Neria couldn’t sleep after what Fiona had said to her.
The unfortunate part was that right after saying it, the guards had come in to tell Fiona it was curfew. But even after Fiona left, Neria’s mind continued to buzz with thoughts, turning the same idea over and over until she couldn’t tell whether she was excited by it or terrified.
It would be a lie if she said she had never thought about escaping. She always had. Weeks ago, when she was first captured, she had already tried to find a way out. Every day since then, she had yearned to return to the sea, but wanting to leave and actually finding a way to escape were two very different things.
Now, with Fiona helping her, maybe... maybe she could actually leave.
The thought alone made her heart beat a little faster.
But then again there were still some things standing in her way. Many people, but actually one person was the one that mattered most....
Darian.
He controlled them all. The guards outside her room, the servants who brought her food, the people who locked her doors every night and even the physician who had come to examine her. Everyone answered to him in one way or another. If Neria made one wrong move, Darian would probably know about it before she even made it down the corridor.
The Grand Duke and his people wouldn’t simply let her leave. Not after everything that had happened. Darian already saw her as a murderer and a criminal, and there was no way he would willingly allow someone like her to walk out of his estate.
Neria sat up, her hand moving to her chest until her fingers found the shell necklace around her neck. Her thumb slowly caressed the smooth surface as her mind raced through every possible way she could deal with the Grand Duke.
She couldn’t simply fight him. Not physically, at least.
He was stronger than her, and if she tried to attack him again, she doubted she would even get the chance to reach the door before he stopped her. The last time she had fought him, she had ended up with a dagger in her chest. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.
No.
She needed another way.
A way to make Darian lower his guard while she quietly prepared her escape. She needed him to stop looking at her as a threat and start seeing her for what he believed Calypsos were supposed to be.
Harmless.
Neria’s hand slowly moved from her necklace to the collar around her neck. Her fingers brushed over the cold metal as an idea began to take shape.
She could escape with the collar still on her, but she couldn’t risk it. If Darian could use it to hurt her whenever he wanted, then he could stop her before she even made it out of the estate.
She needed him to take it off.
And for that, she would have to make him believe she had changed.
Neria would stop fighting him. She would obey his orders, keep her mouth shut when necessary and let him believe that the collar had finally taught her a lesson. She would give him just enough submission to convince him that the dangerous Calypso he had been afraid of was gone.
Then, once he no longer saw her as a threat, she would get him to lower his guard.
And when the collar was finally gone, she would leave.
Neria’s fingers tightened around the shell necklace again. The plan wasn’t perfect yet but she would make sure it was flawless.
When morning came, Neria barely noticed. She was still sitting on her bed with her back against the headboard, her fingers absentmindedly caressing the shell necklace around her neck as her mind continued to race through everything she had thought about during the night.
She didn’t hear the door open or the quiet footsteps approaching her bed.
"Nerry?"
She flinched at the sound of her name and immediately turned toward the blurry figure standing beside her. She didn’t need her spectacles to know it was Fiona, but she still reached for the case on the side table and carefully put them on.
"Did you get any sleep?" Fiona asked, moving closer when she noticed the dark shadows forming beneath Neria’s eyes.
Neria shook her head before reaching for Fiona’s hand and pulling her closer. "Last night... you were saying something?" she reminded her.
Fiona immediately understood what she meant. She glanced toward the door first, making sure no one was entering before sitting down beside Neria.
Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "I want to help you, Neria. I really do, but I don’t know how." Her expression turned solemn as she squeezed Neria’s hands. "But I’ll find a way."
Neria’s chest tightened at the sincerity in her voice. Fiona sounded so certain despite having no idea what she was getting herself into. The girl gave her hands another reassuring squeeze, as though that alone could promise that everything would work out.
"Are you sure?" Neria asked quietly. "You could get punished if someone finds out."
"We’ll find a way around that," Fiona answered almost casually.
Neria couldn’t help but chuckle softly. But a few moments later, the amusement faded from her face. She looked toward the door before lowering her voice.
"I have a plan, Fiona."
Fiona’s expression immediately changed. "What kind of plan?"
Neria leaned closer, making sure her voice wouldn’t carry beyond the room.
"You just have to listen to me."
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Also check out my other book, a werewolf romance that will have you screaming at your screens! If you love Neria you’ll definitely love Aurelia, a strong willed witch who loses her magic and is ousted from her home.