Chapter 217

The rain was finally letting up, but the night felt even darker. Stella curled up inside Lily's wardrobe, her soaked uniform clinging to her skin, freezing cold. "Can you still walk?" Stella clenched her jaw and crawled out. A long trail of blood smeared the floor behind her. She'd blacked out for a moment earlier. "Yeah," she said hoarsely. Lily tilted her head, eyeing her. "My cousin's hunting dogs are all over the estate looking for you." She nodded toward the window. "Go out there now, and they'll tear you apart." "I have to get to the west tower," Stella said, heart pounding. She couldn't leave Charles charging into a trap alone. She said softly, "Everything's about to shift in the Carter family. Once you leave, don't come back." She stepped over to the fireplace, pressing on a certain stone. Silently, the wall slid open, revealing a narrow tunnel. "Family escape route. Leads behind the garden to the old stables. You can scale the wall from there." Stella hesitated. Rationally, le