I could barely keep my eyes open as Roberto dragged me deeper into the forest, arrows whizzing past us. A few missed by inches; two grazed his arm as he shielded me. I begged him to leave me behind, to save himself, but he only growled in response.

The good news was, the arrow hadn’t pierced my heart—if it had, I wouldn’t still be breathing. The bad news? It had gone clean through me, coated in wolfsbane. The wound in my chest bled heavily, and I knew I was close to my limit. Gritting ...