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And oh, I want to get close to him.
I may not have known Edward for a long time, but I’m deeply connected to him now, and I hate the idea that he was betrayed by someone who was supposed to be trustworthy. He was pushed aside by someone who was supposed to be his best friend, who was supposed to have his best interests at heart.
That’s not okay with me.
“What is it?” I ask, gesturing toward the wardrobe in the room.
“Everything we could possibility need,” he says. He reaches in and pulls out a few charms. He slips them into his pocket and hands me a couple, too. I don’t even glance at them. I just take them and shove them deep into the pocket of my pants. I trust Edward if he says this is what we need right now.
He gives me a couple of daggers and those I tuck carefully inside my cloak. There’s a bow, arrows, and a sword, but he leaves those and instead goes for a few smaller items.
“These will be easier to carry,” he tells me. “And more discreet.”
Edward closes the doors to the wardrobe and turns back to Henrietta. I’m surprised when he wraps his arms around her and pulls her in tight for a sweet hug.
“Thank you,” he whispers. “For everything.”
Henrietta cups his cheek and smiles.
“For you, dear, anything,” she tells him.
“And the pathway?” He asks.
“Still clear,” she says. She motions to a discolored floorboard and stomps on it with one foot. Sure enough, it sounds hollow. Henrietta reaches down and pulls the boards aside so we can climb down into what must be a tunnel directly to the castle.
How many secret entrances does one king need?
Apparently, Edward’s father was a little paranoid, but it’s definitely paying off since we’re going to be able to sneak easily into the castle now.
“Thank you,” I say to Henrietta, and she hugs me, too.
“Take good care of him, love,” she tells me. “He’s a keeper.”
I look at Henrietta’s bright, beautiful eyes and her wrinkled skin and the years of happiness that she must have felt with her own mate, and I nod.
“I promise,” I tell her.
Then I follow Edward into the secret tunnel.
Chapter 15
Edward
> The tunnel is dark, infested with spiders, and cold, but Rose and I scurry through it as quickly as we can and soon, we’re in the art room of the castle. We exit from behind a painting and I carefully slide it back into place. As far as I know, I’m the only one left alive who knows about that entrance.
Well, and Rose now, too.
“Where to?” She asks.
“The throne room,” I groan.
Perhaps it would be more kingly for me to conduct royal business in a private chamber or even an office; however, Wyatt is a cocky bastard, so it’s my guess that he’s definitely tucked himself away in a most obvious place, which is probably the throne room. It’s where I would go to steal a kingdom, if I was the stealing type.
As it is, the only thing I want to steal is Rose’s heart.
We reach the entrance of the art room and we look around. We don’t see anything. There’s no one here. I’m not sure where everyone has gathered, but that doesn’t quite matter. Once we kill Wyatt, we’ll be able to get rid of his troops easily. Where there’s no leader, there’s no army. They simply won’t be able to stay organized, and I don’t think the demons we’re facing are intelligent enough to elect a new leader on their own.
Rose follows as I guide her down one incredibly empty hallway. Then we go down another. The castle is mystifying and difficult to move through until you know the layout of each floor. My father wanted to make it difficult for intruders to find their way around and he definitely succeeded. The layout of the castle makes no sense and is quite strange. Maybe once I have my kingdom back, I’ll make some changes.
