Chapter 90
I smirked. “Maybe. But I fight dirty.”
“Oh, I bet you do.”
She nudged me with her elbow, and I nudged her back, stifling another laugh.
It was strange–how quickly she’d become a sliver of comfort in a place that felt like it was actively trying to chew me up. Most of the other women in the court barely spoke to me unless it was with disdain or suspicion. But Elenora–she hadn’t flinched the first time she saw me scrubbing floors. She’d just offered a quiet hello and then, a few days later, a stolen apple she claimed she didn’t want.
That was how it started.
Her sitting beside me during a break, peeling fruit with a knife so small it barely counted as a blade.
“You’re not like the others,” she’d said, tossing me the peeled piece with a shrug. “You look like you’re actually paying attention.
And then she kept showing up. Small talk turned into banter. Banter turned into genuine conversation. She never asked too much–just enough. Enough for me to feel like maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t completely alone.
Of course, I didn’t trust her fully.
I couldn’t afford to.
But I liked her. That was dangerous in itself.
“You’ve got that look again,” Elenora said now, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“What look?”
“The look of someone thinking about something they’re definitely not supposed to be thinking about.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She grinned. “Oh, sure. Let me guess–tortured love, secret curses, forbidden magic, a king with brooding eyes and a tragic past?”
I nearly choked on my water. “You read too many novels.”
“Maybe,” she said, leaning back on her elbows. “But life’s too boring without a little drama.”
I laughed again. Just a breath. Just enough to ease the tension that never fully left my spine.
I was about to ask her if she wanted to sneak into the kitchens later–we’d made it a little game, stealing sweets when no one was watching–when ! felt it.
That shift
The au changing, Ughtening.
1 nurned slightly, scanning the garden.
Three guards wood at the far edge of the stone pathway. Dressed in darker armor than I was used to seeing. Not the usual palace guards, not the ones who looked like twry’d rather nap than fight.
No. Theor our kokot.. serious
Forward
i maighnened slowly, trying non so let the sudden racing of my heart show on my face.
“Lady Biera” One of thou callest
Viesmaru sat op bede me, bes brows pudung together. “What the Fortit
3 sound, horrentig ingery duty skirt “Your”
Ited “May I ask why?”
reso 10 as
3:06 PM
Chapter 90
“Orders,” the guard said without inflection.
“From who?”
He hesitated. Just for a breath.
And then said, “The king.”
Elenora shot to her feet. “You can’t just drag her off without a reason.”
I touched her arm gently, trying to keep my expression calm even though every inch of me wanted to scream. “It’s okay. I’ll go.”
The lead guard didn’t blink. “Orders.”
“From who?”
He hesitated. Just a second.
And then: “The king.”
That one word tightened the knot already lodged in my chest.
Elenora looked ready to throw hands. “He didn’t even summon her himself?”
“Please,” I murmured, placing a hand on her arm. “It’s fine.”
It wasn’t. But I couldn’t let them see that.
The guards flanked me as I walked–fast, efficient steps down corridors that were too quiet for this time of day. My boots clicked sharply against the stone. My palms were damp inside my gloves.
Where was I being taken?
The route wasn’t familiar. We didn’t turn toward the throne room or the war chambers. We moved deeper into the palace, toward the high northern wing. The one no one really talked about.
One guard stopped by an iron–bound door and knocked once, then pushed it open.
He nodded toward the threshold.
I stepped in.
Then stopped short.
This wasn’t just another council room or map–littered strategy hall.
This was personal.
Dark wooden shelves lined the walls, packed with ancient tomes, weapons, maps, artifacts that glowed faintly even in the dim candlelight. A long table carved from obsidian sat in the center, surrounded by high–backed chairs. And seated–no, lounging–in one of them was Harden.
Casual as ever.
His tunic was loose, the top buttons undone, revealing ink spiraling down his collarbone and chest. His boots were kicked out lazily in front of him, one ankle resting over his knee. And he was sipping something from a heavy glass, his eyes already fixed on me.
“Right on time,” he said, like I’d been invited to dinner and not summoned like a criminal
I clenched my fists to hide the fact that they were trembling slightly.
“Harden,” I greeted evenly.
He didn’t respond to my tone. Just gestured lazily to the table. “Come. Meet the others.”
Others?
I turned–and that’s when I noticed them.
Three people. Sitting in that chamber like some kind of twisted royal court.
The first was a woman–sharp–featured, hair silver and braided down her back like a blade. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were the most unserthing thing I’d ever seen. No irises. Just mirrors. Silver, flat, and cold. She tilted her head slightly when I looked at her, like she was dissecting me with her 2/8
3:06 PM
Chapter 90
mind.
“Seraphine,” Harden said without looking at her. “Seer. Knows more than she should. Doesn’t like people. Don’t take it personally.”
I tried not to flinch as her gaze flicked over me, then dismissed me just as quickly.
Next was the man beside her.
A massive figure of a man, broad–shouldered and marked with glowing runes across his exposed arms. His eyes were amber, familiar in a way that only wolves could be. His expression was unreadable until I met his gaze–and then he smiled.
Just a little. But it was enough.
“Roan’s one of my generals,” Harden said. “Don’t challenge him unless you like losing.”
Roan gave me a small nod. “Welcome, Elena.”
I nodded back, grateful for the tiny breath of warmth in this room.
And then there was the last one.
He didn’t move when I looked at him. Didn’t blink. Didn’t even shift his weight. His cloak was dark, so dark it seemed to absorb the light. His hair was jet black, his skin pale as snow. His mouth was closed in a thin, firm line. His eyes….
They were pitch–black. No whites, no color. Just void.
He was the kind of man you didn’t want to accidentally make eye contact with.
“Talon doesn’t talk much,” Harden said simply. “But he hears everything.”
Talon’s stare never left mine. I forced myself to look away first.
Harden finally set his drink down and leaned forward, folding his fingers together. “So. Elena. You’ve lasted longer here than most thought you would.”
I kept my expression neutral. “Glad to know I’m exceeding exp
ectations.”
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