Her head snapped to me, eyes narrowing. “Did you grow up in a cave or are you just extremely stupid? Speak to me again without permission and it’ll be the last thing you do.” My heart was in my throat as she flippantly said, “Now thank me for my hospitality and be gone.”
I bowed, tail between my legs. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
“Prince Galen, show her to a room in the guest wing,” Sylvia sighed. “She’s your responsibility. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere without a chaperone. Understood?” He nodded. “I expect a full explanation, sooner rather than later. Donotkeep me waiting.”
I was in shock, shivering from a deep chill in my bones. There was no fight left in me. I yearned to be a child and cry in my mother’s arms until my tears ran dry. How had my life changed so drastically in a matter of hours? For the second time today, I felt as if I was falling, but this time there was no dream to wake up from.
Did Deric know I was missing yet? Ophelia would be worried sick by now. The entire fleet of guards was probably out hunting for me.
I stayed close to Galen, following him past guarded sections of the castle, as we padded through long, silent corridors. We turned so many times, I eventually gave up memorizing the way.
Oil lamps lit dark hallways with an amber glow as evening approached. They flickered against marble statues and ivy that seemingly grew out of thin air. Decor that felt lively in the daylight had turned ominous in the dancing shadows of dusk.
This castle was a complicated maze that I’d need to learn if I planned to escape. I wanted to put as much distance between myself and the Queen of Nymera as possible. I’d never met anyone more terrifying than Galen’s mother. I pitied the woman who ended up with her for a mother-in-law.
We stopped in front of a door and Galen unlocked it with an old-fashioned key he pulled from his pocket. “After you,” he said, following behind me and shutting the door.
I looked around the cozy, understated room, relieved it wasn’t a prison cell. The walls were covered in a delicate, floral wallpaper. Plants hung from the ceiling and spilled from large ceramic pots. A limestone fireplace covered in hand-carved rosettes sat across from a large feather bed with a fluffed-up white duvet. Had I not been filthy, I would’ve fallen into it, flat on my face, not caring what the Prince thought.
Galen watched me take in my surroundings. “The maids will be by shortly to draw you a bath and bring you dinner. Do you want me to ring for a healer as well?”
“Thank you. And no, I’m fine. Just… tired,” I said with a shiver.
Tired didn’t begin to cover it. I was consumed with dread and loneliness… fear and worry. I was confused. Andangry. But he was the lastperson I wanted to confide in. He was the one who brought me here—to his mother, who’d compared me to adog.
But he’d also saved my life and kept me safe… found me a place to sleep. My mind was rattled and I couldn’t tell which way was up. Was he friend or foe? Or something else entirely?
“Do you want to know more about who we are? Or would you rather wait until morning?” he asked. “You look like you’re about to fall over from exhaustion.”
He was observant—too observant. He appeared to be just a few years older than me, but he carried himself like he’d seen and done it all. And today he’d seen me at my most vulnerable… completely unraveled and at his mercy. And now there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to be done with surprises for now. My brain might melt out of my ears if my mind is blown one more time,” I rambled.
Part of me wanted him to leave me be, so I could reflect on the strangest day of my life. Another part was scared to bealone.
So we stood in silence. It was so quiet that I could hear him breathing. He stared at the fire, hands in his pockets, back turned to me. Was it my imagination or was there an invisible tension beginning to grow?
Why wasn’t he leaving?
I stood awkwardly between the bed and door, chewing on my lip, rocking back on my heels. I fidgeted with my fingers, staring at the dirt embedded under my nails. How long was he just going to stand there? I was about to tear this dress off whether he left or not.
I cleared my throat. “Well… thank you for every—”
My words were cut off as Galen dashed to my side, spinning me faster than humanly possible. He pushed me against the door in the next motion and pinned my hands above my head. I looked up at him, keen on an explanation, bracing myself for his next move.
“You’re going to be trouble, aren't you?” he murmured, looking down at my lips that were set in a startled O-shape. I could smell his cologne of cloves and smoke, like a warm fire on a cold autumn day. His eyes shined with an emotion I couldn’t read, while my heart began to thud erratically. I was a rabbit caught in his snare.
“Whatare you?” he asked. We stared at each other. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could, he kissed me.
And like a fool,I kissed him back.
seven
His kisses started off soft and searching, like warm drops of rain along my lips, my cheeks, my neck. Then his mouth was hovering over mine, tracing along the seam of my lips, requesting permission to enter.
I opened for him and was flooded with sensation as he teased his tongue against mine. Sparks exploded down my spine, all the way to my toes. I felt wobbly as both limbs and willpower went lax.
He knew what he was doing, and he was somethingrealto cling to. So strong, so solid… as solid as the door I was pressed against. My wrists were shackled under one large hand, while the other held my waist. I was hungry,starvingfor a touch I didn’t know I needed until now.
