Page 30 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
The archduke continued to talk, but his voice grew muffled. Even the muffles proved too much, each comment launching a fresh wave of fright. I smashed my hands against my ears, but it didn’t help. My blood heated, but my skin chilled.
As my vision constricted, I soared to my feet. I had to leave. Yes, yes. Leave. Just for a minute. Maybe forever.
Without asking for permission, I sprinted out the door. No one called for me or followed. I careened around a corner. I’d go somewhere. Anywhere else.
“Arden,” a familiar voice bellowed in the empty hallway. Footsteps sounded, drawing closer and closer. A warm hand clasped my shoulder, stopping me.
Shiloh! The second his identity registered, I spun and threw my arms around him.
He hugged me tight, his presence a desperately needed soothing balm. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said, petting my hair. “I’ve got you.”
I clung to him. He was such an amazing guy. Protective. Fun. Strong. The more time I spent with him, the more I liked him. “How did you find me so fast?”
“I thought this might happen, so I hung close to help.”
Panting, I pulled back. “Get me out of here. I can’t stay. Can’t do this.”
“You withstood a pain dart.” He clasped my biceps and gave me a light squeeze. “You can do anything.”
No! Keep running.But the HP’s warning drifted through my mind.Fear destroys.He wasn’t wrong. And I’d lost enough. Besides, fear was now enemy one. There was nothing more foolish than doing what my enemy suggested.
“I can do anything,” I echoed to Shiloh. What did learning more about the maddened hurt? If anything, it would help me. Truth equaled power, according to the ME.
As my breaths evened out, Shiloh smiled. “Don’t worry. You aren’t the first to bolt. We’ll get you a glass of water, and you’ll be as good as new.”
Grateful, I nodded. We motored down the hall side by side, passing few others before we entered a small cell reminiscent of my own, with a single bed and a private kitchenette.
Upon his invitation, I sat at the foot of the mattress. “Is this your room?” Medical charts and graphs littered the walls.
“It is.” He extended a cup of water and sat beside me. Expression serious, he grabbed a reader and typed.
I read the screen.
I overheard the HP and his father discussing you.
My brow furrowed. I could think of no reason good enough for the king, head ofCured’s armed forces, to mention me by name. Heart thudding, I typed a message of my own.
What did they say?
His turn.
The king demanded to hear reasons the HP didn’t force you to accept the assistant job. The HP claimed it was more important to learn how you responded to the consequences. I lost track of the conversation after that.
I didn’t understand. My refusal shouldn’t matter to someone of the king’s exalted rank. I was a mere lady. The lowest of the low. Practically a civilian!
Before Shiloh responded, a medic poked his head into the room, saying, “Hey. Can I borrow—” He went quiet when he spotted me, arched a brow, and glanced between us. “Freak out over feeders?”
“And glowers,” I muttered.
“Just getting her hydrated,” Shiloh explained, only slightly guilty.
The guy smiled, allsure, okay. As soon as we were alone, my companion typed, Being recorded. Look for a message taped to the gurney in E2.
I nodded, dazed, and he urged me to drink. As I drained the glass, he cleared the screen. He set the reader and the empty cup aside and helped me to my feet. A thousand questions and comments brewed at the end of my tongue, but I pressed my lips together.
His gaze searched mine. He offered me the sweetest smile, as if to sayEverything will be all right.
I nodded again, and smiled in turn, because I couldn’t not. He made everything better.
