I just watched him then, those dark eyes boring into my own with something like genuine concern. He didn’t touch me again. But his hand twitched as though he wanted to. This dark and beautiful Fae, this Prince of the Court of Blood and Bone, this troubled brother and exiled son. He was fighting for his life and he had somehow found the time to throw me a life preserver as well.
“I’m supposed to hate you,” I told him, narrowing my gaze as if in suspicion.
He chuckled, standing from the bench.
“Likewise,” he said.
I cocked my head to the side, looking up at him as he glanced around the courtyard.
“Where have you been?” I asked, more out of curiosity now than anger. “I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
“I apologize for that,” he answered with a frown and I thought he might actually mean it. “Sophierial is keeping me busier than I expected.”
It was a worse punch to the gut than I expected.
“Fraternizing?” I asked, trying for a light tone, trying to make it seem like a joke.
He met my eyes with a sordid grin and I knew I’d failed. My uncle always said I got vicious when I was angry. I supposed I was about to prove his point.
“Jealous?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes.
“Not so much,” I answered. “I just take my cues from you, princeling. So if you’re going to break the rules, that means I can, too.”
I shrugged, delighting in the way he clenched his fists when I called him princeling.
“And you have an interest in breaking that particular rule, do you?” he asked, raising a brow in challenge. But I wasn’t one to back down. He would learn that eventually. Might as well be now.
“Maybe,” I answered with a shrug, acting aloof. “Who knows how long I’ll be staying here. It gets quite boring when Cass is away. That attendant of Sophierial’s, Barachiel, was it? He’s always trying to entertain me, bringing books to my room or offering to take me to the library. Perhaps I should mention I’ve thought of an activity more stimulating than reading.”
He tried to hide it but I saw. The brief flash of annoyance, the tick of his jaw. I felt his fury, white hot and burning like a roaring fire. I grinned wide, triumphant.
“Give it a try,” he shot back, turning and striding from the garden, off to do whatever he’d been doing for weeks. “Perhaps then I won’t have to listen to him gripe about his duties so much.”
I snorted as Lark left me sitting on a bench among the tulips.
I’d taunted him and he hadn’t backed down. I could give him credit for that. Still, I couldn’t help but notice, over the next few weeks, that Cass was abandoning me to my boredom far less than she had been before. And Barachiel never came to my room again. I couldn’t help but experience a thrill at having gotten to the Bone Court Prince so grandly.
It was another three weeks before Cass received a note during our morning lessons and vanished without warning. She didn’t return until after lunch and, when she burst into the common room where I was settled into an over sized armchair reading a book of theological theory that Semyaza had been more than thrilled to fetch for me, she wasn’t alone. Lark was with her.
“What—” I started but Cass interrupted before I could finish.
“Rook’s back.”
I was on my feet in an instant. Six weeks. We had been here six weeks without Rook, knowing he was off somewhere trying to talk some sense into a very dangerous and volatile Fae. I couldn’t hide the relief that flooded through me at Cass’ words. If he was back, he was alive. Maybe the rest wouldn’t be such good news. But he was alive.
“And?” I asked.
“Taurus wants to talk,” Lark replied.
My eyes widened. Cass just frowned.
“And Rook?” I asked, looking between them. “How is he?”
They glanced at one another, as if stunned I would think to ask such a thing. I was equally stunned that they hadn’t.
“Rook’s fine,” Lark answered after a moment. “I told you, Ren, he can take care of himself.”
