Rose in Chains
by Julie Soto
Contents
Chapter 14
Overview
At Hearst Hall, Briony attempts escape despite Toven’s warning that her rewritten brand binds her to the grounds. Crossing the boundary electrocutes her, leaving her injured and unconscious. Serena Hearst tends to Briony, restoring her voice and ordering rest. Briony wakes from grief-ridden nightmares to find Toven silently watching, their confrontation imminent.
Summary
Briony surveys the storm-lashed Hearst Hall and considers her branded link to Toven, recalling his lethal past and the night he overreached his magic. Refusing the house’s beckoning flame, she skirts the fence, spots mountains beyond the property, and decides escape is worth the risk.
Toven intercepts and warns that crossing the boundary will harm her. Briony bolts anyway, and the brand sears her, electrocuting her as she tumbles into darkness. She half-wakes cradled against Toven, overhearing Serena Hearst’s urgent concern as they carry her inside.
Racked by pain and grief, Briony drifts through fevered consciousness, mourning Rory and begging for relief. Later, she wakes in a bare room where Serena explains her injuries—a concussion, a poorly reset shoulder, hypothermia averted, and severe electrocution—and says recovery will take days.
Unable to speak, Briony indicates her silenced throat; Serena uses magic to restore Briony’s voice, then commands her to rest and departs. Haunted by a nightmare of Rory during the eclipse, Briony awakens at dusk to find Toven at the window, the two finally alone as uncertain intentions hang between them.
Who Appears
- Briony RosewoodProtagonist; attempts escape, is electrocuted by the brand’s boundary, suffers injuries and grief, regains her voice, wakes to Toven watching.
- Toven HearstWealthy heart magician who owns Briony’s brand; warns of boundary, carries her inside, anxiously monitors her recovery, later watches silently.
- Serena HearstToven’s mother; tends to Briony’s injuries, explains her condition, restores Briony’s voice, and orders her to rest.
- Rory RosewoodBriony’s brother; appears in memories and nightmares, intensifying her grief and confirming her sense of his death.