“And Seren,” the King called out behind me. My escorts froze so I did as well. “I will try not to take it to heart that your grandfather is the one who did this to me.”
His smile had fallen from his face completely. Gone was the compassion he had shown me moments ago. In its place was a stone cold glare, a cruel frown, and the twitch of a hand. My blood ran cold as I followed the servants out of the hall, now completely surrounded by enemies I had thought were my friends.
Chapter eighteen
A Fall From Grace
TheKingoftheBone Court had kept his promise. My room was lavishly decorated and equipped with any imaginable luxury I might want during my stay, however long that may be. But I didn’t take as long to explore it as I might have done before when academic curiosity got the better of me.
Instead, I paced across the plush black carpet, chest heaving with the deep, shaky breaths that I was forcing myself to take. Was I truly his guest? Or was I his hostage? Because of my blood, because of who I hadn’t even known I was related to, he would hold me here. Maybe he would even use me to get revenge on his would-be assassin, on the ancient king that had cursed him, on my grandfather.
I felt ill. I slid to the floor in front of my bed, keeping my back to the mattress, and stuck my head between my legs. I focused on my breathing, trying to calm down, trying to rid myself of the nausea passing through me. It might not have mattered if I vomited all over their fine carpets but it couldn’t possibly make things any better either.
Lark had known. They all had. He knew it was my mother who he had betrayed over half a century ago. He knew who I was from the moment he met me. He knew exactly how I would fit into his plans, how he could use me, and I had let him. I had gone along with it, all of it, and I hadn’t even questioned him. I’d felt so lucky to be allowed in his exclusive group, so exhilarated to be studying the people I had spent my whole life wondering about. I hadn’t allowed myself to really question why he was letting me get so close, why he was convincing me to stay. But he’d known. He had known all along who I was. I only wondered what he had intended to trade me for. A certain gorgon jumped to mind and I shuddered.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” a familiar feminine voice spoke suddenly and I froze, still sitting on the floor beside my bed, knees up to my chest, as Cass entered the room.
She glanced around, taking stock of the amenities, before striding to the decanter in the corner and pouring herself a glass of the sloshing amber liquid.
“Sorry it took so long,” she muttered, annoyed. “Father can be so irritating when he wants to.”
I didn’t say a word, didn’t even breathe. At my silence, she looked over and, when she saw me there, her head cocked slowly to the side.
“Ren?” she asked, taking a step forward.
I scrambled to my feet, pulling from my sleeve the only thing I had found in this room that could be used as a weapon. A hairpin made of sharp bone.
“Ren,” Cass said again, more slowly this time, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Stay back,” I snapped.
To her credit, Cass stopped, raising her hands slowly.
“Ren, what are you doing?” she asked.
My chest was heaving, my eyes darting around the room for an escape, as if I had any chance of outrunning a Fae princess. As if this insignificant little hairpin could actually offer me even a sliver of defense against her might. She knew that too but she was playing along, always playing along.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper as a tear slid down my cheek.
“Ren, please. I didn’t realize you didn’t know. I mean, she was your mother. I thought—”
“Not that,” I snapped. “About him. Lark.”
Cass blinked, her lips parting slightly as if in genuine confusion.
“About what he did,” I spat. “About why he got banished in the first place.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? That’s all you have to say? Oh?”
“Ren, listen. I don’t know what my father told you but I’m sure it isn’t the whole story. If you would just—”
“Take me back.”
She blinked at me again.
“Take me back!” I shouted.
