Evangeline let the warm water cascade over her body, letting it wash away the lingering pain, the fear, and the trauma of their journey through the Whispering Forest.
She sank deeper into the bath, sighing as the tension in her shoulders began to melt. The tub was wide, almost luxurious, and the warm scent of herbs clung faintly to the air.
Bel had allowed them to use her bath without hesitation—despite their initial wariness, the mysterious woman in the woods had done nothing to harm them. If anything, she had shown them kindness.
She had offered them warmth, clothes, healing… and, perhaps most important of all, a sense of safety.
'We have no reason to doubt her,' Evangeline told herself. And yet, she couldn't ignore the quiet voice in the back of her mind.
This was still the Whispering Forest.
Damon had warned them time and time again. Trust nothing. Not the shadows, not the silence… not even the kindness of strangers.
