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The face and the dark hair and the spellbinding green eyes.
The princess. The princess!
“The prin… prince…” I struggled to get the word out. Everything hurt, and hopping into that portal had given me a serious case of nausea. I swallowed down the urge to puke. “Eh—Emmaline.”
“Shut up.” A growl. Again.
“Where’s the princess?” I said, forcing my lids to open. Inch by inch, they did, and what greeted me was darkness.
A darkness like I’d never seen before. I lived in the land where the sun always lit our way, its rays seeping through every recess. Wherever we were, there was no sun, and this notion terrified me more than anything.
Then came the scent. Musty and old. Then came touch; the feel of cold irregular stone under my palms and fingertips. Something dampish and squishy and unnerving. I crouched, unsure of what I’d touched, trying to look around, but all I saw was darkness. Except for the dim light of a torch right next to a pair of bright green eyes staring down at me.
“Who are you?” I croaked, a flash of anger rolling through me when I sounded the opposite of strong, confident, and fierce. But my body felt like a broken vase haphazardly glued back together.
Everything hurt.
“Who are you? I repeated. This time, I sounded a tad bit stronger.
He chuckled, the sound rumbling through me, causing me to shiver. Despite the low lighting, I could see he had broad shoulders. Thick, corded arms crossed over his chest, as he stared down at me with nothing in his gaze. Vacant. Hollow. Barren of any emotion besides boredom. “You’re only here because your loyalty to your mortal princess made it hard for me to kill you like I killed her puny guards.”
I was glad I’d fought for us. I steeled my back, unwilling to show any more weakness to this asshole, despite being in excruciating pain.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone else about this. Wouldn’t want everyone to know a female half your size bested you,” I blurted, unable to keep my mouth shut.
Heat burned across his features, gaze hardening even more.
His hand shot out so fast I had no time to react. He fisted my hair and pulled me up, like I was a rag doll. I ground my teeth as my scalp raged, and my feet lost their place on the damp stone, greeting air instead.
“Let me go, you monster!” I writhed, hands grabbing at him, trying to pry his fingers off my hair.
He brought me close to his face, and I shuddered when his hot breath stroked the shell of my ear. Fear pervaded my senses, though survival was more potent.
I reared back before slamming my head down on his. Swallowing the extreme pain caused by my tactic, I jumped into action when he let go of my hair.
Satisfaction surged through me when a sharp grunt escaped his throat, and I used the moment to pull out the dagger strapped to his hip before taking a few steps back until I hit a wall.
Sun melt me, having no visibility was such a hindrance.
I heard his body hit the ground, hard. I’d knocked him out.
A maniacal grin spread across my face, drenched with fierce empowerment.
Take that, bastard.
Gripping the dagger in one fist, I used my other hand to inch my way along the wall, looking for a door or any kind of exit.
My heart leaped in my chest when the stone wall ended, and I felt the coldness of iron. Metal bars. Like a prison.
Panic imbued my bones, but I ignored all of it, even the relentless throb in my head. The pain was worth it. I’d clocked him so hard he’d passed out.
Pushing on a metal bar, my jaw dropped in surprise when it moved forward without resistance.
The halfwit had left the gate open!
He’d underestimated me, as everyone always did. The kind lady’s maid from sunny Frentani couldn’t be fierce, right? They were all so wrong about me.
Stepping out of the cell, I ran down a dark corridor. Strangely shaped lanterns lit the way. The light emanating from them—which seemed to come from some orb in the center—was blue rather than yellow.
