“Part of it.” He shrugs again. “I couldn’t exactly take you to the main square. People would talk.”
People would talk. So I shouldn’t be here. Which means I am not safe here.
“Come on, I’ll show you to your room,” he says.
I follow him farther into the tunnel until we reach a door. The door sits a solid three feet into the wall. I stand in the nook, my fingers tracing the carvings on the wood.
“Where are we?”
“Servants’ quarters,” he says softly.
“Like…the servants’ quarters of the palace?”
“Yes. No one will come looking for you here.”
“Jax,” I say, reaching out to place my hand on his wrist, stopping him from opening the door. His eyes fix on my fingers, and I can feel his pulse quicken. I pull away. “I thought you said the royal family would be okay with me staying here.”
“Those weren’t myexactwords.” He’s still staring at his wrist, at the place my fingers no longer rest.
“Jax,” I press, regretting our agreement. If he wants to keep me hidden, then I am not safe.
Which means he lied.
“It’s not that simple. But I promise, as long as you stay down here, no harm will come to you.”
“Down here? In this dungeon?” I nearly yell, and there’s panic in his eyes. “For two whole months?” Once again, heat rages just beneath the surface of my skin.
“You have to be quiet,” he says on a breath. “And it’s not a dungeon.” He rolls his eyes. Literallyrolls his eyes, and suddenly the need to scream at him feels all consuming, but before I can, I hear a voice from the end of the hall. Someone’s coming toward us. ButI’m tucked into the nook so I can’t see them, and they can’t see me.
But they can see Jax.
“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! I should have known you’d be down here,” she says.
Why would she say that? Is Jax a servant of the palace? Is that how he knows the prince? He certainly doesn’t dress like a servant.
“Your mother has been losing her mind.”
“Get inside,” Jax whispers, his voice urgent, but I just glare at him.
“No,” I hiss. “Not until you start being honest with me.”
“Who are you talking to? Is someone with you?” that same female voice calls.
She’s closer now.
His jaw tightens. “Ihonestlyneed you to get inside this room, Serafina.” He clears his throat, his eyes focused. “Please.” The word sounds foreign on his lips. Almost like he choked on it, like he’s not used to saying the wordplease.
He looks down the hall at whoever’s rapidly approaching and opens the door.
I let out an exaggerated sigh and step through the threshold, but before I can turn around, the door closes behind me, and I hear a key turn in the lock.
No.
No.
He’s locked me in. The bastard has locked me in here!
I raise my fist, ready to pound, but before I can, darkness creeps toward me from under the door. The darkness keeps coming, black as night, circling around me, flooding the room. It’s closing in on me, and I canfeelit—pressing against my skin, holding me still—as if it’s solid, as if it’salive.
