He’s in her clutches now.
Rune squeezed her eyes shut.
It was why he’d begged her to shoot: he’d rather be dead than face what Cressida had in store for him.
He came here to kill you,she reminded herself.
Rune didn’t want to care about Gideon—whodefinitelydidn’t care about her. If he did, he wouldn’t have put that gun to her head. He wouldn’t have come all the way here intending to end her life.
His agonized scream filled the hall.
The sound lit her up. Like a switch being flicked.
Rune spun to face the powder room door, her heart pounding in her chest.
Gideon’s screams grew louder.
Rune clenched her hands so hard, her fingernails dug into the skin of her palms. She might hate him for what he’d done. He might be her worst enemy. But that didn’t stop the sound of his agony from tearing her apart.
What is she doing to him?
Rune stepped toward the door. She grabbed the knob, wanting to wrench it open. She wanted to…
Do what?
Helping Gideon would require defying Cressida. And while Rune might be valuable to the witch queen, she wasn’tinvaluable. Rune couldn’t walk in there and tell her to stop. Cressida would laugh in her face—or worse: hurt him more.
And even if shecouldrescue him, Gideon would only try to kill Rune again—and probably succeed next time.
But if I do nothing?
When Gideon’s screams fell silent, the quiet was worse. At least if he was screaming, Rune knew he was alive.
He just tried to murder you! He doesn’t deserve your pity, or your help.
But there was something nagging at Rune. Something she couldn’t shake.
Gideon had had the upper hand in that room. He could have taken his shot long before she ever looked into the mirror and saw him. Likely, he could have shot her long before she evenenteredthe powder room.
So why did he hesitate?
She shouldn’t care. Not at all. Not even the tiniest bit.
“Rune!”
She looked back to see Soren running toward her, his cape gone and the tailcoat of his jacket flapping behind him. Four soldiers flanked him. “They said you were attacked…”
Rune needed to let the knob go. The prince was her duty, not Gideon.
“I’m taking you to my rooms.” Soren grabbed her arm and forced her to face him. His expression was stony as he scanned down the front of Rune, checking to see if she was damaged. “This fiend may not have acted alone. There could be other assassins lurking in my halls.”
Rune glanced back to the powder room door.But I can’t leave him.
“I won’t let him harm you.” He pulled her away. The sharp smell of his cologne burned her nose. “You’ll stay in my quarters. I’ll post my personal guards outside the doors.”
“But I—”
“I want you to stay there until I tell you it’s safe to come out.”
