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“You act like that’s an insult.” She glared up at him. “When you’re the one who has imprisoned mehere.”
Irritation practically rippled off Taveon in waves, his tightly-coiled muscles tensing that much more. So much for avoiding anotherargument.
“Very well. What is it you would like to know, Bree? To make your timestuck herewith me morebearable?”
Was he seriously offended by that? She wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he was being, but she knew that would only piss him off even more. Bree had a sneaking suspicion that someone like Prince Taveon hated being laughed at. In fact, she was certain he would take it as a great excuse to end their walk right here and now, before she’d had a chance to get her information for LordDagen.
“Just more about how your whole political thing works,” she said with ashrug.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “I will answer one question of yours per walk. In return, you will answer one question ofmine.”
Her heart thumped hard. That...she wasn’t particularly fond of. So far she’d done her best to hold her cards as close to her chest as she could. She didn’t want her mortal enemy to know any compromising information about her or anything that could help him understand the best way to cause herpain.
But one little question surely couldn’thurt.
And if it got her out of thatcell...
“Deal,” she said with anod.
“Good.” A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. Just that slightest of expressions struck her deep within her core. He looked so much different when he smiled. He was practically blinding in his beauty when he did so. She blinked those thoughts away when he continued speaking. “I shall go first. My question is this. Why did you no longer wish to be human and become a Light Faeinstead?”
“Gee, start with a tough one, why don’t you?” she snarked, but her heart flickered strangely in her chest at the question. It was one she’d asked herself a million times. And one she’d never been able to answer. Not fully, at least. She hadn’t even truly understood what she’d been doing when she left her human self behind to become fae. She’d just...hoped for it, in a way. And it hadhappened.
“That is my question,” he said firmly. “Answer it, and I will answeryours.”
She puffed a sigh, and did her best to put words to the strange feeling inside of her. “I was never satisfied in the human realm. I always felt as if there was more out there. Somewhere. Though I knew nothing about magic and fae and portals that led to stranger worlds. All I knew was that I never felt settled. I never felt right. But as soon as I stepped into Otherworld, I felt...home. I felt like I belonged even though my entire world had been tipped upsidedown.”
And that was the truth, every single bit of it. A part of her wished she could take back her words. Opening up to Prince Taveon seemed like the worst idea she’d ever had, but he didn’t laugh at her and he didn’t scowl. He only nodded like heunderstood.
“I appreciate your candor. Now, yourturn.”
She stopped to gaze up at him. She had the chance to ask any question in the world. He’d tried to see further inside her mind and her soul and her heart, and she wanted to do the same. Just to understand how he ticked. What made him so angry, socruel?
But instead, she opened her mouth and said, “If you do not want Dagen as your Hand, who will youchoose?”
Prince Taveon blinked at her. “Out of everything you could possibly ask me, you wish to know who I intend to make myHand?”
“Yep.” She swallowed hard and glanced away. Surely he would see through this. He had to know that she never would have asked this on herown.
“I will name Branok or Conlan as my hand,” he said slowly. “I will not name Dagen, for reasons I have already explained. And I cannot name Rafe as he has never taken part in the political side of our Court. The Hand must be on the council, and he isnot.”
“Right,” Bree chirped with a bright smile. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured outthen.”
Taveon’s jaw rippled, and he stared at something just beyond Bree’s shoulder. “I must be getting you back to your cell now. Today’s time together has come to anend.”
Bree tried to think of something to say as they walked back toward the dungeons, but her mind went blank. In fact, she’d been the one who had shut down the conversation. Not that it mattered, she told herself. She didn’t need to know what made Prince Taveon tick. It had been a stupid game, one she’d only engaged in to drag an answer out ofhim.
She would get her better quarters now. She just wished she could muster up the energy to be happy aboutit.
* * *
“I’ve foundout your information, so now I need you to take me to my newroom.”
Dagen raised his eyebrows. “I see you can work quickly when you are properlymotivated.”
“So, about that room,” Bree said as aresponse.
“Tell me what you have learned, and I will get your quarterssorted.”
