Chapter 12
Truths
“Is she asleep?” Luna heard her father ask.
“Yes, sir. I think so. Haven’t heard her move in a while,” Clyde replied.
Stupid, handsome, horrible Clyde.
“Do you think the dungeon is an appropriate place for a lady of the court?”
“Considering yesterday’s events, I do, sir. It’s protocol. She can’t escape here, and the dungeon is well-protected from outsiders.”
“Treating her like she did something wrong is deplorable. We will see if the king agrees with you.” Her father huffed.
There was a long, drawn-out pause before Clyde said, “I’ll allow her out of this room on the king’s command—and only his command.”
She heard her father curse under his breath before she heard the distinct sound of his footsteps stomping away.
Luna didn’t dare move a muscle and alert Clyde that she was awake. Instead, she closed her eyes and forced her body to remain perfectly still, a desperate attempt to avoid interacting with him.
A short while later, she heard servants moving in the hall, going from cell to cell as they delivered morning meals. When they reached hers, Clyde stopped them. “I’ll bring it to her myself. Thanks.”
Dammit.So much for no interaction.
The cell door swung open, and he entered. She kept her eyes shut, praying he’d think she was still asleep and just put the food down then leave.
He stepped closer, his boots inches away from her as he set the tray of food down on the ground, practically in front of her nose. The smell of fresh bread made her feel like she was home with her mom; she could almost imagine Angie humming away while she baked.
A small sob burst her lips.
“There, there, Luna,” he cooed as he reached down and touched her shoulder—the gesture was warm, comforting even. “It’s going to be alright.”
A shudder swept through her.
If she were a more violent person, she would’ve smacked him. He was the last person who should have been trying to comfort her. He’d held his sword against her throat; he was the whole reason she was even in the dungeons. He didn’t care about her, and she wished he’d quit pretending he did.
She shrugged him off, but he wasn’t about to accept the rejection. Undeterred, he sat beside her, alert as always, one hand resting at his side, the other on his sword, as if she was in any condition to attack him. She stared at the sheathed metal, briefly torturing herself by reliving yesterday’s events before her eyes drifted to his. “What do you want?”
“To apologize. You must see that I’m only doing my job.”
Her gaze lowered to her hands, and she fisted them at her side. “Your responsibilities don’t involve you joining me in here . . .”
“Luna,” he cooed again, making her stomach flip, “I had to threaten your life yesterday. Otherwise, he would have taken you from us. It was the only way I could make that beast back down. You know I’d never hurt you.”
She no longer knew that. She refused to look back up at him, choosing to answer him with silence. How she regretted not going with Damien when she had the chance. If she had, she wouldn’t be sitting on this floor like a captive, forced to listen to the person who had trapped her.
“Luna, love,” Clyde purred. His hand cupped her face, forcing her to turn her head towards him. “I’d never hurt the girl I love. Everything I do is with our future in mind.”
She blinked in surprise. “You love me?”
“Of course I do. Does that surprise you? I’ve said it before.”
It’s true; he had. But back then, she had believed him, and she had loved him as well. Now, that feeling of love had turned into something else . . . something that invoked anger. “You tossed me in the dungeons like some criminal. You held a blade against me.” Her voice shook.
She took a steadying breath and willed herself to calm down. It wouldn’t be wise to make him angry, especially considering her circumstance; he was in a position of power. One look at the shackles on the wall told her that he could make her life a lot worse than it was.
“I already explained why I did that, Luna love. It’s all just a misunderstanding, don’t you see?”
