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The garden without the persistent UV lights on was eerie. Not just because it had poisonous flowers in here but because I knew if I was caught in here without a reason, I’d probably be marched down into the dungeons myself. I knew Halen wouldn’t want me down there and I could easily pass it off as the inability to sleep and wanting to see the beauty of the flowers but if Ren were to catch me.
That’s when the shit would inevitably go down. He was a man who could make someone disappear. I was sure of it.
I continued to move through the gardens silently, keeping to shadows.
I found what I was looking for. The blue flowers were enticing and I just knew they wouldn’t do permanent harm if I only mixed a little bit in. I’d taken the book of the deadliest flowers from the library of books Halen had and had been reading about it.
It was called Morning Glory and it was poisonous for sure but with the right dose would incapacitate the person ingesting it for a few hours and not do any major damage. I grabbed a couple of the buds and put them in my pocket before I raced back to my room to do my prep. Halen had a juice every morning before he did a run around the palace and into the depths even I hadn’t yet explored. No one else touched this juice, just him, so I knew it would only be him to consume it.
Making my way back to my room, I checked to see if anyone had seen me but it was quiet. I threw the flowers down on the desk next to the bed and looked through the book to see how to make this potion. It included at least two flowers but I was only going to use half of one bud, just enough to incapacitate him enough for me to escape back to the city. I crushed it up using a shirt so it didn’t get completely on my skin and I put it into a glass that usually held water. As I slipped out of my room again, I headed for the kitchen. The chef would be gone by now so I would have free reign of the room as I opened the fridge quietly and looked for the green juice he had every morning. I grabbed a knife and I scooped up the flower paste with the tip before I put it in the juice bottle opening. I closed up the lid and shook it violently so that it mixed in. Carefully, I put the bottle back in the fridge and removed the evidence of my deceit.
My stomach rolled as I made my way back to my room. I really hoped I hadn’t just killed Halen with this goddamn flower.
My plan needed to work if I was going to pull off the ultimate betrayal and set myself free. I knew Halen would never let me put myself in harm’s way and I didn’t want him to lose sight of what he ultimately wanted.
His side of the city.
I tidied up the desk, wiping away the evidence of the flowers and tossing them under my bed. Tomorrow, I would sneak out when the alarm was raised that Halen was down. Tomorrow, my life would be in danger.
But tomorrow would also be when I set into action, the ultimate deception of the man who believed I loved him and made way for the man I actually did love.
Because damn it all to hell, I loved Halen.
I felt it in my bones.
I’d thought I had loved before but I knew that wasn’t the case because now I could compare it to the real thing and I knew it immediately.
I just hoped Halen could forgive me for what I needed to do.
My eyes were wide open, because I’d been unable to sleep all night. My fingers twitched as I heard people walking about outside. My heart was in my throat.
The day had broken.
It was time to get ready to run.
I grabbed my shoes, pulling them on as I edged toward the door. I listened for the sound of footsteps but there were none.
Opening my door, I found Rusty and Ben entering the dining hall with everyone else for their early breakfast. I knew everyone would be in there, it was the time they all took before they started their day. I moved out of my room, closing the door and heading down the back exit, and moving quickly past the dungeon and toward the wrought iron gate that guarded the tunnel. Usually one of the triplets, collectively known as cerberus, guarded the tunnel in case anyone dared to enter but the other end was in the club and that was closed during the day so no need for a guard this early. I continued to walk, quickly, toward the gate and I opened it, slipping between the two gates just as I saw people running for the palace.
My heart tore apart as I ran down the tunnel toward the club, tears racing down my cheeks.
I really hoped I hadn’t killed him.
Chapter Eight
Halen
Ihunchedoverwiththe sharp pains in my gut taking my breath every couple of minutes. Sweat was beading on my forehead and on the back of my neck as everything inside of me threatened to unleash itself on the floor. Ren ran from the room as Cerberus ran to my side to help. I got onto my knees and clutched at the chairs beside me as the sharp pains stabbed at my stomach.
“Boss, let us help you.”
I pushed them away, trying to right myself but my body was collapsing on its own. Strong arms hauled me up so I could try and sit down near the window but fresh air was doing nothing for me.
“It was her,” Ren reappeared at my side, with a black shirt in his hands. “It has ground up Morning Glory flowers in it. She’s gone.”
I could barely comprehend what he was saying as the rolls of cramping had my gag reflex working overtime, ready to spill my guts.
“You need to throw it up, boss,” Cy said to my side. “Come, I think I’ve got some ipecac here somewhere.”
