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“His granddaughter?” Calla repeated. “Have you not heard the news?”
A dull sense of dread snaked through my gut, like a worm wriggling into my intestines.
“No,” I said. “I have not. What happened?”
Her voice trembled, her eyes brimming with tears. “We believe King Rhys of Cysgod was assassinated by his own son, Prys. He has now taken control of the kingdom and imprisoned the princess.”
The color drained from my face. My mate? Locked away in the dreaded dungeons of Emlyn?
Jared’s expression was hard and determined. “Some of us were at the palace when King Rhys declared the Hidden Princess his heir. Prys’s actions are a power grab, and he will not rest until your mate is executed for a crime she did not commit.
“The Fae you see here assembled immediately upon hearing the news, and every day, more join us. We are loyal to King Rhys and won’t rest until justice is served. The rightful heir must be enthroned, and Prys’s reign will end before it even began. Will you join us?”
So Beth had already acquired a moniker, acknowledging her mother, the Lost Princess. They called her the Hidden Princess. It suited her.
I surveyed the faces of the warriors, who were prepared to lay down their lives for their king and my mate. An immense feeling of guilt and shame engulfed me as I remembered how sorry I had felt for myself only hours ago, and how ready I had been to give up without a fight.
That feeling was replaced by rage as I imagined Beth in some cruel dungeon, suffering degradations I could only imagine. But here were men and women who would fight to free her.
I pulled myself up to my full height and said, “I will fight by your side. For my mate, the rightful queen of this land.”
***
Jared arranged for a tiny tent on the outskirts of the camp. Behind me stood another two, housing a winter warrior each.
Both looked similar, with porcelain-white skin, raven-black hair, and icy-blue eyes that mirrored the biting chill of a winter storm. They introduced themselves as Aneira and Hafren, but I knew they were sent to keep an eye on me.
The first night, Hafren snuck into my tent and sucked me off. He grunted quietly as he came into his hand. When he left, he whispered, “Calla sends her regards.”
I was on my back, britches undone, still catching my breath from the unexpected hit of lust with which he had imbued me.
It was a fraction of what I would usually gain from a tryst, but it was enough to keep me alive. And I had kept control over my urges, resisting the temptation to take more than was freely offered.
I would survive until my mate was free. Or at least, I would be certain of her safety when I left this world.
Chapter seven
BETH
Havingsexdidn’tsolvemy immediate problem of freezing my ass off. But snuggling to a big, burly guy who didn’t mind playing rug on the icy floor helped a lot.
There were bowls of clean water and linen cloths next to us. Had the guards brought them? Or somebody else?
Last night, I thought the shadows shift, as if somebody had been watching us. A faint whisper had drifted through the chill air, but I hadn’t been able to make out any words. I’d probably imagined it.
Than stirred, and we washed ourselves down and removed spunk, sweat, and other grossness from our bodies. Then we cuddled up and slept some more. Not much else we could do.
The second time I woke, I was on the floor, but Than had taken off his shirt and placed it under me. Despite the fabric, the cold air clung to my skin like a second layer, the chill seeping into my bones.
Than stood facing the door, his back to me. I might have been terrified, starved, and exhausted, but I could still enjoy the view the huge man offered me.
His shoulders were rounded with muscle, his back defined and strong. Scars crisscrossed his skin, and I ached for him. He must have had a tough life to survive in this world.
Then I heard what had alerted him. The guards’ laughter came closer, culminating in an almighty bang as they flung the cell door open.
It was six of them, two I knew and four I’d never seen before. All of them were huge. Taller than Than even. And they seemed drunk, their voices loud and their words slurred.
“Look at her.”
