Page 73 of Song of the Shadow Prince
“What?” She frowned.
“Nothing.” I cleared my throat. She could not leave. Not now that I’d found her…my twin flame. She had to stay in Elaria whether she liked it or not.
If she knew the thoughts I was having she’d hate me, and by the immortals, I sort of hated myself. To keep her here against her will… I knew it was wrong, but I had no other choice. My freedom was on the line. It was all I’d ever wanted.
“While this conversation is tantalizing,” the fae interrupted, “my time here is limited.” He turned to Cat. “Can I ask for a favor, my little human?”
A growl slipped out of me as I stepped toward her, grabbed her wrist, and snatched her away from the mystery fae.
His violet eyes widened in surprise and he slightly stumbled backward. “Well,thatwas rude,” he muttered. “I meant no harm.”
“I don’t know you,fae.” I nudged Cat behind me.
In a flash, she yanked her wrist out of my grasp and scoffed. “ButIknow him!” In a huff, she stomped around me and approached the fae. “What do you need?”
The fae’s eyes alit with mischief. “Get yourself into some trouble tomorrow, will you, kitty cat? I have something to do here on the mainland and unfortunately, I’ve wasted too muchtime here with you tonight to get anything done.” He grumbled the last part and gave me an annoyed look.
Cat tilted her head and laughed, the sound melodious to my ears. A thread of jealousy tugged in my chest. I didn’t like that he could make her laugh like that. “Are you seriously asking me to get into trouble on purpose?”
“From our short acquaintance, I gather it won’t be difficult for you to do.” He smirked and winked at her. “I promise to save you in time, so have no fear, little human.”
“Wait a minute…” I stood between them and turned to Cat, incredulous. “Did you make a deal with this fae?”
When she bit her lower lip, the motion made me lose my train of thought. I didn’t know what was happening to me. Why did she affect me so much?
“Well…”
“Well, did you?” I shouted.
She winced and whispered, “Yes.”
My eyes grew so big, I thought they’d fall out of their sockets. “By the immortals!” I whirled around to face the fae. “You obviously know who I am, so you know I’m deadly serious when I say that you have three seconds to undo the deal you made with her.Now!”
The fae smirked. “And why would I do that, Shadow Prince?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you,” I growled.
He laughed and tossed his head back, carefree. His white hair blew in a cold gust that scattered leaves across the cobblestones. With confidence that bordered on insanity, he met my furious gaze and winked. “I’d like to see you try.”
Before I could take a step towards him, he disappeared. My mouth hung open in unrepentant shock. I was angry. Enraged. And the only person nearby to feel my wrath was Cat. I whirled around to face her.
“Howcouldyou? How idiotic can you be? Even in your world, surely you’ve heard the folly of making deals with the fae!” My voice boomed, long past the point of caring if we were discovered.
She flinched, but stood her ground. “He’s my only way home,” she replied calmly. “He has the answers I need. Whatever deal I made, I’d make it ten times over if it gets me back to my world.”
I ground my teeth, wanting nothing more than to shake some sense into her and tell her she was neverevergoing back to her world. But I refrained. By the will of the immortals, I managed to hold it together.
“He can’t be the only answer,” I gritted between my teeth.
“Yes, he is,” she said adamantly. “But don’t worry; as soon as he tells me how to get back, I’ll be out of your hair. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with me much longer.”
That was not what I wanted. Far from it. But I couldn’t tell her that. I couldn’t tell her I had every intention of stealing her away. I had to be smart about this. I couldn’t scare her. She was probably already scared, landing in a world she knew nothing about. When I recalled the few interactions we’d had since the night of the accident, so many things made sense. I felt like a fool. I should have known something was amiss.
“Who else knows the truth?”
She hesitantly bit down on her lower lip. “Maeve knows,” she whispered. “But that’s it.”
I could tell she was lying, but I didn’t refute her claim. Who else had she befriended since her arrival? I needed to get eyes on her during the day. Now that I knew the truth about who she was, I needed to protect her.
