connection hadn't broken. I could still feel the thin, vibrating thread, stretching through forests and mountains directly to him.
"What time is it?" I asked, trying to steady the tremor in my knees.
"Soon sunset. The caravan is stopping for the night by the stream. You'll be able to wash."
Jake stood up, preparing to leave.
"Wait."
"What else?" He stopped without turning around.
"Tell me the truth. Where exactly did he send me?"
Jake hesitated. His shoulders tensed.
"To the border," he said curtly. "To Fort 'Grey Rock'."
"And what will happen to me there?"
He finally turned around. There was no sympathy or hope in his eyes. Only the weariness of a man accustomed to following orders and asking no questions.
"There's a garrison there, Alina. A lot of angry men, starved for women. And Cale's order is to keep you locked up until he arrives himself."
"So it's just another cage."
"A bigger cage," Jake jumped to the ground. "But the bars there are cold stone. Rest. We'll be there soon."
I was left alone in the wagon's dim light. The pain in my chest began to subside, turning into a dull, aching longing. I knew that as soon as I closed my eyes, he would be there again. Waiting for me in the darkness of my own mind.
The creak of the wheels resumed. The caravan moved on, carrying me deeper into the maw of the southern heat, to a place where even in sleep there was no escape from the master.