“Because he wants to publicly accuse me of attempted murder and execute me in front of the entire Fae Court?”
“No.” There was a pause. “Because you’re important to my brother. I wasn’t there obviously, but Stellon told me our father intended to use you as a bargaining chip… to ensure he’d remain the obedient son he’s always been. You’re the closest I’ve ever seen Stellon come to rebellion.”
And he was the closest I’d ever come to being loved.
A feeling of emptiness came over me that had nothing to do with the inedible quality of my last meal.
Poor Stellon. He’d been so full of joy and hope and misplaced optimism. And misplaced trust.
I twisted to try and see Pharis’ face, but it was shrouded in shadows from the trees.
“Is that why you broke your promise and told the King about us? So he couldsavehim from the ‘terrible human?’”
“I kept my promise to Stellon,” Pharis said, sounding offended, “and I’ll continue keeping my promises. I told no one about the two of you. I swear it. I swore it to him, too, and he knows it’s true. I was with him before I went down to the dungeon.”
“Is he okay?” I asked eagerly. “I’m worried about him. Your father was furious when he found us together in the stables.”
“Stellon will be fine. The King wouldn’t hurt a hair on that pretty golden head,” Pharis drawled.
I didn’t know my riding companion well—at all, really, but he sounded resentful.
Turning back around, I faced forward as we moved at a snail’s pace through the forest. The sky above the trees began to lighten noticeably. Dawn was breaking.
Pharis spoke again. “In case it isn’t clear, by the way…whateverwas between you—is over. My brother intends to never see you again. He told me that himself.”
I rubbed my chest to soothe the heavy ache inside. My response to Pharis came out in a hollow whisper.
“I know.”
We were quiet for a long while after that. I almost dozed off. I hadn’t been able to sleep at all in the cold, reeking dungeon last night. The horse’s slow pace and gentle rocking motion was nearly hypnotic.
The rumble of Pharis’ deep voice against my back caused my eyelids to fly open.
“About what?” he asked.
“What?”HadI actually dozed off and missed the beginning of his question?
“Before we ran into the errant husband back on the road, you started to say something. You said, ‘About that…’”
I shook my head trying to clear it, trying to remember. I gripped the pommel in front of me and sat up straighter, realizing I’d sagged back against Pharis in my drowsy state.
He huffed an aggravated sigh, rustling the top of my hair with his exhale.
“I called you an assassin and a liar, and you said, ‘About that…’ What were you going to say?”
Oh.I was stunned he actually wanted to hear my side of the story.
“I was going to say that Stellon never had anything to fear from me, and neither did the rest of your family. I’m not an assassin. Not really.”
“You had poison,” Pharis argued reasonably.
“I did. But I would never have used it,” I told him. “And I knew nothing about it when I got to the ball and met you and Stellon. Sorcha brought the poison to the palace.”
Knowing he wasn’t likely to believe me, I explained anyway.
“After she gave it to me and told me what she’d sent me to the ball to do, I started trying to find a way to get out of there and go home— so I could get my family to safety. She threatened them with retribution if I didn’t follow her orders.”
I wished I could see his face. What I pictured was a set of eyes so hardened they looked like tourmaline gemstones. He said nothing, so I went on.
