Jack side-eyes me with hesitance but speaks. “You were right, Charming.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask, a zip of heat goes through my blood as my attention sharpens.
Kaison nods to me. “Tell her.”
Jack hesitates but turns to face me. “Prince Kaison sent me on a mission to unearth proof if your father had been murdered. We found original notes from the medical examiner, and he covered up Byung-He’s true cause of death.”
My breath freezes in my chest. “What was it?”
Jack winces as he tells me. “Exsanguination.”
The shock and horror wash over me in waves, threatening to drown me in a sea of grief and anger.
A part of me wants to deny it, but the unbearable truth settles in my chest like a lead weight.
My father was drained of his blood. Someone fed on him and killed him.
“Cinder? Breathe.”
I vaguely hear Kai’s plea, but it’s muffled by the roar in my mind.
Part of me didn’t believe it. Didn't believe Kai’s claim. But now I have to accept the terrible fact that when I thought things were bad, they could still get worse.
My heart feels like a battlefield, torn between denial and acceptance. Part of me wants to believe it's all a twisted lie, but the other part knows that the truth is laid before me.
As the weight of realization crushes down on me, my world goes dark.
Chapter 28
A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Murder Go Down
CINDER
I’m being carried in two strong arms.
“Move.”
Kai’s voice. He sounds tense.
I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids feel impossibly heavy. I'm vaguely aware of voices around us, whispers and murmurs that I can't quite make out.
“Your Highness, is everything alright with your bride?” someone asks, their voice laced with false concern.
“She's fine,” Kai says, his tone as nonchalant as it is dismissive. “Just a little too much champagne, I'm afraid. You know how humans are.”
“Perhaps you shouldn't feed on her so intensely,” another voice suggests, a hint of malice in their tone. “Humans are such fragile creatures, after all.”
Kai’s stiffens around me, and though his voice remains casual, I sense the anger simmering beneath the surface. “Iappreciate your concern, but I assure you, she's my fiancé, not a blood bag.”
There's a beat of silence, and then the sound of retreating footsteps. Kai continues walking, his strides long and purposeful. I drift in and out of consciousness, catching snatches of conversation as he carries me through the castle.
Finally, I feel him gently lower me onto a soft surface. A bed, I realize, as I sink into the plush mattress. I force my eyes open, blinking against the dim light of my bedroom.
Kai hovers over me, concern pinching at the corners of his eyes. “Well, well, my sleeping beauty awakens.” He tries to tease, but his usual smirk is absent.
I scowl at him, trying to sit up. “I'm fine,” I insist, even as a wave of dizziness forces me back down. “I don't need your help. You can get out.”
Kai arches an eyebrow. “Is that so? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're about to pass out again.” He leans closer, his voice dropping to a low purr. “If you don't let me help you, I might have to take drastic measures. Like cuddling you and calling you pet names until you give in.”
