Page 61 of Promise of Darkness
She’s no friend of mine, but I’m not quite certain what her relationship with the prince is, precisely.
While I’m fairly sure she’d drop me off the nearest cliff if she got the chance, I don’t think it’s entirely jealousy. She doesn’t look at Thiago as if she wants to eat him all up.
And unless you’re blind, it’s the only way to look at him.
The two men clasp hands as Thiago swiftly explains, and Finn’s smile fades abruptly. The pair of them share a look that clearly says they’ll discuss it later before Thiago turns back to me with a faint smile. “Luckily for me, the princess decided to have mercy on me and dragged me up here.”
“You can’t have annoyed her too much then.”
“I didn’t like my chances trying to explain to Eris what had happened if I returned without him,” I reply dryly, testing the waters.
Finn throws his head back and laughs. “A good argument. Eris would have been frothing at the mouth.”
“So, what now?”
The prince shrugs into his shirt, wincing a little. “Now, I need to speak to the council. Whatever Angharad is up to, she needs to be stopped. And I doubt I can do it alone.”
16
The flames flicker to life in my fireplace the second I walk through the door of my bedchambers at Valerian.
I freeze. There’s no point denying I’d seen it; my mother can always sense the truth.
Squatting by the hearth, I glance over my shoulder, then wave my hand through the flames, muttering the appropriate linking spell.
My mother’s face ripples into view. “The prince appears to still be alive.”
And hello to you too. “Keep your voice down,” I whisper. “One of the prince’s warriors doesn’t trust me. She watches every move I make.”
“She?”
“Eris?”
My mother smirks. “That filthy half-bred mutt. How can the bastard prince even claim to rule a Seelie court when he takes in such scraps?”
Perhaps that’s why his people are so loyal to him. Because he fights for their right to exist and cares little for their breeding or species. But there’s no point giving voice to my thoughts. Because Adaia’s definition of loyalty only seems to extend to that which is offered toher.
“I see your knife hasn’t left its sheath.”
“I… can’t get near him,” I lie. “Not with her watching me.”
Adaia’s eyes narrow. “You could stop a war, my daughter. None of our subjects need die—”
“I don’t think he’s interested in a war—”
Adaia’s sneer cuts me off. “Your weakness is showing through. Does he woo you with his charm? Whisper his hopes for peace in your ear, even as he amasses his troops?”
“I’ve seen no sign of any army—”
“And where is he keeping you? Golden Ceres? The City by the Bay? Or has he got you locked away in Valerian?”
There’s no need to answer.
Adaia’s smile widens viciously. “What is he trying to shield you from? What is he hiding? This is why you must think with your head, Iskvien, and not your heart. He will try and turn you against me. He will use you in this petty war between us. Don’t doubt that for a moment. He’s not interested in you. You’re just a pawn he can play with.”
“Careful, Mother. He’s beginning to sound interchangeable with you.”
It aches, deep in the cavity where my heart should lie.
