Cindra’s POV
Back in my room after the near run-in with Ruth, I stood in front of my open window, sucking in air, my heart pounding.
That had been too close. It would have been bad if Ruth had been the one to catch me. She was almost worse than Queen Bridget.
I shuddered, thinking back to all the times she’d hit or kicked me. I remembered tumbling to the bottom of the stairs when I was younger and looking up at her face, a vicious grin showing her pleasure at having hurt a little girl.
My stomach churned at the thought. This castle was full of monsters.
The room enveloped me in a cocoon of shadows. I crossed the room and sat on the edge of my bed, the echo of my racing heart pounding in my ears. What had Helio been doing there? Had it just been luck? Had he distracted her on purpose?
