They reminded me of Bane’s eyes when he’d crashed in his cell, when he’d been afraid of me.
No, not me.
He was afraid of himself, afraid that he’d hurt me somehow if I helped him.
I could work with fear.
After all, I knew fear just as well as anyone; as I was raised to fear the woods and the Fae.
But I know knew that what I was taught to fear was a lie, and I was more than the things I was afraid of.
The thought of Bane, and his constant praise suddenly felt just.
I hadn’t seen it before, but now it was more clear to me than ever.
I was many things, an outcast, a daughter, a tea aficionado, a faerie, a student, and a mate.
I was Violet McCreanor, the Lost Princess of Lir, and I would not go down without a fight.
“Come on, YourHighness,”the dark faerie growled as he strong-armed me to the left.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, but he did not respond.
“Hey! I am talking to you!” I said as I drug my feet.
He only looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Thought they said you weredocile,” he murmured.
“Who? Who said that?”
“It doesn’t matter, you’ll be docile soon enough,” he said gruffly.
“Wait...” I tried to switch tactics, hoping sugar instead of vinegar would be a better approach.
“Wait!” I said as he took me to a cell. A cell that looked awfully similar to the ones in the hidden corridor where Bane and I...
My heart leapt in my chest at the very thought of him, and the spark beneath my skin hummed, almost as if it knew he was near.
But that would be crazy, because there was no way he knew where I was.
I had specifically left out all details of where I was going, and being as Blackthorn hadn’t had any details regarding my return—as the entirety of my return was hinging on myArdaímand whether or not the ancestors accepted my ascent, I had no earthly clue when I would actually return.
A couple days, a week?
I’d been told not to pack my things, that everything I’d need would be at my disposal, but now... now in the arms of these dark faeries, I wasn’t so sure if returning even was an option.
This is not what I wanted at all when I’d decided to come on this journey!
“You don’t want to do this,” I said as I pleaded with him.
He opened the cell, nodding for me to go inside. He could have just thrown me in, but he didn’t.
I could make a run for it.
I could try anyway, but running wasn’t my best sport. I gauged the distance between me and Mr. Grumbles, from us to the doorway we’d walked through.
His gaze caught mine as he stepped toward me, backing me into the cell as his green eyes focused on me.
“I can see that you don’t, I—”
