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He wrinkled his nose in disgust at my words, looking down at me. “Yes, I know all about how they treat their women in Avedin. But still, they fare far better than anyone with the smallest connection to the Source. Shifters, magic wielders, healers, artists, minstrels and travelers… any person with questionable ancestry and they are disposed of like vermin. You’re fighting for the losing side, Xmara. I do not feel a shred of pity for your plight as a woman in that unholy place because I know all too well who you really are.”
The hairs on my arm rose as he peered deep into my eyes as if he could see all the way through to the soul beneath. There was no way Nero could possibly know who I was.
“I'm afraid I don’t know what you mean.” I tried to hold his eyes, but the longer I stared at him, the colder I became, the chill in my bones deepening painfully.
Breaking our stare, the prince snapped his fingers, and several of his guardsmen entered the room. “Make sure she’s fed and watered. Madam Bane will be staying with us until she feels like talking.” He stood and loomed over me, tilting his head to the side. “It’s a pity. You might know our customs, but you do not know me, X. If you did, you’d know there’s no possible way to hide the truth from me. I have one of the strongest connections to the Source in ages. Even my brother is no match for it. You and I will speak again soon, and maybe by then, you’ll be in the mood to hold an adult conversation with manners.”
He swept out of the room, and two of the guards followed after him, leaving two others in the room with me. I glared at his retreating back and still at the door well after it shut and locked.
Then, after a long moment, I smiled. A slow smile as I realized what he’d given away. More information than he should have because now I knew that Nero, the prince of Nexus, just claimed to have more magic than the King.
The guards weren’t gentle as they removed the chains from my wrists and lifted me from the bed. I snarled and cursed at them, but my energy was fading fast, and I didn’t understand why. I should’ve been strong enough to withstand days without food or water, yet I felt like I'd been drained of every last drop of energy I thought I had.
“It hits you quickly, but it will pass. Prince Nero’s magic is very potent,” the guard on my right said with a wicked chuckle as they moved me to another room.
The long corridor was beautifully adorned in golds and purples, the floors made of rich stone with tapestries hanging on the walls spun with gold, silver and bronze threads. Before I had the chance to get my bearings and figure out where I was, I was thrown unceremoniously into another room, this time with my hands unbound.
This room was much larger and much more colorfully decorated, with a fluffy bed in the center draped with soft sheets and pillows. There was a washroom on the far wall, and I hurried towards it, locking myself inside until I felt safer with four walls closing in around me.
With any luck, the guards would leave me unattended long enough to escape this room.
Xmara
I’d been pacing for what seemed like hours. There was no window in this room despite the finery and amenities, so my hope for escape was crushed. But it did tell me that I was most likely in a large building with several layers to it, meaning I was on the inner layer, away from the outside. Away from freedom.
The warm bath left for me had long turned cold, and I grew irritated and restless waiting for Prince Nero. Either him or my would be rescuers…if they were still alive, which was very much doubtful at this point.
I wondered if my Ravens had dispatched scouts to Nexus yet. Before I left Avedin, I’d told only a select few where I was going and when I was expected to return. With no word from me, they would be sending a scout to find me. There was still the matter of finding my missing Raven since apparently, Rijjat didn’t have him after all. After he lured me to that temple under false pretenses, I was left with more questions than answers.
There was also the matter of completing the King’s task. How was I supposed to get close to Basillius's war council if I was being so closely watched by the Prince himself? Even if he decided to set me free, which was doubtful at this point in time, there was no feasible way to get around his watchful eyes and enter that palace. I couldn’t return to Avedin without completing my task, so that meant I was stuck here.
“Open the doors!” The Prince’s familiar voice shouted from the other side.
I stopped pacing and waited, my hands behind my back almost like it was second nature to make myself appear smaller in the presence of a powerful male. Every part of me was tense, but I wouldn’t give him the sick satisfaction of knowing that. I rolled my shoulders as the doors opened and Nero’s tall frame came into view. He smirked when he took me in, and I could feel my jaw grind in irritation. The truth was, Nero was an annoying hitch in my perfectly concocted plan.
“Clean suits you,” he purred as he came to stand before me, his eyes washing over all of me. I narrowed my eyes at him and didn’t offer any words of thanks. It was a mind game, but not one I would give into. “Ah, it seems your manners haven’t improved much. Pity, as I have gifts for you.”
I raised a brow at that because there was nothing this man couldgiftme, other than my freedom, that I was interested in. I knew he had wealth and power, but what was any of that to a woman like me? I thrived in the shadows, away from prying eyes of royalty.
“I don’t want anything from you,” I said curtly. He glanced at me with a raised brow, and I added, “Your Highness.” The words held enough venom in them that he cracked a smile, knowing it was killing me to treat my kidnapper with respect.
“Bring them in!” Nero shouted to his guards that waited at the door.
My eyes widened in horror as a handful of his guards dragged in three unconscious male bodies and laid them in the middle of the room.
They were slightly bloody, but not beaten, and had only a handful of bruises on them that I decided must have been from the struggle. Caldor, Remus, and Rijatt were laid at my feet. I glared but didn't make a move toward them. I simply shrugged with indifference at The Nexus Prince.
He chuckled, once again expecting this from me, apparently. “Don’t try to play games with me, Mara. I can feel your emotions, you know. It’s one of my many, many special talents. I have to admit though, your emotions have a certain sweetness to them. There’s an edge there that I might just swallow whole if you slip up again.”
The way his color changing eyes drank me in, he was like a predator stalking his prey. In his eyes, I could see a mix of emotions, from suspicion, to anger, to irritation… but there was also want, lust and longing.
What was this Prince playing at? I hadn’t done anything wrong, so what was his reason for holding me here? Surely there was no way for him to know who I was after. Unless… I thought back to what Rijjat had said about my Raven, wondering if perhaps someone else had somehow found him and gotten the truth from him.
A cold shiver went down my spine at the thought of Nero knowing my secrets. A pit formed in my stomach as I contemplated the fate of my Raven, wondering what had become of him. A King rarely decided to spare the messenger for such treacherous news.
“I know plenty of the urges of men like you, Nero.” His brow raised at my use of his improper name, but if he was going to call me Mara, I could play his game too. “Kingdoms fall under the urges of men, preying on the emotions of their lessers. But it’s all you’ll get from me unless you’re willing to take it by force.”
“Then you’re in luck,” he said, coming closer. “I’m not the sort of Prince who enjoys burning down kingdoms, but I can not easily walk away from someone who feels so much but shows so little. It’s a game of cat and mouse, but trust me, it’s not one you want to play with me. Your resolve truly is astounding, yet you’re feeding me without meaning to.” He breathed in deeply, letting his eyes fall closed as he sighed. “Release all that built-up rage towards me, and you’d leave me powerless. I know you care for these men. I know which one holds your heart and which one you wish did not. Stop playing games, and let us speak with candor, and maybe you can finally be free of this so-called cage.”
