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“Lower your voice,” I hissed. “Before someone hears and comes here, threatening to throw us both in the dungeons for treason. She is queen.”
She waved her hand. “You keep harking on about how you’re a prince, so if anyone comes, tell them to leave. Better yet, let me silence them with this.”
She lifted the hilt, holding the dagger outward. Reflections from the light on the metal surface danced across her face, creating a strange mask of shadows and shimmering silver under the moonlight. Perhaps it was a mistake to give her that power, considering she was likely going to get herself killed trying to use it. “You said you were going to kill her, so do it or I’ll go down there now. I don’t care if I die… I’ll—”
I lunged forward, desperation driving me as I clamped my hand over her mouth to muffle any words that could get us both killed. Her body struggled against me, her determination no match for my strength. I pulled her back against my chest until I felt the cold metal of a dagger slip from her grasp.
“You’re upset,” I whispered at the top of her ear as she fought against me. “So I’m making allowances. Now, I’m going to remove my hand, but you need to get your emotions under control. If anyone hears you talking like that, they’ll kill us both, and perhaps your sister, too.”
She wriggled, her limbs flailing against my chest. I clamped my hands tighter over her mouth to muffle her screams and shook my head, frustration seeping into my words. “Elizabeth, please.”
The word sounded unfamiliar as it left my tongue. I couldn’t remember the last time I uttered it.
She stopped moving, and I slowly lowered my hand. Her chestnut eyes flickered with fear as turned, fighting to catch her breath. She coughed, then pushed me away with such force I would have stumbled were I mortal. She grasped for the dagger from the carpet, her fingertips trembling as she wrapped them around its handle. With a glare in my direction, she muttered‘asshole’under her breath before turning back towards me and finally holding the blade close.
My heart thumped wildly in my chest, sweat gathering on my palms. I watched her in silence, taking in those familiar brown eyes that haunted me, and but were now narrowed with hate. I couldn't stand it. “If you can’t even stab me, how do you expect to take on a goddess?” I whispered. “Look, we can’t talk here, but we can go somewhere else.”
“What’s wrong with here? We would talk before about our plans in your old room,” she said, breathily.
“Yes, but this one is surrounded by nobles.” I glanced at the walls, hoping no one heard her outburst, or they were still downstairs, feeding or partying.”
“Then it was pretty stupid to move into this wing.”
“I’m royalty,” I explained. “It’s expected.”
“It’s foolish.” She seethed. “I should have dealt with this myself. I need to get Carla out.”
Before I could react, she yanked open the door. A rush of air whispered out from the musty corridor beyond, its walls adorned with paintings of ancient figures whose hollow eyes seemed to watch our every move. An unmistakable hiss sounded nearby, and I growled, grabbing her arm.
“Don’t,” I warned, pulling her back inside, then shutting the door as the smell of decay wafted in behind us. “I’m surprised you weren’t killed coming up here. Aniccipere roams this time of night. They’re not like us. Some come out in the sun, but it hurts them. They like the night, and if you go out there, they will have no qualms killing you.” I paused and swallowed thickly. “They will destroy your soul and body. Not to mention what will happen if Salenia sees you.”
“I don’t care.”
I reached forward, my fingers brushing her shoulder blades as I firmly grabbed her and turned her to face me. Her hair slicked to her face, sweat beading on her forehead. “You are far too brave, and far too reckless to survive this place. You must know you’ll die if you go out there.”
“Then help me.”
My eyes clamped shut for a moment, then I blinked her back into view, knowing I would tear apart the castle to protect her if needed, but knowing it wouldn’t help either of us.
“You don’t want to help me.” She tried to pull away again, toward the door. “You don’t care about mortals at all, do you? You were pretending.”
Before she could reach the door again, I pushed her against the wall, my arms at either side of her body preventing her from leaving. “I don’t,” I admitted, my breaths heavy as I looked into her eyes. “I don’t care about any of them, but I care about you.” My stomach knotted as the words left my lips, knowing I couldn’t take them back. The truth spilled from my lips before I could acknowledge it, letting all my truths slip if it meant she stayed. “I would destroy this entire kingdom foryou.”
She took a deep breath, and my heart fluttered in response. Neither of us dared to move, as if any action would cause the fragile silence between us to shatter. The soundlessness swirled around us, thickening until it felt like a suffocating blanket that was bound to smother us both entirely.
A wave of nausea washed over me, stealing my appetite. Every time she was close to me, a mad desperation took hold. My heart pounded in my chest, my hands trembled and sweat, and I could barely breathe. She made me weak, soaking into my being until I thought I would drown in her presence.
Her voice wavered as her lips parted, and she divulged the truth my heart didn’t want to hear. “Your feelings will only get me killed. They’re not reciprocated.” Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic pattern as her eyes pierced into me. My stomach churned as I was hit with the force of her rejection. A lump formed in my throat, my chest tightening as if my heart had been ripped from my chest, leaving behind a hollow ache. “Leave me alone!” She snapped. “You’re just like the rest of them, a liar and a monster.”
My arms dropped to my sides, and I backed away from her,. The muscles in my jaw tightened as I tried to contain the boiling rage that was bubbling up inside me. My eyes followed her as she turned away. All the darkness I’d kept suppressed, for her, came to the surface. “Then go,” I said, feeling numb as I watched her leave. “See how far you get without me, then you’ll see what an actual monster looks like.”
As she slammed the door behind her, a sharp twinge shot in my eyelid. I stumbled, holding onto the dresser, my breaths unsteady as I struggled with what I’d just let her do.
My heart raced as a low growl escaped me before I ran out of the door. Despite the shadows of the corridor, I could see her fresh tears. The shrill call of an aniccipere echoed in the stillness between us. Her arms hugged her body tightly to combat the chill.
“I thought you were going to leave me to the monsters?” she asked.
My clenched jaw vibrated, a grunt passing through my lips as I surrendered. With a heavy sigh, I scooped her up in my arms. Her hands dug into my arms as I sped down the hallway, her low sobs hidden behind closed lips. In the darkness, I could have sworn I saw beady eyes watching us, and I knew then that if she’d gone down here alone, she wouldn’t have survived the night.
