“Ella.” He gently smooths the hair back from my face as he stares down at me in concern. “What happened to you?”
He places a hand on my back, and I inhale sharply from the pain.
“What is wrong?” Cash gives me a panicked look. “Why are—”
He stops as he stares down at Finn’s hand, stained red with the blood that has seeped through the back of my dress.
Finn’s gaze hardens. “Who did this to you?”
I shake my head. “It’s all right. I’m used to it.”
“Who hurt you, Ella?” Cash demands, his eyes full of fiery rage. “Tell me.”
Ashamed, I lower my head, afraid to see their reactions. “My stepmother. But it’s all right. I’ll be fine.”
“Cash, go back to the garden,” Finn directs. “I saw some tavan there. We can use it to make a poultice.”
When Cash leaves, Finn grabs my hand, ushering me back to the bed where he was lying not long ago himself. As I sit, I think on how strange it is that our roles have reversed so quickly.
His eyes are full of sadness as he kneels beside me. “I need to cleanse your wounds.”
“I can do it,” I offer. After all, I’ve had much practice over the past few years having to take care of them myself without aid.
“Please, Ella. Will you allow me to, at least, assess your injuries?”
Normally, I’d be too shy to allow him to touch me. Especially since I’ve never been touched by any man before. I don’t know why, but I instinctively trust Cash and Finn. After all, they jumped in front of me when the wolf came, shielding me from the attack.
I nod, and he carefully unfastens the top half of my dress. He inhales sharply as it falls away from my shoulders, revealing my wounds.
Chapter 3
Finn
My heart clenches as I stare down at her back. Blood seeps from her many wounds. But even more disturbing are the crisscross patterns of old scars beneath them, suggesting this is not the first time she’s been hurt in this way.
“Ella?” I clench my fists as I try to hold back the rage that I feel toward her stepmother. “How many times has she done this to you?”
She sniffles and looks away, as if ashamed. “It’s only when I make her mad. She only does five lashes now. She used to do ten in the beginning, but she knows that takes too long to heal. As it is, I’ll be unable to work for the next few days.”
“And who takes care of you while you recover?”
She bites her lips and then swallows back a sob. “No one.”
Tears sting my eyes as I think about all she has suffered, and I struggle to blink them back. She turns to me and grabs my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“I’m all right, Finn. I’ve had worse. I’ll be fine.”
Her blue eyes hold mine, bright with tears, as I place my hand over hers. Despite her pain, she tries to reassure me. She is strong, and I have never admired anyone as much as I do her in this moment. The Elders did indeed choose a worthy female for us to guard. She will make a good queen. “Ella,” I breathe her name, barely managing to speak through my sadness. “Please, let me take care of you.”
She shakes her head softly. “You don’t have to, Finn, I’ll—”
“I want to, Ella,” I murmur. “Please, allow me to tend you.”
After a moment, she nods. I dip a clean cloth in fresh water and drag it gently across her back to cleanse her wounds.
A soft whimper escapes her as I carefully wipe away the blood. The lash marks are deep; I can only imagine how painful this must be for her.
She hugs her knees to her chest as she glances over her shoulder. “Where are you from?”
“Our people make their home deep in the forest. Our kingdom is hidden behind a veil of magic, concealing us from humans.”
She looks out the broken window toward the estate’s forest. “How many others are there like you?”
A grin tilts my lips. Ella is strong, I observe as she fights back her pain, distracting herself with conversation, and asking questions. “Many.”
“How have I never seen one of you before?”
“You probably have,” I tease, not wanting to give her all the secrets we keep from humans. She may be our future queen, but it isn’t my place to reveal everything to her. “We rarely venture out of the veil, and when we do, humans cannot tell the difference between a normal animal and a shifter.” I pause. “And when we are in our human form, we appear as one of your people.”
She turns her head and gives me a strange look. “In the forest… I could hear your voice in my head and that of the wolf. How is that possible?”
“Your father had the gift, did he not?”
Her mouth drifts open, but she quickly snaps it shut and nods.
“We were told that you have it too… that the gift was passed down through his line. When you heard me in the forest, I knew it was true.”
A faint smile crests her lips. “All that time...” She shakes her head softly. “I thought my father was telling tales. But now I know he really was able to speak to animals.”
“Shifters,” I correct.
A grin tugs at her mouth. “Shifters,” she repeats in agreement.
I continue to cleanse her skin and wonder how much permanent damage will be left behind. I’ve heard that humans value unmarked skin on their mates, and I wonder if the prince will reject her because of this.
If only we had come sooner, we could’ve prevented all of the harm that was done to her. Why weren’t we sent to gather her as soon as her father died?
“Not all animals are shifters,” I continue. “And there are fewer of us now compared to the olden days. It is rare for
