“Cal, stop.” My tears stained the front of his uniform. “I’ll go with them, okay? Just let me go.”
“No,” he rasped, cradling the back of my head. “I finally have you. I’ll never let you go. Never.”
Maddox broke free of the guards, only to have Captain Vander step in his way.
“Stand aside, Captain Maddox.” The knight commander tipped his chin up, one hand resting on his sword. “Interfere with Prince Cedric’s orders and you’ll be stripped of your command and thrown into the cell beside your lover.”
I recognized the defiance in Maddox’s eyes—and the determination to save me. He was about to throw away everything he’d worked so hard for, just so he could be there beside me. Callum was prepared to do the same. Like hell I’d let that happen.
I drew Callum in for a kiss… and then shoved him away as hard as I could.
“Ev!” He reached for me. “Wait.”
Guards swarmed me and yanked me to my feet, pinning my arms behind my back. It hurt, but I tried not to show it.
“There’s no need to be so rough with him,” Maddox snapped. His voice shook as he added, “You’re all bigger than he is. Please.”
A set of hands replaced the ones around my wrists. They held me gentler than the others. From my peripheral, I caught sight of a massive armored body.
Ban.
He and the other guards then escorted me from the dais and toward a narrow door to the left of the ballroom. Maddox and Callum called after me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t.
One look at them would shatter me.
***
“It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be.” I scrutinized the dungeon cell. “It’s worse.”
Ban grunted. He stood against the wall in front of the row of bars. After locking me inside, he took position there, staying when the other guards left.
“At least you’re here with me. I can’t imagine being alone.”
He stared at me before averting his eyes to the dirty floor.
And it was very dirty. Guess cleanliness didn’t matter when it came to jailing criminals. I sighed and glanced around my cell. No windows, but there was a thin bedroll in the corner. Also, dirty. Stains covered every inch of it. Some of those stains looked like blood, and my stomach turned. It was probably infested with lice or something else gross too.
Standing was best. Because nasty bedroll aside, the floor seemed to be moving in one area. Thoughts of Herbert came to mind. No way in hell was I sitting down. Cows slept standing up, right? Why couldn’t muffins?
Not that sleep was in the cards for me anytime soon. My life had turned upside down. Again.
I grabbed the bars in front of me. “Do you think I’m guilty?”
Ban’s gaze lifted. He had removed his helmet after placing me in my cell, allowing me to see his buzzed hair and ears. They jutted out just a tad, which I found kind of cute. Sconces along the wall provided a little light but not much.
“I’d probably think I was guilty too.” My grip tightened on the iron bars, and I slumped forward, resting my forehead against them. “Why would someone frame me? I haven’t done anything to anyone. Makes no sense.”
A hand softly landed on my head.
I froze. Not because I was scared. I just didn’t want to scare him by moving too fast. Something told me he didn’t willingly touch many people. The bars were just far enough apart for him to slide his big hand through.
Slowly, he moved his fingers over my hair. Despite my shitty situation, I smiled at the soft touch. He was comforting me.
“Thank you.” I peered up at him. The tenderness in his expression was all the proof I needed that he didn’t believe the lie. “You’re a good friend, Ban.”
He held my gaze for a heartbeat or two before pulling away. Back against the wall, he stared at his palm before quickly lowering it to his side.
“You spoke to me, didn’t you? After the mercenary attacked us?”
