Page 136 of A Vow of Embers

I held my breath for so long I was worried I might faint.

Fine. If they wanted a fight, I would give them a fight. I wouldn’t cower here and wait for my doom.

When I stepped out onto the sidewalk, hands closed about my shoulders and pinned me against the wall.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Xander demanded as he held me there.

“Let go of me, you brute!” I struggled against him and he released me. He didn’t move, though. He stayed put, using his body to keep mine in place. “How are you awake?”

“Why did you drug me?”

That seemed like a stupid question. “So that I could sneak out. How did you find me so quickly?”

“You’re not very good at covering your tracks.” Even in the low light of the moon, I saw his eyes blaze at me, and instead of feeling scared or concerned, I just felt excited. “This is breaking our contract.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, jabbing my finger into his chest. “You never told me that I couldn’t go out in the city by myself.”

“I didn’t realize I had to! There’s some things that are common sense that you shouldn’t have to tell people. Don’t stay underwater until you can’t breathe. Don’t put your hand in fire. And don’t go out in a dangerous city at night unprotected! You’re a princess. You can’t just sneak out.”

“I was a princess the last time I snuck out and you didn’t seem to mind then.”

This seemed to annoy him further. “Despite what you think, I didn’t know then. And soon you will be queen of Ilion. You can’t be traipsing around by yourself like this.”

Queen? I had no intention of ever being queen. It was such a strange thing to say. “Who’s going to stop me?”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. We both knew he was strong enough to do just that.

“I’m getting what I came for,” I said.

“I will throw you over my shoulder.”

That should not have made my heart race faster. “No matter what you do, I will keep breaking out until I get what I need. You can’t stop me.”

It was true. It was why he had put my obedience into his contract. There was only so much he could do to keep me from doing things like this if I was determined.

He moved in closer. My back was trapped against the wall, my chest pushing into his. “Someone is trying to kill you! You are not allowed to put yourself in danger like this! Do you know what it would do to me if you died?”

Chapter Forty-Four

I had to hold back a gasp. I desperately wanted his words to mean something more. I wanted him to have said them because he cared about me. But I knew that wasn’t true.

“Because if I died, you would, too?” Of course his only concern would be for himself. The bond that connected us made sure that we would bear one another’s injuries.

He suddenly looked very weary. “You have to stay safe.”

If I wasn’t safe, neither was he. He was so self-centered. All of this had been about him and his well-being. The reverse was also true—if he got hurt or attacked, so would I. But I hadn’t tried to lock him in a room or restrict his movements.

“I can take care of myself,” I said.

He stared down at me and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“You can’t keep me locked up. I’m miserable.” I hadn’t meant to admit that to him, but I saw the way his body softened, the guilt in his expression.

“What is it that you’re trying to do?” he asked gruffly.

“I’m going to find proof of what we discussed about the tariff in the administration building.”

He looked at me incredulously. And I didn’t know if it was because he didn’t believe me, or if he thought my quest was foolish.