Page 95 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

He lifted his head——to discover he was naked except for his underwear. What the fuck was happening?

He looked to his right and began thrashing harder against his restraints. Zarya lay on another table, similarly trussed, wearing only a bra and panties, her eyes closed and her dark hair spilling over the edge.

“Zarya,” he called, but she didn’t move. Her chest rose and fell in a slow rhythmic pattern, suggesting she was asleep or passed out. He thrashed again, but the cuffs offered no give. He couldn’t feel his magic, either—Abishek had blocked it.

Forcing himself to calm down, he took stock of his surroundings. He was in Abishek’s wing of the castle. He recognized this room as the formal entertaining salon he used only occasionally for private meetings.

It was decorated luxuriously with velvet furniture in maroon and hunter green. The rugs were thick brown fur, and a large fireplace crackled at each end. Vaulted windows overlooked the snow, hung with heavy dark drapes that were currently drawn closed.

A chandelier dangled in his vision, rendered from deer antlers hunted in these very mountains. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm his breath and think.

Abishek had been lying to him. What had he been lying about? What was Rabin doing here, and why had Ekaja betrayed him?

The king’s treachery stung but didn’t cut to the bone. Maybe deep down, he’d always understood he was living on borrowed time with the ruthless king of Andhera. Perhaps he’d convinced himself of what he’d wanted to see and, in doing so, had disregarded the warnings that had been there all along.

But Ekaja.

He truly thought she had been his friend. He’d trusted her wholly. They’d been drunk together. Trained together. Complained about the king to one another. And she’d walked into the study and looked at him without emotion. Like she hadn’t cared at all. Like he meant nothing.

And now, he lay on this table, having no idea what would come next. And worse, Zarya lay next to him, knocked out and subjected to the gods only knew what. He was responsible for all of this. He had spent months convincing her it was safe. Months convincing her that her father only wanted to know her.

Gods, what a fucking fool he was. He’d been so desperate for approval. So desperate for a place to call home that he’d endangered the most important person in his life.

Zarya groaned, and her head swung to the side.

“Zarya,” he said in a low voice. He had no idea where the king and the others had gone, but given their position and the crackling fires, he could only assume they would be returning soon.

She groaned again, the sound desperate and lonely.

“Mother,” she whispered, her voice raw and broken. “Mother, I’ll get you out.”

Rabin swallowed the thick knot in his throat. Was she dreaming again, or had she found her? Was that why they were lying here now?

“Zarya,” he called a bit louder, his voice cracking.

Finally, her head rocked towards him, and her eyes slowly peeled open. She blinked, clearing her vision as her gaze traveled over him, and tears gathered in her eyes.

“Rabin,” she whispered. “What happened?”

“He lied to us. To me. I’m so sorry.”

“I saw her,” she said. “She’s here. He’s been hurting her.”

A tear leaked from the corner of her eye and slipped to the table.

“You saw her?” He still couldn’t believe it. All this time, the queen of Gi’ana had been right here?

“Why are we tied up?” she asked as she yanked on her restraints, her voice rising to panic. “What’s going on?”

“Spitfire,” he said in a low voice. “Try to stay calm.”

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes and pinching her mouth together. “He’s planning to take my magic and then kill us, isn’t he? Row was right all along.”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “But we can’t panic. We will figure this out.”

She exhaled a shuddering sigh and stared up at the ceiling, her head arching back as she willed her tears down.

Then she looked at him. “What happened? How did he get you?”