I jerked it up into the window seat, then rolled inward, planting my feet firmly inside Fieran’s room. I moved swiftly across the rug, putting space between me and the window, as if it might eat me.
Though he claimed to be proud of me, as usual, Fieran looked pleased with himself. “The most pleasant form of training. Soon, you’ll be ready to fly.”
For a moment, I stared at him in shock. He thought he was going toorgasmme out of my childhood fears?
He was fucking me for a purpose?
“You arrogant, condescending bastard.” Sudden fury welled up inside me. I fixed my clothes, yanking my tunic down; the places where his hands had touched my bare skin burned. “I don’t need that kind oftraining.I don’t need you to beproud of me.Who do you think you are?”
He didn’t stir from the window seat, leaning against one curved side. He looked maddeningly calm and untouched in the face of my fury.
“Oh, Cara.” He looked at me with open sympathy, as if he could see right through me to my ragged heart.
I didn’t know what he was going to say next, but whatever it was, I didn’t want to hear it. I felt like I was going to die if I heard the next words out of his beautiful mouth.
I stormed out of his room, almost tripping over Rees.
“Your dog likes me better!” I called over my shoulder to him as Rees rose to his feet. Rees loped ahead of me, a massive shadow, as if he already knew where we were going.
It was only when I fled back to my own room, with multiple doors firmly closed between Fieran and me, that I couldn’t escape the truth.
I didn’t mind his methods of coaxing me over my fear of heights one bit. My clit was still sensitive, throbbing as I paced the room, too keenly aware of my tight, heavy breasts. I could’ve happily straddled him—carefully—on the window seat and ridden him for the rest of the night.
But his words.
I’m proud of you.
I’d never heard those words before in my life.
The patronizing prick thought he could control me. Make me want to please him. I didn’t care if anyone was proud of me, least of all him.
My boot caught the edge of a chair, sending it crashing into the wall. A vase toppled from the sill of one of those shuttered windows.
The vase shattered on the ground, spilling gold coins.
I stared at them in horror. No.No.
Someone must have realized I’d thrown the amulet away before they could use it to destroy me. I bent to pick up the pieces of gold with shaking fingers, only to realize these might not be the only valuables hidden in my room.
I ran to check the door was locked first, though that lock would barely slow Fae who came to arrest me. Would they send the Night Guard? Would it be that easy for the queen to write me out of Fieran’s scheming, tossing me into one of those prisons from which no mortal ever rose again?
Frantically, I ran my hand over the cool expanse of fabric under my pillow. Nothing.
I knelt, my knee slamming painfully into the floor in my haste. I ran my hand under the mattress instead.
My fingers skated over more coins. Over tangled chains. I pulled them free, sweeping glinting gold onto the hardwood floor. Wayward coins rolled on their sides across the room, spinning until they fell. One of them rolled under my dresser.
I leapt to my feet and followed the coin. The dresser held my plain black training tunics and leggings. There shouldn’t be anything else there. I pulled out one drawer after another, fumbling through the fabric.
Nothing.
Then I reached the bottom drawer, where I’d tossed the empty bag I’d brought from home. When I’d done so, I’d imagined the bag carrying my handful of books back to my family.
But it wasn’t empty now. With ever-increasing horror, I ripped it open to discover more gold.
Someone had hidden gold in my room. Piles of it.
Enough to change my family’s life forever…or damn me as a thief to meet an executioner.
