❝𝐈𝐟 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚.❞
Selfishly fascinated with her own strength, Valen Ferreira is willing to do nearly anything and everyth...
WHILE LEVI PREPARED FOR THEIR IMPROMPTU OUTING, VALEN WAITED BESIDE THE MOSSY, OLD-FASHIONED FOUNTAIN CENTERED IN THE CASTLE'S COURTYARD. She'd replaced her pajamas with a better suited composition—a pair of shorts that hugged her thighs and a worn, too-large-for-her-body shirt that she'd tailored to her smaller frame, which was perfect considering how balmy the night was. In her hands was a neatly folded towel she'd summoned from the depths of her drawers.
And women allegedly spend ages getting ready.
Valen glanced around, her gaze stilling on the doors. What had she been thinking, accepting his invitation? Years had passed since her injury—she had no excuse to be making stupid decisions, yet she, a twenty-one year old woman who'd graduated at the top of her class, had agreed to go swimming in the dead of night with a man she barely got along with.
How did the saying go? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes?
Valen wondered what the prizes would be.
The sound of a door opening and closing reverberated through the courtyard, succeeded by a pair of footsteps. Levi came into sight, a lantern in each hand. For once, he'd dropped the uniform, changing the trousers and buttoned shirt for a casual shirt and shorts that brushed against his knee.
He doesn't look too bad.
Valen swore it was the civilian clothing.
Crossing to her, Levi handed her a lantern. "Took me forever finding a second one," he grumbled.
"I could tell," Valen answered, annoyance rolling off her tongue. She jerked her chin to the woods. "Shall we?"
"Let's get moving." They crossed the courtyard, entering the grassy area encompassing the castle. They ignored the stables, as they'd wordlessly agreed not to go by horseback—it'd create too much noise, and preparing a horse would last too long.
They entered the woods, Valen being the first to step in. To her, the dark was nothing scary—it was only scary if one made it scary, she believed—but she still took precautions, staying attentive to the noises ringing through the night and what lurked in the shadows. But it was far from people.
A fallen branch snapped under her foot. "Is this something you do often?" Levi asked.
"Not often, but enough," Valen lied. Truly, she dropped by everyday—but that knowledge was best kept to herself. They walked through the dense greenery until the vegetation tapered.
