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Being a grim reaper didn't mean she could skip meals. In many ways, she was still human.
    Leila approached the edge of the forest of Casmerelda. She tied the reins around a tree and walked the last few hundred yards into town. Mourners stood along the street, paying their respects to the recently deceased Princess Ophelia Dacre. Four men carried her closed coffin through town before her body was laid to rest. Leila watched in horror at the life she'd lost because of a stupid mistake. Although she'd never consider Larkin a mistake, sneaking out and pretending to be someone she wasn't—would be a regret she'd always have to face. Larkin would have only learned the truth of who she was after her death. She felt terrible. She should have been the one to tell him the truth.
    “It's such a tragedy,” a heavyset woman said. “She had her whole life ahead of her.”
    “Did you hear why she was out so late on her own without any guards?” a gentleman asked.
    The heavyset woman said, “I heard she was sneaking off with a boy. The king has him locked up and will probably sentence him to death. Don't know if the boy loved her, killed her, or both.”
    Leila gasped. She backed up out of the crowd and took off for the castle. She knew every hidden entrance. In the basement were cells where prisoners were kept. If Larkin had been arrested, he would definitely be there. It wouldn't be easy to gain access, but her father and sister were at the funeral. Hopefully, no one would see her.
    Water surrounded the front entrance to the castle. Since she couldn't swim, and the water was freezing, it was better to sneak around back. Jogging around the castle cost her an additional twenty minutes. She climbed the tree to her bedroom and unlatched the window. Home sweet home.
    She breathed in the scent of berries and bread. An odd combination. Her stomach growled once again. Perhaps what she smelled was coming from the kitchen downstairs? She didn't have time to check. She snuck through the castle, tiptoeing down stone stairs until she reached the bottom floor. A guard stood by the keys. There was no way Leila was going to be able to talk her way into the prison. He wouldn't recognize her. She stood at the corner of the stairs, her eyes squinting as they adjusted to the darkness.
    “Come on, can't I get a glass of water?” Larkin asked.
    The guard cleared his throat. “Fine. One glass.” He stomped toward the stairs, and Leila shuffled back into the shadows. The guard walked by, not even slowing down. Leila didn't waste a beat. She rushed toward the cellar, finding the keys.
    “We have to get you out of here,” Leila insisted.
    Larkin's eyes narrowed as he studied the petite red-haired girl. “Who are you?” he asked.
    “I'm a friend of Ophelia's.” It was all she could say without sounding insane. “You're in danger.” She knew her father well enough to know that if she was dead, someone would pay the price for her life.
    “I can't leave,” Larkin said. “Trust me, I want to, but King Philip isn't going to stop looking for me. I'm a wanted man. There's nowhere for me to hide.”
    “I can take you someplace safe, far from Casmerelda.” Was she stupid for suggesting it? Violetta had a boy over, couldn't she do the same?
    Larkin turned his back and walked toward the wall. He took a seat on the cold floor. The cell had some hay on the ground, nothing else to sleep on. It looked awful. “It doesn't matter.” His voice was sullen, heartbroken. “She's gone. I have nothing left here anyhow.”
    “You can't say that. She wouldn't want you to live like this or die here.” She couldn't tell him who she was, but she could make him remember how he felt.
    “No.” Larkin leaned his head back against the cold bricks. His legs stretched out in the cell, nearly reaching the bars. “She lied to me. She didn't love me or care about me. She used me. If you knew her, you know that. Ophelia was selfish.”
     
    Larkin hadn’t wanted to believe