Page 45 of Reaper’s Curse

Raising his hand over his shoulder, he waved as he strode from the room and called over his shoulder, “Good morning, Neive.”

“So very Winter,” she mumbled.

I chose not to question the remark or the familiar use of his name but took her words to mean that witnessing this kind of behavior from the crown prince with neither new nor unexpected.

The following hour passed in a blur of daily prep―bathing, dressing in my reaper leathers, eating...or attempting to eat...breakfast―while my mind fixated on “dark” and “wholly dangerous.”

I sat at the table in the receiving room and pushed the remnants of my breakfast around the plate with my fork. Lucas stood nearby, eyeing me expectantly. He had traded watchguard shifts with Neive when he had arrived with my morning meal. Since then, the awkward silence between us grew heavier with each passing moment.

“Good news.” He slapped his hands together in a loud clap, jolting me from my thoughts. “At least, I think it’s good news. Today, you will be working beyond the palace walls in the great world beyond.” His delivery included theatrical hand motions. “I hear it’s important work, but that aside, I thought you might enjoy the short stretch of freedom.”

With a nod, I scooped a forkful of scrambled eggs into my mouth. Having scoured the citadel endless times before becoming a royal guest, I was confident I knew what to expect. Plenty of normal citizens going about their day, with the occasional cluster of afflicted.

Maybe I would get lucky and come across a specter or two. The scrumptious, dark thing roiling inside of me hoped I found aggression and violence.

I blinked. Wait. Why am I hoping for violence?

And…double wait.

Lucas had said freedom as if to imply I was locked in a cage. Was I? Was that what the queen’s arrangement had done? Imprisoned me in some fashion?

Chace had asked me if I was trapped in a pretty cage, and I had replied with a “no,” but had my response been truthful? Maybe the situation was too new to tell, though I sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case.

And if it was, well, I would deal with that inconvenience soon enough.

“That is good news.” Hopefully.

I inclined my head to meet Lucas’s gaze and forced a smile to my lips. My mind shifted from freedom concerns to Winter’s words of simmering darkness and finally to the puzzle of his easy arrivals and departures. I was under the impression the queen had requested he be kept from my rooms.

“How does he do it?”

“Pardon me?” Lucas tilted his head and widened his eyes.

“Winter,” I clarified. “How does he get in my room so easily?”

“Ah. That.” Lucas turned and headed for the door. “There are passageways connecting his apartment to all his assigned guest rooms. Easy peasy, you know. So that his playtime can be kept quiet. The palace is actually filled with hidden passages. They’re all over the place, really. Far older than the current royal family. Some of them are so old I’d be afraid to use them.”

“What?” I pressed my lips together to keep my mouth from falling open. “He can just…” I shook my head. Redirected my thought. “Where is this secret passage…the entry into my room?”

Lucas shrugged.

“But—”

“Shh.” He placed a finger to his lips and opened the door to the outer hall and awaiting room guards. “We must hurry. Valen is expecting you.”

Ugh. Valen. Part of my deal with the queen.

I ran my tongue along my teeth, verifying they were clean of any clinging food particles, then wiped my hands with a napkin and rose from my seat. Tossing the napkin onto the plate, I followed Lucas from the room.

Countless hallways, oversized seating rooms, and staircases later, we stepped free of the palace structure.

“Will you be coming?” I asked.

He shook his head with a humored grin set to his lips. “I never step beyond the palace walls in any official capacity. You will be in Valen’s charge.” His gaze swung past the gathering of guards in the side yard. “Or, I suppose, a guard detail, should Valen find such accompaniment necessary.”

“Sounds like fun.” I chortled as I tracked Valen’s approach from a distant point in the yard.

Lucas smirked then fell into proper royal servant behavior and bowed.