Page 52 of #Resort Love
Ambrose dropped my hand, and I looked up, stunned by the new pressure surrounding my heart. His eyes were bright, and his once-soft smile turned sharp, vile, and vicious.
Chapter 29
Sybil
My eyes widened, my heart dropping into my throat at the cruelty reflected on Ambrose’s face. He stared at me with hideous arrogance. Triumph glinted in his sharp eyes, and he cackled, the sound so wicked and merciless. I slid my gaze to Arianna as she breathed out a laugh and looked at Ambrose with elation. The hair on my arms rose, my mind spinning, trying to piece together what happened, but something wasn’t right with my body. It felt restricted, not fully my own.
I looked down, inhaling sharply at the black band that circled both of my wrists, like shackles tying me down, tying me to Ambrose.
He’s not trying tohelpyou; he is trying to use you.
Samian had told me—warned me.
Samian knew what would happen if I fell for Ambrose’s tricks. And I didn’t listen to him. I shut him out instead and my heart ached with remorse.
Arianna moved to Ambrose, her arms wrapping around his neck, their lips crashing together in a searing kiss. My face burned at the intensity of their affection and at my foolishness for not seeing it until now.
Ambrose groaned into her mouth and pulled away, Arianna whining in protest. “Later, my love,” he purred. “Don’t you want to test out our newest weapon?”
Ambrose smiled down at me, and I paled.
He is trying to use you.
Samian was right and I played right into Ambrose’s hand.
Ambrose moved out of Arianna’s embrace to kneel in front of me. His hand caressed my face, and I flinched at the icy touch of his fingers. A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest as he wiped the tears from my face. He moved then, so slowly, like he couldn’t believe it was happening. He gripped my wrist tightly, and I hissed at the pain as he roughly yanked my arm closer to study the black band. He frowned, gripping my other wrist to study the other band. His movement felt rough and callous, so different from the soft touches of just moments ago.
Ambrose’s frown deepened, his brows knitting together at the small sliver of unmarred skin where the bands did not fully link together. His cold eyes cut to mine; all warmth he had was gone, replaced by a hardened face. He narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to speak when Ezra rushed into the room.
Ezra stopped short, his face tight when he took in the scene around him. Noticing me on the floor, he stared at the black bands around my wrists and his eyes flared. I could only imagine what was going through his mind.
Ezra’s gaze flicked to Ambrose, noticing the raised eyebrow and the tilt of his head. He schooled his face into cool indifference and bowed low as Ambrose stood to face him.
“Arianna tells me that you sided with the rebels today,” Ambrose drawled, stalking closer to Ezra. “How disappointing.” The temperature of the room fell quickly, ice slowly climbing up the walls. I trembled, goosebumps running across my skin.
“I didn’t,” Ezra said, swallowing thickly. He straightened his shoulders, keeping his eyes lowered to the floor in front of him, not daring to look my way.
“Are you calling your future queen a liar?” Ambrose asked coolly. His eyes and face were utterly blank, unreadable, and my blood ran cold. Samian told me the queen was on a trip. Did this mean that the queen was dead? That Ambrose had her killed?
Ezra must have been wondering the same thing. He looked up, glancing between Ambrose and Arianna as if he was trying to decide how to play along. I followed his stare to Arianna, my heart thundering in my chest. She lifted her chin, her face glowing bright and proud. She stepped to Ambrose’s side, wrapping her arms around him, placing her head on his shoulder, giving Ezra a razor-sharp smile.
Ezra hesitated a beat before saying, “No, Ambrose. I’m not calling my future queen a liar. I’m callingAriannaone.”
The room froze with Ezra’s words. Arianna blinked once, then twice. The defiance slowly registered and she huffed a laugh. But Ambrose just snarled at the remark.
“Then what would you say happened?” Ambrose asked, his unnaturally calm voice at odds with the tension that was building in his shoulders.
“We looked through the village and found nohintof rebel activity in the area. We came across a boy moving children out of our way when Arianna approached him. He came earlier this year to Lowbrook from the mountains after his parents passed.He did nothing wrong. He was followingourorders to move the children to a safe location. Sybil and I were trying to show Arianna that, but she and her men attacked us both. We were defending ourselves against an unwarranted attack, not helping the rebel cause.” Ezra stood tall, his body stiff, meeting Ambrose’s glare with one of his own.
“You know the rebels move from village to village to recruit, yes?” Ambrose hissed. A slight nod from Ezra was all he needed to continue his reprimanding. “Then what makes you think this boy isn’t a part of their group, recruiting the other children?”
“Not everyone in the villages is taking part in rebel activity. You know this and so does Arianna. If we treat everyone in the villages as part of the rebel group, then we will have an uprising that even you will not be able to stop.”
Ambrose snarled, his face contorting. “You believe our army is so weak that they couldn’t crush those rats?”
Instead of answering, Ezra narrowed his eyes, raising his head higher. It was an unspoken answer and dismissal, all in one. The table beside me cracked as ice splintered across it, and I shivered. This wasn’t Ambrose. This was no longer the man who had helped me or cared for me.
Arianna scoffed at the challenge glowing in Ezra’s eyes, and Ambrose was a predator lying in wait.
