Page 75 of Heartbreak Prince

I haven’t lived. I have worked, schemed, and planned for a future I won’t get to enjoy. The only real living I’ve done has happened during the last several days, as I traveled with the prince. And the best part of it all, the choice I regret the least, is when I tucked him inside me. His cum is probably still there, deep in my body. If I have to die, at least a bit of him will go with me.

Gods, I think I’m delirious. It feels as if the crevasse is slanting more sharply, turning upside down, and I’m stuck to it like an insect, hanging over the expanse of the sky, ready to drop into a sea of stars. My stomach is curdled and my head is tilting, prey to a dizzy euphoria.

I think that’s a bad sign.

“Severin,” I whisper. “Vawn.”

Something plucks at my brain, chimes in my head.

I don’t know when my eyes drifted shut, but I open them wide. “Severin.”

A shadow skims over me, its form threaded with glowing filaments in gold, blue, and red.

A dream. It must be a dream.

“Ugh, it’s filthy down there,” says the carpet. “I am not scooping you out of the dirt. I’ll dive below the edge. You can slide down onto me.”

“You’re not really there,” I mutter. “You couldn’t have gotten away from that horrible woman.”

“She left me on the table, burdened by the unicorn hoof,” he says. “But I heard you, and somehow I was able to pull myself free. It shouldn’t have been possible.” His tone is tinged with disapproval at the variance from all things normal and acceptable. “I suppose our link is stronger than I thought.”

He moves out of sight, and his voice comes from somewhere below me, beneath the lip of the crevasse. “Let yourself go, Syth. I will catch you.”

“What if you don’t?” I rasp.

“I will.”

“And what if you do? I’m broken. I’m no good to the prince. I won’t be able to fight the men who took him.”

“Maybe not with your usual skill,” says the carpet. “But can you fight imperfectly?”

I choke on a raw sound that’s supposed to be a laugh. “I can try.”

“Come along, then.”

From where I’m lying, I can’t see him. I can’t be sure he’s in place, ready to sweep under me if I fly off the edge at the wrong angle. He’s asking for my trust, and if I want to save Vawn, I have to give it.

Gritting my teeth, I raise my boot slightly and kick the stone that’s been keeping me from falling. It dislodges and rattles away, and my body skims down the slope after it.

I shoot off the edge, a ragged scream half-uttered before the carpet’s surface rises to meet me. He catches me gently and hovers in place while I groan and roll onto my back.

“Fuck, that’s worse.” I gag from the pain as the pressure on my cracked rib increases. I force myself to a sitting position and dizzily grab one of the carpet’s handles. He’s holding something in one of his tassels—a glass vial. “Wait—you took the glyph paint?”

“She left it in a box on the table near me. I thought it fair to reclaim her payment since she betrayed you.”

“She should have locked it up immediately, or hidden it somewhere more secure.” I take the vial and slide it into the pocket of my pants.

“She isn’t a woman of business,” says the carpet. “She has no head for money… or so I gathered from hearing her talk with the bounty hunters.”

I shift my weight, trying to find a slightly more comfortable position, but with my injuries, it’s pointless. “I want to hear the whole story, but first—do you have any idea which way the bounty hunters went? Were they on a carpet?”

“They have a carpet, one large enough for three. But they were complaining that it wasn’t ideal. Big and slow, and it can only travel for a few hours without needing to recharge. It has been about two hours since they left Gwin’s house, so they will need to camp soon.”

“Can you catch up to them?”

“I can try. The woman may have been a greedy, treacherous sort, but she did a fine job on the repair. I should be able to fly straight and smooth again. Can you manage to hold on if I use my full speed?”

“We’ll find out.” I settle onto my stomach and grab the handles, whimpering as the movement tweaks the smallest finger on my right hand.