Chapter 178
Lucien
The moment I had her in my line of sight, I didn’t wait.
No questions. No second thoughts.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her along the narrow forest path behind the palace—through thorn-covered walls and past old stone markers only I remembered. We moved fast, unseen, until we reached the hollowed ruins of a once-forgotten outpost on the cliffside—an abandoned training ground from the Old War, where no guards patrolled, no curious eyes wandered.
Only then did I stop.
Only then did I let go of her hand and take two steps back, breathing hard, every nerve in my body still buzzing from seeing her again.
“For the Kingdom,” I said through my teeth, “you’re dead, Annalise.”
Her golden eyes didn’t flinch. “I know.”
“If anyone saw you—if anyone even sensed you—”
“They
