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The Originals were the most violent of all. “I think that’s enough questions for the day.”
Her eyes flashed in disappointment. “You have more important matters to attend to?”
“If I tell you everything about my kind, there’s no incentive to free me.” I pulled my arms from the bars and retreated to the wall where I spent all my time, wondering if my father would launch a thousand ships to come to my rescue if I didn’t return soon.
She stayed at the bars and continued to stare at me. “I’ve always had an incentive to free you.”
* * *
It was hard to know how much time had passed since Kingsnake and Larisa had left me here. It was months, but how many months, I wasn’t sure. I’d been in Delacroix awhile before I made my move on Harlow, learning about the city and the royals who ruled over it. If my family was victorious in the war against the Ethereal, I knew they would sail here to rescue me.
But the Teeth had abandoned their stronghold, so Kingsnake wouldn’t be able to question them. He knew I’d traveled to Delacroix to kidnap their princess, and that would probably be his next move. But I wasn’t sure how he would figure out I was trapped beneath the castle.
I’d have to break out of here myself if King Rolfe didn’t change his mind.
At that moment, heavy boots sounded on the stairs, and then the King of Delacroix appeared, dressed in his armor and uniform, his two-handed heavy sword across his back along with his axe—a peculiar choice for a weapon.
I remained on the floor, my forearm propped on my bent knee, wondering if he’d come down to void our agreement and kill me instead.
He stood at the bars and stared at me, looking like a pissed-off grizzly bear whose cub I had mishandled. He was a few years younger than my father appeared, the age at which he was turned, but he clearly didn’t sit on a throne and order others to do his bidding. He was muscular like an ox, his neck so tight the cords looked like rivers that led to an ocean underneath his clothing. There was some gray in his hair, but not much. He would be an admirable opponent on the battlefield, and I respected him for that.
He was also stubborn like my father and refused to speak first. He continued his angry stare.
I got to my feet and approached the bars, ready to speak to him face-to-face, to accept the sentence that I would somehow escape. Taking my life after I’d spared Harlow’s was a shitty way to show his gratitude, and I wouldn’t accept my death as punishment. If I had to kill him to escape, then so be it.
King Rolfe continued to stare.
I stared back.
Slowly, his eyebrows rose up his face, and that cold fury heightened.
Neither one of us was willing to cave first.
He started to turn away.
I had to take the hit. “Are you here to kill me or release me?”
He stilled at my words then slowly turned back to look at me through the iron bars. “Unlock the door.”
That still didn’t answer my question.
The guard came over with the key and unlocked the door.
King Rolfe opened it, a barrier no longer between us.
I stayed inside the cage, suspecting it was a trap.
“You asked my daughter to free you, didn’t you?”
Yes, it was definitely a trap. I stepped out of the cage, and the second I was free, he slammed the door shut.
His big hand grabbed my neck and smashed me into the iron bars.
I knew it was coming, but I chose not to block it, to let him think he had the upper hand.
He pinned me in place, glaring at me with blue eyes identical to Harlow’s. “These are the conditions of your release.” His fingers remained hard on my neck, cutting off most of my air supply when I didn’t need air to stay alive. The act of breathing was just a habit that couldn’t be broken. “Run—and I’ll kill you.”
I had nowhere to go, not without a ship.
