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A flash of darkness amid the chaos gives me hope I know better than to cling to. I start after the shadow but only make it three steps before someone grabs my wrist and tugs me backward. The fire inside me rages. I turn and instinctively swing. My fist collides with a strong jaw and my stomach drops when I realize it’s attached to Bash.
“Shit,” I curse under my breath, a new worry dampening the flames of fury. If anyone saw what I’ve done, they’ll think my fuckup was a planned attack and lump me in with the zealots behind tonight’s massacre.
I’m quick to say, “I’m sorry,” just in case Bash thinks I hit him on purpose. I mean… I did, but I didn’t mean to hithim.
“Where are you going?” he asks, like nothing happened. Like my knuckles were feather light and not throbbing from colliding with a cheek that felt like chiseled stone.
“I need to find my friend,” I blurt, wondering if it was a mistake. Caring about someone is dangerous, and I’ve recklessly made the Crown aware of two people who mean something to me.
Bash’s grip slides from my wrist to my palm until our fingers intertwine. I stare at our hands, and a strange feeling of deja vu seeps into my bones. I can’t place why he feels familiar or why his touch eases my anxiety. I’m so lost in the shock of not wanting him to let go I almost miss it when he says, “We need to get you out of here.”
“No.” I yank my hand away and curl my fingers into a fist. That was weird, and I don’t have time for weird. “Not without Sage.”
“Khiara, listen to me,” Bash pleads, and Riot shifts on his feet beside him, his face pinched with frustration.
“I won’t leave without her.” I know what it feels like to be alone and scared. I can’t abandon Sage, not when it’s my fault she’s in this mess.
“Look around, little bird. People are dying. It won’t be long beforesomeone starts pointing fingers, wanting someone to blame, and by default, everyone will look at you.”
I push my hair out of my face and watch the chaos unfolding. Bash is right. Red hair aside, Sutherland, Sage, and I are the only guests who weren’t invited to the king’s ball. We only got through the gates because of a secret and a lie.
“We don’t have much time.” Riot’s eyes are jumpy, leaping from one side of the ballroom to the other. He presses his arm tight across his body, his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it on anyone foolish enough to attack the prince.
I still find it odd that Bash only has one guard and that no one has tried to save him, but I push that worry aside. There are too many other things to focus on. The prince’s safety is at the bottom of my list.
On the other hand,mysafety is starting to climb that list. I’m torn, not wanting to leave my friend behind, but I realize that if I haven’t seen her yet, she’s probably dead.
If I stay, one way or another, I will be too, and I’m no good to Ezra if the Crown catches me. His days are numbered. I can’t waste any time locked up or recovering from a hanging.
I scan the room again, searching for a speck of black. I cling to the hope that Sage might have hidden somewhere to avoid the madness. If that’s the case, I’ll look for her once things calm down. If she’s alive, I’ll find her.
Bash somehow senses my resignation and tells Riot, “Take Khiara to the library. She’ll be safe there.”
“Keeping her in the castle is risky,” Riot argues. “We could get her out now, and no one would notice.”
“Just do it!” Bash orders, and I note how this is the second time Riot has made his distaste for me known. There is no team Khiara but if there was, this guy is not on it.
Bash takes both my hands in his, his big blue eyes pleading for me to do what I’m told, like he knows listening to his request goes against everything I believe in. “I need you to stay where I put you. I can’t find your friend if I’m worried about your safety.”
“I won’t leave without her,” I say again.
The war raging inside me is vile, and neither side is winning. I don’twant to risk Sage’s survival on someone I just met, but the longer I stand in this room, the more eyes I feel falling on my back. My senses prick with each new onlooker, and my magic stirs with anticipation. My odds of leaving the ballroom a free woman dwindle with each passing second, but leaving Sage behind feels wrong.
“You’ll still be in the castle,” Bash insists, trying to sway my decision. “Tell me what your friend looks like so I can find her.”
I hesitate, not sure what to make of the Prince’s kindness. He’s playing a well-rehearsed game of trust-building, and I know how risky it is to put myself on the board. Nothing in Arcane comes free, and debts to the Crown come with steep consequences. I already owe Bash for helping with Ezra last night. Asking for his assistance again is downright stupid.
But what choice do I have?
“She’s the only guest besides me wearing a black dress.” Guilt gnaws at my insides with every feature I describe, but I can’t help anyone if I’m locked in the dungeon on suspicion to overthrow the Crown.
“I’ll find her, but you must leave, little bird. Now.” Bash grabs the back of my neck and pulls me into him. His lips press against mine with a fervent urgency, his touch sending shivers down my spine. The warmth of his mouth melds with mine, creating an electric current that rivals the fire in my veins. He pulls back sooner than I’d like and the taste of his kiss lingers, a complex blend of desire that leaves an indelible mark on the canvas of my senses.
Riot exhales heavily and turns. “Let’s go.”
He doesn’t look to see if I follow. He walks with quick steps, only hesitating at the doorway before taking us into the hallway. We don’t run into any guards, but that doesn’t stop Riot from checking each crossway before moving us deeper into the castle.
I count the turns and our steps, making a mental map of where we’re going, trying to piece it together with the one I crafted from when Vidya led me to the waiting room earlier this evening. Stars above, that feels like a lifetime ago.
