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And when an arrow hit the chair right behind where I’d been kneeling, I was glad I’d taken every precaution. Had I been a second slower, the arrow would have gone through my skull. Breath coming fast and thin, I got on my hands and knees and tried to crawl, tried to escape the box like everyone else had. But before I made it halfway to the steps, a figure landed in front of me.
“What in the name of Sassa’s bloody blade were you thinking?”
I knew that voice. Chancing a glance, I looked up to find Prince Vale standing there, his face bloodied and streaked with dirt and fury blazing in his eyes. My mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
“What are you doing here?” he growled again.
“Y-your family invited me to their box.”
“No. Why didn’t you run?”
My heart rate kicked up. “I—I don’t know. I wasn’t fast enough.”
“Stand up.”
“But there’s a shooter!”
“Not anymore, there’s not.”
I stared at him. “Are you certain? Because he nearly just took my head off.” I gestured to the arrow in the chair. I might have lived most days of my life being prey for vampires but being shot at had unlocked a new level of terror.
Prince Vale spared it a glance, and his jaw tightened. “I saw to it that he’ll never shoot another arrow again. The soldiers have wrested everything under control. Can you stand?”
I pressed myself up, wincing as the glass cut deeper into my hands. Once on my feet, a twinge in my ankle made me cringe, but I said nothing as the prince looked me over, and his hardened expression faded to concern.
“You’re bleeding.” His eyes burned as I took two steps closer. “And limping. Tell me who did this to you.”
The demand, his heated words, took me by surprise. And how was it that his eyes seemed to blaze even hotter than just seconds before?
“I—no one.”
His jaw tightened, and though I owed the smelly merchant nothing, in that moment I feared for him.
“At least not on purpose,” I amended. “A courtier ran into me by accident and my ankle twisted.” I placed my elbow on the banister for support as I held up my hands to calm him, the prince who looked ready to bash someone’s face in. “And I fell on smashed goblets.”
“Who fell on you?”
“I don’t know his name,” I huffed back as pain shot from my ankle up my leg. “But I’m positive that they didn’t mean to.”
Prince Vale didn’t look so sure. “Come with me.”
“What about Roar?” I looked into the arena. “Where is he?”
“Soldiers pulled him out of the arena right away.” He gestured, presumably in the direction they’d gone. “They’re taking him to the healers.”
“I need to go to him.”
“Of course.” The prince waved for me to follow, but the moment I took one more step, my knees buckled.
A hiss left my lips, and I caught myself on the stone balcony, pushing the glass deeper into my hands. I cried out in pain.
“Lady Neve!”
“It’s my ankle. I—” I tried to take a step and again, my ankle couldn’t hold my weight. Before I could try again, he caught me and scooped me into his arms.
My heart thudded. We were close, much too close. Roar had been upset when I ran into Prince Vale and now, we stood even closer. Burning moon, if Roar were to see . . .
“Let me down,” I demanded.
