Page 27 of Promise of Darkness
“Your loss,” I reply, kicking glass out of the way casually.
“My loss?”
“How may I repay my debt when you’re not here?”
This time he turns, those enigmatic eyes sweeping over me. “I’ll hold your kisses in lieu.”
“I consider them forfeited.”
“I don’t.”
We stare at each other, but he breaks first, a smile dawning on his lips. “Until I return, Princess. Enjoy your stay, but don’t leave the city.”
The second he’s gone, I open the small scroll of paper again.
You must discover what happened to his wife….
The less I see of the prince, the better.
Though I can’t help wondering who left this here.
And whether it was meant for me or whether I’m only the last in a long line of ‘political’ captives.
8
Avoiding the prince is easier said than done.
After all, by my own hand, I owe him a kiss once a day, and while he grants me the grace of his absence for three days, he claims his prize when he returns, leaving me in no doubt as to his intentions.
After the first night of his return, I try to gift my tithe to him in the dining room so he has no reason to enter my bedchamber. A faint brush of my lips to his and then a hasty retreat as I try to avoid the mocking glint in his eyes.
The prince knows exactly what I’m doing, but he allows it.
Which only makes me feel even more like I’m being slowly driven into a trap by the hunter.
Days turn into weeks. Then the weeks glide by. Each day feels like a storm is brewing, though he’s often absent. I know the prince wants something from me, but what?
Beyond the obvious.
I’m growing heartily sick of the ever-present twilight. The sun bares its shy face for an hour or two each day, and I spend every moment of its presence basking in its glow atop the tallest tower.
Indeed, I’m dueling with my own shadow one morning when the storm finally breaks.
There’s a clatter in the courtyard below, and the enormous iron gates lift by means of a complicated pulley system. Lowering my sword and wiping sweaty hair out of my eyes, I kneel against the stone wall of the turret and watch as the prince rides out.
He’s invited me to ride with him each morning, but so far, I’ve declined. He’s also invited me to spar every day, and though a part of me wants to test my skills against his, I dare not.
Restlessness itches along my arms. Maybe this is his plan. Drive me crazy by means of self-imposed exile and boredom. The wind calls my name, and my fingers yearn for a bow. I know he comes and goes—most likely seeing to the business of his kingdom via the Hallow—but apart from the demi-fey, I’m alone. Eris certainly avoids me, and I’m notthatdesperate for company, though the endless silence in these halls is making me question just how far I’ll go.
A single hunt by his side.
One ride.
What would be the harm?
The prince’s knowing smile comes to mind.That. That’s exactly the danger. Because he’s just intriguing enough to make me want to know more.
He cuts a lonely figure as he canters across the drawbridge. Every morning I’ve watched him head south into the forests there, where he returns with game. But this time he doesn’t turn south. This time he heads north, and he’s moving fast.
