I glower at him, tempted to do just that. No, the safer option is to leave. He starts to pull the door shut and freezes. I hear it, too, the unmistakable sound of heels clicking down the hallway. He curses under his breath.
“Friend back already?”
“That’s not my friend, and I need you to come in here.”
I stare at him blankly.
“Now, nought,” he snaps.
I’m not doing that. Before I can process, he’s barreling toward me with a low growl. He picks me up and heaves me over his shoulder, and I thrash, pounding at his back. “What are you—let me go,” I demand.
He bounds into his room, tosses me onto the bed, and I scramble. “Stop,” he demands. He draws a symbol, and his magic binds around my limbs like shackles. I fall flat on my back, completely at his mercy. My heart thunders in my chest, the daemon not far behind it. “Look at me.” When I don’t immediately oblige his request, he grips a hand around my jaw and steers me to face him. I yank my head with a grunt, and his hand around me tightens.
“Let me go,” I snarl.
“Listen.” He leans forward until his face is inches from my own and stares at me so intently that I can’t help but recoil slightly. “If she interacts with you, you cannot act like you do with me.” His words are hushed yet full of venom.
“Who?”
His eyes flick toward the door and back. “Morin.”
“And how do I act with you?”
“Like--a--fucking--brat,” he hisses, pushing my head further back into the mattress.
A knock sounds at the door, and he swears, something akin to panic widening in his eyes. “Tell me you understand.” His grip around my jaw grows so firm it’s almost painful.
I scowl back at him, not even allowing myself to blink, the only rebellion at my disposal.
“Stupid, proud, nought!” he spits. He relinquishes a growl, giving my jaw a final push before he releases me. “Pretend to be asleep. Pretend you don’t exist, and hopefully, she’ll have forgotten that you do.”
I let out a shuddering breath as he retreats. He flicks out the light before the door clicks shut behind him. My body remains locked there on the bed. I blink as my eyes adjust to the utter darkness. Tears of anger well up and spill down my cheeks. I can’t even as much as wipe them away.
I fight against themagic binding me, face reddening. It only riles the daemon and works me further into a panic. I give up and focus on slowing my breathing. I need to remain clear, calm and focused. I can hear their voices carry from the other room, hers and his, but I can’t make out the words. My ears prick. It sounds like she’s angry based on the cadence and tone. There’s a loud thump and I can move again, the magic lifting as suddenly as it came on.
I rise from the bed slowly, listening. Floorboards creak under the pad of my feet as I make my way toward the door. I squat down and press my ear against the wall. Their words are still too muffled to make out, so I move over to the door frame and press my ear to the gap. First, I only hear the sounds of coughing—the prince’s coughing.
“Thirty more dissidents are gone, Nightshade. They’re getting past the ward somehow. Keep letting them, and they’ll become a real threat to us. Baron is working with them.”
The prince continues coughing for several more seconds. “You don’t know that,” he says hoarsely.
“I want him gone.”
“If you want that—that’s going to take me some time. I can’t watch Lemuria and deal with Baron at the same time.”
“Then deal with Baron quickly,” she hisses.
The prince huffs a breath. “You’re going to get me killed.”
“I will consider it an honorable sacrifice.”
“And who’s going to do all your errands for you when I’m gone? Valik?” he snorts.
“Don’t overestimate your importance, Cernunnos,” she croons. “Besides, if it weren’t for me, you’d have died long ago.”
“Oh, yes, thank the Gods you were here to turn me into a monster.”
“You were already a monster. I just gave you purpose,” she hisses. “But don’t die right now. I need you… and your new wife.”
