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Chapter Twenty-Four
This had to be another damn illusion. Maybe we hadn’t finished the trial. But the fae couldn’t lie, and the High Court had been very specific about the rules.
But I’d hung Curry by his feet. How the hell was he here, standing in front of me?
Kieran dropped my hand and stepped between me and Curry, blocking me from his view. He snarled. “I should’ve killed you there.”
Curry released a peal of manic laughter, and I didn’t need to see him to know he was thoroughly enjoying this moment. Even as he spoke, laughter laced his words. “You failed to cut deep enough, Kieran. She’s making you soft. And the two of you should never underestimate me. If Alina had taken the time to remember her past life or done her research in the present, she’d know this.”
Even through the armor, I could see Kieran stiffen.
“That’s Princess Alina to you,” Kieran growled.
“Is Quinley aware of your growing affection for the Summer princess?” Curry’s tone held a mean edge. “I’m sure she wouldn’t be thrilled with this arrangement. Not that it’ll be a problem since you’ll both be dead after the next trial.”
Quinley?
Why name her specifically and not the entire High Court? Granted, she did seem to be the head of the Winter members and a leader to the Summer members as well. From what I’d gathered, she was the oldest.
“None of that is your concern.” Kieran clenched his hands. “And don’t worry. Next time, I won’t leave you to dread your fate. I’ll kill you and watch every drop of life drain from you.”
My body heated at the threat as if he’d whispered promises of all the ways he’d protect me. Ivy wouldn’t have liked the sound of that, but I was beginning to realize that, maybe, I was turning into Alina. I sort of wanted to jump Kieran right here in the stairway.
“Don’t plan on it. I will admit I underestimated Princess Alina, but I won’t make that mistake again.” Curry’s boots hit the stairs, and he shoved past Kieran.
I leaned against the stone wall, not wanting to be near him. Curry paused, crowding me. He whispered, “You will pay for what you did back there and regret not ending me.”
I regretted it now. I shouldn’t have interfered with Kieran.
My chin lifted, and I met his glare head-on. “No, I gave you only a taste of what I have in store for you.” I smiled, and my body strummed with magic. I needed to shut up, not antagonize the bully. But some new part of me was taking over and overpowering the person I’d been.
His smirk faltered, and something unreadable passed across his face. He set his jaw. “We’ll see about that.” He then continued his trek forward, leaving Kieran and me behind.
Kieran leaned forward and murmured in my ear, “That was damn sexy.”
My annoyance vanished, and the heat of his breath on my neck had my body warming in the armor, already drenched with sweat. He and I were both gross, but that didn’t matter.
“Let’s head out. We shouldn’t risk being stuck in here when the screamers come.”
Those words were like a cold bath and got my feet moving. We hurried down the stairs.
A bright light glowed from the end of the hallway, and I quickened my steps. I didn’t feel Kieran’s presence as close to my back, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I noted he’d put several feet between us.
Curry’s words repeated in my head. Kieran had to be giving me space because he wanted to play down how close we were in front of the High Court. We’d probably caused enough of a commotion by helping each other.
My heart squeezed uncomfortably. Were we more than allies? I wasn’t sure. He’d said he loved me, but he’d been talking about the previous version of Alina, not me. That meant he regretted his decision from then … not now.
This was why I needed to keep my distance. My momentary lapse in judgment had gotten me attached to a man I couldn’t have. One of us, if not both, would be dead after the next trial, so what kind of future could we have?
Great, I was asking myself rhetorical questions I already knew the answers to. This day continued to be super.
I had to bury the hurt like I had my entire childhood, but this was harder to hide. The indifferent expression I’d perfected didn’t want to slip back into place.
My entire body felt weighted down, but I kept up my confident strides. Kieran might have influence over me, but he wouldn’t break me. I’d survived a childhood of abandonment—I’d be damned if I let a man I’d known for only a couple of weeks break me.
When I marched out of the tunnel and back into the arena, the entire place was quiet. I thought the crowd must have cleared out, but when I glanced into the stands, everyone was still there.
The hairs on the nape of my neck rose. Almost everyone had their eyes on me, including the High Court members standing in front of me.
