Caramyn’s breath caught in her chest as the prince’s eyes locked on her, and she could sense the way the air shifted in the room. She feared what he might say next, though she had been expecting it for a while now.
“You asked me why I invited you to dinner tonight. Granting your freedom was only part of the reason.”
“What else do you want from me?” Caramyn glowered. “I’ve told you all I can about the ring.”
“This isn’t about the ring.” The prince sat upright, his broad shoulders hunching over as he leaned forward, as if he was trying to whisper to her from across the table. “I want your help crossing the Shadow Woods.”
Uneasiness crept through Caramyn. She had known it was coming—suspected that he was going to ask her this in some form or another. Still, she looked at him, sickened by the feeling of being backed into a corner. “Well, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed, because I can’t do that.” Caramyn uttered softly, placing her elbows on the table before her. “There is no reason to believe I can enter the Woods safely, much less take someone else through them.”
Asterious, stood up, stalking toward her as he talked. She didn’t expect him to come so close, and her heart leapt at the sound of her name on his lips. “Caramyn. You’re either lying or blind to what’s right in front of you. Think about it. You survived for hours—maybe even an entire day—alone at the edge of the Woods. Lying there, right in the threshold of where the Shadows lurk. You should’ve been easy prey for them. You should’ve been dead long before I found you.” His eyes swept across her face as he lingered at the corner of the table. “I believe you could be capable of something you don’t realize. Magic has marked youlike no other. Maybe it’s because you’re meant for something good. Something of Light, meant to combat the darkness. Something even the Shadows are afraid of.”
Caramyn felt a shudder race down the back of her neck. Of all the things she’d expected, she didn’t expect that. That he would suggest she could be a vessel of Light, when in actuality she was a conduit for the darkness that dwelled in her blood. That she was a conquering force who could tread over Shadows like the enemies they were. He’d destroy her if he knew she’d walked among Shadows because she was one of them, not because they feared her.
She wanted to hide, to cover her face, to bury her eyes from even her own reflection that watched her in the great mirror on the wall. But instead, she swallowed and managed to croak out. “You’re mistaken.”
“Am I? Think about it, Caramyn. The Shadows did not harm you. We could return to the Woods, and you could lead me through. You and I…we could find the Shadowblood’s Blade.” Asterious stood beside her now, his hand on the back of her chair.
And then it became clear to her. He did not hate Sinevia because of the darkness that held a grip on her. He did not want to kill her…because they were not a part of her, so there was a hope that she could be free of them. But for herself, that was not the case. Darkness was in her blood, and a part of herself she could not remove any more than she could scrub away the inky stains on her skin. And he would despise her for it if he knew. He would not be able to see past the cursed power she was bound to.
It was a trap. It had to be. If this weapon really existed, she would be the last person to help him get it. She would not freely trust a man’s hidden heart, prince or not. Something within her crumbled, and she shot up to her feet, staring up into his dimly lit face as he towered over her. “So that’s what all this is reallyabout, isn’t it? You just want to use me as your shield?” She gestured to the table. “This—all this—is just a way for you to manipulate me to do your bidding, the same way you send your men to do your dirty work. So that you can gain some god-like power you assume you are worthy enough to wield.” She touched the corner of her eye while blinking back tears from both. She couldn’t believe she had almost fallen for his charm and false generosity.
The prince’s eyes hardened, and by his body language, her accusations had struck a nerve. "Don't you understand what's at stake? If Sinevia—"
"How can I believe anything you say? For all I know, Sinevia might not even be the real threat. Maybe she's saving the kingdom from you. You could be twisting everything and making her out to be the enemy. How would I possibly know the truth? How do I know you aren't just seeking power for yourself?"
The prince's gaze turned to steel, and his voice followed. “Even the rumors make it clear that I never wanted the crown. That much was true. I just wanted freedom, not to rule. But I don’t have a choice anymore. I can't watch Evylere go to ruin at the hands of my own sister."
"Evylere went to ruin the day your father took the throne. And now you only show me mercy because you want to use me for your own gain. I have no way of knowing your true intentions. I don’t even know that I am truly capable of leading someone through the Woods.” She stepped away, turning toward the exit.
Asterious’ footsteps echoed through the room as he rushed after her. “You have to try. You could be the answer to all of this!”
Caramyn whirled around. “To what?Yourproblems? How can you expect me to trust you—to risk my life for you? You wanted freedom? From what exactly? Living in a castle being waited on, hand and foot while the rest of us had to fight to survive?That’s why you think I should be grateful that you dragged me out of my—out of those Woods—and brought me to your sparkling palace. You are just another spoiled, arrogant ass born into royalty, trying to manipulate your way into more power at someone else’s expense. You are no different from the countless men before you.” Caramyn looked away, swallowing a lump in her throat. “I heard the things Wyran said about me in the Woods. You listen to him. How do I know you don’t really feel the same way? How do I know you wouldn’t kill me once you got what you want?”
The prince's bewildered silence haunted her.
“Exactly. Those are the questions you can’t—or won’t—answer.” She turned again and marched toward the door, ignoring his footsteps behind her.
As she reached for the door handle, a hand clasped around hers and yanked her back. She whipped around, seething, and with her unrestrained hand, smacked the prince across the face.
Asterious released her and glared at her, his eyes ignited against the torchlight. Something in his eyes shifted. A feral, devilish glimmer. He seized both her wrists and pinned her back against the door, his muscular arms like stone walls on either side of her. His chest heaved with each breath, his face inches from hers.
“Let go of me, you bastard! Or is this the part where you finally kill me?” Caramyn spat through her teeth as she struggled against his grip. “Go on. Get it over with! Show me what it is that makes you so ruthless!”
Her eyes met his for a moment, and he blinked, dropping his gaze to her shoulder. It was then she noticed that the top of her sleeve had been pulled down when he grabbed her, exposing the top of her collarbone and bare skin below it.
He blinked again. “What are those scars from?” The prince’s voice darkened like a shadow, growling out the question as hiseyes narrowed in on the faded claw marks that Caramyn had never meant for him to see. Four deep red lines that had begun to scab over against bruised flesh that betrayed evidence of her attempted escape.
Caramyn bristled as she felt the prince’s grip tighten. “Whatever that thing you have guarding the castle is...it attacked me. It’s quite a damn good way to keep me from leaving. But you could’ve at least warned me about it!”
The prince went pale, his widening eyes never leaving the scars. “That monster is supposed to be dead. It’s not supposed to be out there. It could have killed you.” His entire demeanor had changed, and the rage in his voice was now riddled with shakiness.
“And how terrible if it had, because you would’ve lost the chance to do it yourself, right? Or worse, lost the only person who can lead you through those Woods to get what you want?” Caramyn shouted the question louder than she meant to, shoving him off her the second his hold eased. She yanked her sleeve back up, moments away from grabbing the dagger at her thigh and plunging it into his neck, but his stunned, glassy-eyed expression was enough to make her hesitate.
“No...no!” The cries came through desperate breaths. Asterious’ voice had never sounded so frantic, but his eyes hardened like stone as he stepped forward. “Youcannotleave this castle if that thing is out there. Promise me you won’t try to leave again. Promise me!” He reached forward with both hands as if to grasp her face between them, and then dropped them down to her shoulders, but stopped, trembling, his open palms hovering a hair’s breadth over her skin.
She made a move for the dagger, but stopped when he didn’t touch her. “It seems I don’t have a choice. I don’t understand what—”
“You don’t have to understand, you just have to promise!” His voice trembled, and he took a step back, as if he suddenly realized how threateningly close he was to her. “I’m...I’m sorry...”
