Chapter 426: Jealous Of The Others
A chill ran down her spine. "Charming."
He nodded toward the shadowy horizon. "We’ll have to enter from the main gate. The other three sides are crawling with beasts. Wyfmoor is surrounded by the Darkwood."
She shuddered and clung tighter to him without meaning to. "I’d really like to not be beast food today, thanks."
"I don’t know, you might taste sweet to them too," Sebastian teased.
She pinched his side, making him flinch and laugh.
They reached the main entrance, where weary guards eyed them sharply but gave them a pass after a quick check. The insignia on Sebastian’s hunter crest seemed to ease the tension.
Once through the gates, the mood of the village hit them like a mist—quiet, eerie, and shadow-draped. Lanterns flickered like fireflies as they passed narrow cobbled paths and hunched houses with moss-covered roofs.
They arrived at a crooked but cozy-looking inn tucked just near the forest’s edge—The Wyfshade Inn. The sign above the door swayed gently in the breeze, creaking like it hadn’t been oiled in years.
Sebastian swung off the horse and turned to help Thalia down. His hands lingered a moment longer than necessary on her waist.
"Careful," he said, his voice warm. "Don’t want you twisting that dainty ankle."
"I’m not dainty," she scoffed as she landed beside him.