I placed my hand over my heart. “You’re doing such a good job at convincing me to go. How can I live without good wine?”
“Do you have no sense of self-preservation?”
“As I told you earlier, I don’t believe a single word you say.”
“I thought seeing the burning would have you thinking differently.”
My jaw dropped as irritation ran through me. “You burned her so I’d believe your threat?”
“No. I burned her because my king ordered it.”
“Whatever. I don’t need to listen to you—” I went to walk away, but he grabbed my upper arm, stopping me.
My breath hitched as I willed my Token to manifest, but itwouldn’t come. His fingers felt callused over my bare arm, his grip soft but firm enough to make me hyperaware of every inch that touched me.
“Please. Let. Me. Go.” Each word was clipped on a whispered breath that took everything in me to get out.
He immediately released his hold on my arm. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Then ran his fingers over his face before finally stepping back. “You don’t need to trust me, but you need to be smart. Leave before it’s too late.”
“Why?” I breathed, meeting his gaze again.
“Soffikane is too heavily guarded.” He completely avoided my question. “Follow the Drakin Mountains up to the Grigg, but don’t cross until you reach the beach. If you pass through the range, you’re more likely to get eaten by a dragon.” His gaze roamed over my outfit, and I had to compose myself to not blush over my dress. “There’s a pass between the range that will take you safely into Inyaerille. You can blend in there. Hide. Let some time pass. Then move to Ryaranthia. Build a life for yourself. You’ll still be protected from the Dead King across the Sands, and Elion doesn’t leave the first two Provinces.”
My eyes narrowed. I wasn’t sure why it pissed me off. Why did he want me gone so badly? Half the time he acted like I didn’t exist, and the other half—whenever no one else was around—he was trying to convince me to run away. Did he hate me that much?
“What is this?” I asked, a bit of my malice coming back to my voice. “Your last warning before you pick me for the next entertainment?”
He didn’t answer right away. I watched his jaw tick before his gaze narrowed. “If I pick you, it’ll be because I didn’t have a choice. So yes, take this as your last warning.”
He left before I could respond, leaving me standing alone in the corner of the room, clutching the disgusting glass of wine in my hand and wondering what to make of that entire conversation.
Cash knockedon the door to my room hours later. “Open up before I teleport in.”
That got me moving. I ran to the door, pulling the wood, as a newfound fear coursed through me, realizing that it didn’t matter if my room was locked or not.
Cash could either use his telekinesis to open the lock or bypass the door completely and teleport through it.
I swallowed as he eyed me.
“I’ll keep this short because I’m fucking wasted, and I want to sleep,” he said as he took a single step forward to lean against the frame. “Have you managed to overcome your fear?”
I looked down at my feet, staring at my toes, before slowly shaking my head. “What if I can’t?”
“You will,” he said, his voice slurred, but firm. “All you have to do is convince your mind that you want it.”
I shifted on my feet, trying to think how I was going to do that when I couldn’t even get myself to think about what happened that night.
“Are you scared of the power itself or what triggered it?” he asked.
I didn’t answer.
“Nollie, I’m drunk, and I don’t have time for this tonight. King Elion expects you to have control, and I thought you had been practicing on your own. I thought you made progress.” He ran his fingers through his hair, the blonde strands oily from constantly doing it throughout the day.
“What caused it,” I answered, my voice soft. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to admit anything—especiallyto him. But I needed to get over this more.
“Okay, well that’s easy then.”
“Easy?” I repeated, meeting his gaze.
