“Because you distracted me! And look here you are, distracting me. AGAIN! Poking your nose into something that isn’t your business, AGAIN!”
“I was just trying to help.”
She leans her head back against a tree. “It was a nightmare, Rorin. I would’ve woken up eventually. You don’t need to try to help me with my dark and twisty head. Okay, princeling?”
Okay, Nightmare…
–
The memory bounces around the walls of my mind, bringing me both comfort and anguish. Nightly, I am badgered with thoughts of her. Her smell, her voice, gods… those fucking eyes. Even the way her breath hitched every time we got close haunts me.
But no matter how much my chest aches at the mere thought of her, my memories are all I have right now. I took my eyes off of her for one damn second, andhetook her.
Should have made sure he was dead.My conscience jabs. Yes, I should have. At least I know the moment I get my hands on him, he won’t live long enough to give me an explanation for his actions.
I won’t make that mistake again.
“You look like you slept terribly.” I look up to find Ben’s far too sunny face on the opposite side of my horse.
“Well, sleep with one eye open when the enemy is around, right?”
His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, “is that what you did with Eveera? Sleep with one eye open?” I level a weighted glare on him, and he backs up with both arms high, laughter bursting past his poorly sealed lips.
I shake my head, tugging on the girth of the saddle another time to make sure it’s secured. “Hey, Ben?” I call out.
“Yeah?” He shouts, making his way back over to me, the playful smile still on his face.
“One, you also look like shit. Two? I slept withbotheyes open with Eveera. That woman scares the fucking hell out of me.”
Bennett barks out another laugh, combing a few fingers through his thick black hair, “you and me both.” Rocking backon his heels, he takes a step back towards me, “for what it’s worth, Ror, I don’t like that the princess is here any more than you do. But Will’s made a point. Do you want to be a better king than your father or not?”
A reluctant sigh leaves me, the words rolling around in my head, “she would kill me if I let Pruella go anywhere near Obsidian.”
His head bobs up and down. “Okay… well then, we keep Princess Pruella with us.”
“And do what with her?” I snap.
My guard shrugs his shoulders up and down. “Keep her as leverage. When we find Eveera and bring her back to Obsidian, it will certainly have been a noticeably long enough time for the princess to be missing. Baelor will be looking for her if he isn’t already. We use her as a bargaining chip.”
A bargaining chip…
“That’s… not the worst idea.”
Bennett rolls his eyes, “it’s the only idea we’ve got that could actually be useful. At least then we can get close to Baelor and Eiser again. Close enough to deal with them.”
Mmmm. “Close enough to kill them.”
Eveera
He came back with more tonics that night.
I fell into a deep sleep after my discussion with Axel, his presence lulling me into a place of safety. That was until I woke up, choking down the bitter metallic liquid.
Fighting for my breath, my nails score down Ezra’s already scarred neck, forcing him to leap back from my touch. The scorch marks turned scars from Max’s apparent outburst after the battle are still a sore spot for him. Though I’m sure the fear-filled memory of the corporeal claws I favored so much contributed to his reaction when my nails met his flesh.
The tonic is acrid, more so than usual, and tears threaten to fall from the corners of my eyes while I struggle against swallowing.
“Just breathe, Nightmare.”The voice inside my head whispers.Hisvoice.I can’t, I internally scream, my body convulsing as the tonic’s magic snuffs out my Wield even farther.
