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I wiped the last of my tears from my cheeks. “Because he knew you were important to me.” Then a light smile wavered across my lips. “Plus, lying is kind of his specialty.”
Emotion clogged Indigo’s features. He returned his speculative gaze to Farrow. A moment later, he nodded. “Maybe I won’t kill him after all.”
I huffed out an amused sound, then sniffed and wiped another tear from my cheek. “I’m not sure why you ever thought to bother. I’d just bring him right back if you did.”
My bodyguard shrugged. “I know, but it would’ve amused me to serve him a mortal injury, anyway. But…” He looked conflicted as he shook his head, still watching my true love. “I believe he’s suffered enough.” Hissing out a low growl, he asked, “What kind of monster—king or not—has his own daughter killed just to teach another man a lesson?”
“The worst kind,” I answered. “And I have a bad feeling his widow isn’t much better than him.”
Indigo snorted, “That babbling bitch is crazy if she thinks I’m marrying her.”
“I don’t know,” I countered, smirking at him. “I almost think it’d be worth it just to see the look on her face when she realizes her new husband is, in fact, the prince of nothing.”
“Hey.” He shot me an offended scowl. “I’m a prince among men, thank you ve
ry much.”
I rolled my eyes, only to startle alert when Farrow shifted from the other side of the prison. I had actually thought he’d passed out after how hard he’d been grieving.
“Farrow?” I called.
His shoulders tensed fractionally. Then he lifted his head and slowly turned my way.
I held my breath, unsure how he’d receive me. The last time we’d talked to each other, I’d chained him to a tree, and now his sister was dead because of it.
Unease coiled in my stomach.
Finally, he made a hissing sound, rather like a wild animal warning others away. Then he growled out the words, “Why the fuck did you come to Blayton?”
“I…” Nervous sweat gathered under my arms. “I just wanted to help. I’m sorry, by the way, about—” But I couldn’t say the girl’s name. I winced instead.
Fat lot of help I’d been.
“You weren’t supposed to come here,” he stated, getting to his feet. Fury leaked into his system. “You were supposed to be safely on your way back to Donnelly, far, far away from this castle and this whole fucked-up situation. Dammit, why would you come here?”
“Because it was my fault that her life was in danger,” I tried. “If you had just brought me to your king to begin with, she would’ve been okay. I owed it to Sable to—”
“You didn’t fucking owe her anything,” he barked. “The only reason her life was in danger was because the king willed it so. Nothing we did killed her. He killed her.” Growling out his emotions, he thrashed in his cage, bumping his shoulder against the bars yet again to make them shake before he howled in agony, “He killed her. That monster killed my sister.”
Fury flared through my mark, telling me he was getting upset again.
“That stupid son of a bitch. I can’t believe I ever put any hope in him. Any allegiance. If I’d just been smart and seen him for what he always was, none of this ever would’ve—”
“Farrow,” I said sternly. “Stop.” He’d just kept me from blaming myself for this. The least I could try to do was the same for him.
And he did stop. Squeezing his eyes shut, he panted a few moments before lifting his face and opening his lashes.
His eyes narrowed in on me before he flashed his teeth and demanded in a low growl, repeating, “Why did you come to Blayton?”
“I—” I swallowed uneasily. He didn’t seem very happy to see me at all.
“Why, Nicolette?” he boomed.
With a sniff of indignation, I scowled, snapping, “You’re welcome, by the way, since—you know—you’d be dead right now if we hadn’t showed up when we did.”
“I’m supposed to be dead right now,” he thundered, glaring as he pushed his shoulder against the bars to snarl savagely. “And you took that from me. You…” He closed his eyes and pressed his face to cold steel as agony tore through him. “Since I couldn’t save her, I should’ve died with her. She was the only thing I had left. And now she’s gone. She’s…”
“Farrow, no,” I whispered, drifting forward to touch his cheek. He’d been nicked repeatedly. Small cuts dotted his face and arms. I wanted to kiss them all better. But I knew he wouldn’t let me.
