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“Okay, just—” He flexes his hand again with a wince. “Fuck, you’re hurting me.”
She throws his hand to the side, uncaring of any pain she may have caused him. He tilts his head back, taking her in. “I thought since you have come into this power that you would be more compliant,” he scoffs, then pauses. “Where are these scars from?” His eyes scan more of her marked skin. “Was what your father said in the Court of Ashes true? He…punished you?”
She eerily cocks her head to the side, her eyes narrowing and the corner of her mouth twitching. “Ask your father,” she snarls, and then walks past him to leave the room.
My arm reaches out to pull her back. To keep her close to me. I don’t fucking know what to do, but watching her walk away brings me back in time to the end of battle. The moment she let herself walk away and never look back when she followed Whiro.
The room suddenly begins to blur. The last thing I see is Aiden standing there with a face as pale as the moon and a glare that leaves me uneasy.
My mother’s parlor comes back into focus, but it doesn’t matter. Everything falls away as my heart stutters and it sounds like water is rushing in my ears. My chest is tight, my teeth threaten to crack as every inch of my body is on the verge of exploding. I can’t keep it reined in anymore.
My chest surges to see her so close but so far away and with him. I release a roar that shatters the glass on the tray next to me. A roar that shakes the whole damn castle.
Calloway helped make her bleed.
Aiden dared to put his hands on her.
And Whiro is using her for his gain. I just don’t know for what. Now that she’s been found, there is nothing holding me back from getting to her.
Fate says she must sacrifice something, maybe even sacrifice herself.
“Fate be damned,” I say to my mother and Emil.
If she dies, then I’m chaining her to me, and we both will sink to the darkest depths together. Hand in hand.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Emma
My old bed in this palace is more comfortable than the one I’m used to in Gehendra, but the golden light drifting in through the balcony doors is overwhelming compared to the dark hole I’ve been living in. Small rays of warmth reach the bed and glisten over my pale skin, but I can’t feel it. Nothing can rid me from this eternal frozen tundra.
My feet pad across the polished floor as I get ready in a similar fashion from when I first arrived. But I’m missing my leather trousers and long tunic. So, I stick to the task I need to adhere to, which means I must dress the part.
A weapon of ruin wrapped in silk.
I slip on a starless midnight dress, with every mark of victory committed to my body for all to see. A painted canvas of hardened strength.
I feel out of place coming back to this beautiful prison. Only, this time, I secretly hold the key. I finish getting dressed and start twisting the locks of my hair into one braid. I tie off the end and stare at my reflection in the mirror. It would unnerve someone to see the emptiness staring back.
A soft knocking thuds against the door, but I don’t bother responding. It’s a waste of my breath. The click of the handle turning registers before it creaks open, until it’s slightly ajar and carrying the scent of fresh rain and leather.
“May I come in?”
Aiden. I fist my hands tightly before letting out a long breath in an attempt to loosen the tension in my muscles. “You may.”
His footsteps grow louder as the door latches shut behind him. Never blinking, my eyes find him through the mirror’s reflection. The clothing he’s wearing is altered perfectly to his lean frame and is finer than what I remember him wearing back before…everything. My eyes trail down his body, following the gold decorative trim that is pressed intricately along the cream tunic and matching pants.
He pauses and waves his hands down his body when he catches me taking in his clothing. “My father insists on me looking how a prince should. At least until things settle after his coronation tomorrow.” He laughs nervously at my scrutiny.
The sight of him causes a roar of power to coil inside, but I’ve managed to tame the whispers when it comes to setting my eyes on him. Each time he’s near, my power wants to know how it will feel to have his heart beat in the palm of my hand, or how his eyes will look if I strip away his air.
But for now, he gets to feel his blood pump through his veins another day.
“How did you sleep?” He walks toward me until he’s a foot away and slowly drags his eyes down my body. A look that swirls with desire, fear, and something close to wrath. They retreat up towards my back, where the dress swoops just at the base of my spine, leaving the rest open. His emerald eyes freeze and harden on my shield made from leather lashes. It’s then I notice the muscles in his jaw twitch and his nostrils flare.
I shift to face him fully, yet his eyes remain downcast as if he’s still staring at my back. “I slept well enough.” My voice snaps him back into focus as he brings his gaze to mine.
With a nod of his head and a rough swallow, he clears his throat. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ve come to see if you’d like to go for a walk with me around the palace.” His eyes drift around the room, as if searching to find something that’s not there, before landing back on mine. “Like old times, when you used to chase me,” he forces out.
