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“Conlan and Branok saw him, too. They called him by name.” And Bree could only pray to the forest that neither of them would pass along exactly what it was they hadseen.
Dagen raised his eyebrows. “They recognized hisface?”
Bree gave anod.
“And did they seem surprised to seehim?”
She frowned, thinking back. They’d been surprised, but more to find the two of them in the Prince’s chambers rather than to see Fillan. “Not really. I even got the impression that the Prince was familiar withhim.”
Dagen let out a low whistle, and then gave a nod. “You have done well, Bree. This is useful information. What it means, I do not know yet, but it does meansomething.”
* * *
“Good morning, Bree,”Prince Taveon said an hour later when he strode through her bedroom door without bothering to knock. This morning, though, she’d been ready for him. She’d already donned one of the many gowns in her wardrobe, weaving her hair into a long dark braid that hung down the center of herback.
He raised his eyebrows when he saw she was dressed. Usually, he had to practically kick her out of her bed for her to get moving. “I see you’re already prepared for this morning’swalk.”
Although it was more like late afternoon thanmorning.
“How’s Rafe?” she asked, twisting her hands together. “I know last night you said he’d healed, but I’ve been worriedsick.”
“He is tired but fine,” the Prince said. “Thanks toyou.”
She frowned and glanced away. He was wrong about that. “If it weren’t for me, he wouldn’t have been out there in the first place. And I’m afraid that whoever attacked us did so because of me. Rafe...well, he threw himself in front ofme.”
It was a thought she’d been mulling over all night. If the Prince hadn’t ordered a guard to shoot her that night at the feast, then it meant someoneelsehad done it. Someone who might want her dead. They’d then seen her at the ball. They’d followed her and Rafe. And they’d attacked when they saw a moment of weakness, the perfect time to rush in and make thekill.
Only Rafe had been hurt instead ofBree.
He’d sacrificed himself to saveher.
“I am afraid you may be right, Bree, but that does not make the attack your fault. There must be someone in my Court working against me. Againstus.”
Us. What a strange way to phrase it. At some point during her time spent at this Court, their strange battle of “Bree versus Taveon” had turned into anus. She didn’t quite know what to think of that. But she also felt a flicker of unease, one that was impossible to deny. Bree knew someone who was working against Prince Taveon, someone who very much did not want the Prince to win the battle, much less sit on thethrone.
Dagen.
But Dagen had come to her. He’d asked her for help. Surely he wouldn’t also try tokillher. How much spying could she do if she wasn’tbreathing?
“What is wrong?” the Prince asked, striding closer and tucking a finger underneath her chin. “You looktroubled.”
Bree shivered at his touch. “Of course I’m troubled. Someone tried to kill me. Or Rafe. Either way, it was an awfulnight.”
“Indeed.” The Prince shifted even closer, and Bree steeled herself. For what, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as though he would make more contact than he already had. “There is one thing about last night that I cannot quite wrap my head around. It has been weighing on my mind since the moment you stormed into myquarters.”
Her heart began to tremble in her chest. He was going to ask her how she knew where his chambers were, and she didn’t really have an answer forthat.
“When Rafe got wounded, you had the chance to run. You could have gone back to Otherworld, and no one would have realized what you had done in time to stop you.” A pause. “And yet you stayed. You came to me when you could haverun.”
Bree swallowed hard. She hadn’t really thought about running away at the time. She’d been too concerned about Rafe, too scared for his life. Leaving him just so she could return home hadn’t been an option. Escaping this hellhole did not mean more to her than hislife.
“Don’t think this means I like my life here as a slave,” she said, unable to keep the snap out of her voice. He was looking far too smug about the whole thing for her liking. “And don’t think it means I actually want to fight for you in this dumb battle. I did it for Rafe. Notyou.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So, if that had been the two of us out there, and I had been bleeding on the ground...you would not have saved me? You would haverun?”
“Of course I would have run,” she said, barreling forward recklessly, her words falling out of her as if she couldn’t stop them. “I would have left you there. Simple as that. Would you blame me? You’ve made my life a livinghell.”
“Well, the feeling is mutual,” he said with a snap. Whatever softness she’d seen in his face before was gone now. Those hard edges, that glint in his eye. It was all back with a vengeance. For a moment, things had almost felt civil between them, as if they’d come to a strange understanding, one where they could tolerate each other for once. But the peace hadn’t been meant to last. There was too much bad blood between them for anythingelse.
Bree and Taveon would never get along. So, why did it make her feelsad?
