I race to the door and fling it open. Without a backward glance at my room or the enforcer, I start down the hall.
“Princess, where are you going?” he calls.
I don’t stop moving.
“You can’t be out right now. Return to your room.”
I ignore him. My whole body feels wound as tight as a spring. If I don’t get out of this place I will lose it completely.
He grabs my shoulder. “Princess.”
I shrug him off. “I need some air.”
“It’s late,” he says.
“I don’t care. I need out of this castle right now.”
He quickly moves in front of me, blocking my path. “Return to your room before you cause a scene.”
“I would rather take your sword in my chest than go back to my room right now,” I hiss. “I swear to the gods if you don’t get out of my way, I will make you move.”
His brow furrows slightly, as if there’s the smallest flicker of concern.
I shove past him, half expecting him to restrain me, but he follows alongside me instead.
“And where exactly are you going?” he says.
“I don’t know. I just know I can’t be here.” I make my way down the stairs, needing to find a way to get outside the walls. Idon’t care where I go, I just need to breathe, and I can’t do that here.
“You need to go back to your rooms. Now.”
I stop and glare at him. “Or what? You’ll feed me to a dragon, too?”
Conversation floats toward us. We aren’t alone in the hall. Brevan’s eyes go wide and he pulls open the nearest door, then shoves me inside.
We’re in a dark linen closet. “What are you doing?”
He covers my mouth with his large hand. “For once in your life, shut up.”
I grip his wrist and pull his hand from my mouth and just as I’m about to tell him to go fuck himself, I hear the voices again. They’re approaching our hiding place.
“What I wouldn’t give to see that bitch bloody and screaming,” a male voice says.
“She thought she was so much better than us,” a second voice says. “Just because her family owned more land than anyone else.”
“Well, now there’s none of them left to hold that land. I heard the prince himself burned their whole estate to the ground. No survivors,” the first man says.
“It’s too bad. I was looking forward to her sister joining her at court next year,” the first says.
Their conversation fades as they pass us and I sink to the floor, horrified by their words. Caiden was every bit the monster I thought he was.
Brevan crouches down next to me, his body outlined by the faint light coming in from the crack under the door. “Are you alright?”
“How old was her sister?” My voice is small.
“Don’t do that to yourself. You didn’t cause this.” He extends his hand. “Come on, I’ll get you back to your room.”
But I did, didn’t I? She was assisting me. This was my fault. How many more would die because of me? I was sent here to find answers, to help people. And all I’ve done is get people killed.
