Once the door is locked behind us, he turns to me. “Brahm has stationed guards along the boundary of the property. We can’t leave again without him knowing. We’ve been warned not to encourage those resisting his rule.”
I draw back. “What? So, we’re prisoners here?”
His expression grows grim. “I can get us out, but we only have one shot. The moment the king and queen know that we’ve betrayed them, we will be considered traitors to the crown. There will be a price on our heads and an army of umbrae gunning for us.”
I swallow hard. “When can we go?”
He sighs through his nose. “First, we need somewhere to go. There is something I must do, little bird, and I must do it alone. I can blend into the darkness and shadoweave past the guards, but you’ll never make it on foot.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I promise to tell you upon my return, but now, I must…go.” His skin ripples with his need to shift.
“Wait!” I raise a hand. “What did you find out about your father?”
His fangs lengthen with his growl. “Only that my brother is lying. I don’t know exactly what happened to my family, Eloise, but I suspect he’s covering for the dark elf at his side. My brother isn’t a murderer, but he is an opportunist. I will find out, and I will have my revenge. Now, little bird, timing is everything.”
I kiss him on the cheek. “Go.”
He shifts into shadow and filters out the window.
I don’t believe for a second that Brahm and Nevina rose to power out of some sort of altruistic sacrifice to save the kingdom. Damien’s father didn’t starve to death or die from complications of any disease. According to Ariadne, the wasting disease doesn’t even exist. King Malek was murdered, and while we have no proof of who is responsible, I think Damien is right—Nevina and her father gained the most from the royal family’s demise.
We need to make a plan. I’m sure whatever Damien is doing, he has the kingdom’s best interests in mind. If I still had my magic, I’d make Nevina pay for what she’s doing to Stygarde. If I still had Phantom, we wouldn’t just leave this castle; we’d find a way to free this kingdom.
Restlessly, I head for the bedroom, where I left my parents’ grimoire. I need to try calling Phantom again. I saw Malek’s ghost tonight. Maybe something has changed.
I stop short when I see a trunk at the foot of the massive bed with a scrollwork A on the lid, a thin painted thread looping around to a needle that forms the bar in the A. That’s Ariadne’s crest! When did this get here?
In a rush, I open the chest and light up at the dresses I find carefully folded inside. I’m still wearing the powder-blue atrocity that Nevina gave me, and I hastily try to rid myself of the garment. I end up tearing a seam. Once I see the dress is ruined, I rip it completely off me, roll it into a ball, and cast it aside. I never plan to wear any of the queen’s gifts again.
I lift one of the dresses from the chest. It’s a gorgeous, rich evergreen, which has always been one of my favorite colors. But as I start to put it on, I realize it’s not a dress at all but a three-piece set, leggings with a cropped top and an overcoat that fastens like a corset to give the appearance of a dress. Once I have it on, I notice the shoes she’s included. They fit like they were designed around my feet. Everything is comfortable, stretchy, and light. It feels like I’m in athletic gear masquerading as a ball gown.
A shiny wooden box under the set catches my eye. Damien asked for accessories. Could it be a necklace? I open the box and find the most gorgeous diadem of black diamonds and emeralds. I walk to the mirror and place the circlet of stones around my head. The central emerald falls like a teardrop at the center of my forehead. I’ve never been one to spend too much time staring into a mirror, but the effect is stunning. The green brings out the color of my eyes, and my wild red curls are somewhat tamed by the diadem.
Ariadne is truly a master of her craft.
One thing is missing, though—well, two things, to be exact—that I plan to make a habit of wearing again from this day forward. I dig in the drawer for where I’ve stored my daggers and strap them to my thighs. Remembering what Cassius taught me, I go through my exercises, practicing each move until I can draw my daggers without getting tangled in the overcoat. To be effective, I have to plan for the movement of the skirt, but I can do it. With my vampire speed and agility, I have it figured out in no time. Deep lunges. Big, sweeping steps. Timing so that the cloth twirls out of my way before I strike. I can fight in this.
I spar my way across the room. Practicing until I can do every move Cassius taught me effortlessly. I sense a presence behind me and instinctively whirl around, raising my dagger. I stop with the tip pressed under Damien’s chin.
“Are you going to kill me little bird?”
I sheath the dagger and pull him into my arms. “Where did you go?”
“I caught up to Tempest on her way back to Aendor. She’s agreed to take us in. The nature of her coastal territory means we can easily hide, even leave Tenebris by ship if we have to.”
“That’s great,” I say breathlessly, although the idea of running from that bitch Nevina makes me bristle. People like Brahm and Nevina need to be stopped. Fleeing means we give up and Damien cedes his homeland to those bastards. It doesn’t sit well with me.
But as he draws back, his gaze roves over me, his silver eyes turning stormy. “You take my breath away. Eloise, you look like a queen.”
“Don’t say that too loud. You might get me killed.”
He growls. “Goddess help anyone who might try.” He runs his nose and lips along my throat. “You are and always will be my only queen.”
“Damien—” We should talk, plan our escape, but his nearness awakens heat deep within me. Like muscle memory, my body reacts, pressing into his warmth, needing the pleasure and release it knows only he can provide.
“You found the dresses.”
