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He gave me a long, imperious look, and when he spoke, his tone dripped with sarcasm. “But we seemed to be getting along so much better.”
I barked a humorless laugh. “I already did my part to assist you. I am in no way obligated to travel the continent with you, my lord.”
“You are hardly my ideal travel companion either.” His expression was more annoyed than angry. “But you just said yourself that Ambrose intends to see you in Inbetwixt, so obviously, you will have to be there.”
Foolish. Stupid. Impossible… This was why I should never enjoy anything. Never have a single moment of reprieve. The very second I believed they could do nothing more to me was when they started plotting. As if my thought alone was a jinx. A curse.
“But…” I cast around wildly for some excuse as to why I could not travel with him. “What about the next hunt?”
Aine took a sip of wine and shrugged. “The hunting season will matter little if the country is destroyed in the meantime.”
I had to press my lips together, afraid the next sound out of my mouth would be a sob or perhaps a scream. How sad that I would prefer to attend the event where I would be hunted down like prey rather than put myself at Scion’s mercy for even one moment. How much sadder that I almost wanted to suggest that perhaps Ambrose Dullahan was not going to destroy the country at all—perhaps it was my fault, and I certainly had no intention of doing it again.
But I was not so distraught as to say anything quitethatstupid. Not yet.
I shot up from my chair, causing it to squeak and rock back against the plush carpet. “No. I will not submit to this.”
Everything stilled in the room, mingled anger and confusion splashed across every face. The royals exchanged glances, seemingly unsure what to do. I assumed they weren’t used to being defied and were debating whether it was better to use torture or bribery to bring me around to their way of thinking.
Perhaps my armor had a kink—regardless, I had no intention of staying around long enough for them to reach a conclusion.
* * *
Like most ofmy decisions in recent weeks, the choice to run was neither effective nor did it endear me to the Everlasts. Still, the effort made me feel as if I still had some semblance of control over my life—small as it was.
The corridor outside my room had a door to a spiral staircase on one side and a long hall flanked by dozens of closed doors and flickering sconces on the other. I took the stairs, quickly descending the steps two at a time, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
Scion’s thundering footsteps behind me echoed all through the stairwell, only drowned out by his voice. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
Good question.
It wasn’t until that exact moment that I realized I was heading for Bael’s room.
I no longer cared for the excuse that he was unavailable to speak. I didn’t care that I likely wouldn’t make it all the way downstairs or that I wasn’t even sure if the prince would be in his chamber. I didn’t care that he’d wanted to hide his secret from me when we last discussed it. All that mattered was finding him, as truly, I had nowhere else to go.
“Are you ignoring me for sport?” Scion growled, moving closer with every step.
“No,” I replied, gaze fixed on my feet, thundering down the stone stairs. “I simply assumed you would continue speaking no matter what I said. You do like the sound of your own voice.”
He barked a harsh laugh. “And yet, the moment you open your mouth, I curse the evolution of language itself.”
I snuck a backward glance at him, only to find that he was staring intently at me, and my look did not go unnoticed. Caught in his murderous gaze, I stumbled over my skirt and threw out an arm to catch myself, flailing as my stomach leapt into my throat. In the blink of an eye, Scion was there, catching me around the waist before I could break my neck.
However, it was no act of mercy.
I gasped when instead of placing me back on my feet, he continued to hold me, just far enough off the floor that I’d lost all control. “Missing your pathetic little knife now, rebel?”
I reached for him, trying to claw at any free bit of skin I could reach, kicking wildly. “Put me down, you arrogant prick.”
The prince snorted derisively. His fingers fanned out across my stomach in a move that felt as much like a threat as an embrace. “I believe I’ve been quite lenient thus far today, but you have finally managed to run out my patience.”
I shivered, and I wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement that sped my heart. I let out a shaking breath. “Likewise.”
He leaned in, his own breath caressing my ear. “Allow me to remind you who holds the power here.”
17
LONNIE
