The prince shrugged his shoulders, “Who knows what the king’s plans are—but I can guarantee you won’t be getting out of here until he gets what he wants.”
Adalia felt the crack in her heart widen. Hope was bleeding from her body, and she feared she may never see her family again.
“What were you doing in Oscuro in the first place? There are rules for both kingdoms, and there are consequences for those who disobey,” he mused as he strolled towards her slowly. Too slowly.
Adalia held her breath when he reached her. His scent enveloped her body. A mix of juniper berries and sandalwood.
He leaned forward. “You stay out of our kingdom, and we stay out of yours. It’s that simple,” the prince murmured.
“You’re insane if you think I willingly stepped into this life-destroying realm and placed myself in this putrid cage. If you must know, I’d just released one of your kind back into this horrid kingdom. And after locating the tear she’d snuck through, I was ambushed and kicked through the Veil. I see now that the goodness in my heart has done me a disservice. Perhaps I should have just killed her when I had the chance,” Adalia replied through clenched teeth.
The prince pulled back and chuckled. It made Adalia see red.
“You poor little dove, locked up here in this putrid cage. Wings bound and heart broken—how will you escape?”
He reached down and gripped her face in one of his hands. “Why don’t you fight back if you don’t wish to be here? Show me the strength and power of a Lightner soldier.”
Adalia turned her head away from him and stared across the room.
The prince retreated and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. “No? Hmm . . . Then you may never get out. Unless . . .”
The word brought on a peculiar mixture of hope and dread. “Unless?” Adalia asked.
“Unless we made a deal.”
Nearly choking on her spit, Adalia threw him a wary look. “I don’t make deals with the devil.”
“Ouch, you wound me, little dove. Don’t you want to hear what I have to offer first?” the prince asked as he took a turn about the room.
“Stop calling me that!” Adalia demanded. “I have a name.”
The prince raised a brow. “Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“My name is Adalia, and what could you possibly offer me? I certainly have nothing you need.”
The blue-eyed prince placed his hands behind his back, his huge black wings towering over his head as he walked towards Adalia once again. “Well, Adalia.” The way her name rolled off his tongue sent little bumps across her body. “I will give you your freedom, in exchange for one small token.”
Adalia held her breath for what seemed like a century as the prince neared, his blue eyes never leaving her face. “Is thattokenmy life?”
He chuckled again and shook his head. “Your freedom . . . for a kiss.”
A kiss? He was joking, right?
“You mean to tell me you will defy your father and set his captive free in exchange for a kiss?” Adalia folded her arms across her chest, gritting her teeth from the pain.
His gaze followed her movement, and she was suddenly very aware that there wasn’t a lot of fabric covering her body. Heat rose in her cheeks.
The prince nodded; a smirk plastered across his face.
“Over. My. Dead. Body.” Adalia spoke each word with firmness.
“Have it your way, little dove.” The prince grinned. “But let me say, as soon as I walk out of this room, the deal is off the table.”
“You’re a beast,” she hissed.
The prince laughed. “Call me what you like, but at least this beast has freedom.”
Adalia lunged for him, but she lacked strength, so just fell at his feet. The prince moved just out of her reach and looked her over. “Last chance.”
