“I know, thank you.” George ignored him and smiled gratefully at Elio and Greta. She appreciated their support in a way that could never be fully expressed. They understood the horrors of court, and they’d gotten away—for the most part. She’d make sure they never had to return.
“Stay on this level while we’re out.” Dunstan jabbed his finger in George’s direction as they left the room.
Standing, she moved to the wide, arched doorway to watch her friends’ departure.
“We’ll be back late, don’t wait up for us!” Greta called as she supported her growing bump with one hand and waved goodbye with the other.
Dunstan and Burke positioned themselves on either side of Hildy, jostling her as they jockeyed for attention.
When they were nearly across the courtyard, Hildy looked over her shoulder and winked. “Don’t do anythingtooreckless.” Her voice floated over on a whisper of magic, and George knew the words were for her alone.
Isahnpaced,wishingsomeonewould visit so he could take a piss. With one ankle chained to the wall and both hands shackled behind his back, getting his dick in-hand without using his magic was quite the challenge. He really didn’t want to get caught with his pants down and a cord of water curled around his cock.
At least he had some freedom of movement, even if he could only make an arc around the back end of the chamber. His trousers and tunic were beyond filthy, his jacket long gone. Isahn itched to clean up. He could be fresh and dry inside five minutes, but he wasn’t ready to reveal his watercoursing yet. Despite the princess being among their ranks, his captors weren’t the most elite force, but they would notice if their ripe, dirt-covered prisoner had a bath they hadn’t offered.
The scratch andclunkof a key in the lock warned Isahn he was about to have a visitor. Sure enough, the cell door swung open,and the dark-skinned guard with wild, white hair walked in—the woman who’d questioned him in Sorhaven. Immediately on high alert, he tracked her path to one of the corners he couldn’t reach. Stoic and unblinking, she stared back at him.
A second woman waltzed through the door, a blonde with blue eyes and pale skin who looked a bit like Solaelia. The belt on her red robe swung as she slammed the swollen wood and iron door behind her with a resoundingthunk.
The delicious scent of rose and patchouli flitted over to Isahn. It came from the second woman, not the first. Andboth,he was fairly certain, were George.
Sticking close to the wall he couldn’t reach, the pale guard walked its length and lit a few oil lamps, basking the depressing cell in an out-of-place, cozy light. When she was done, she set her candle on a shelf by the door and claimed the corner opposite the immobile guard.
The bronze-skinned George glowered at Isahn when he met her eye, so he turned his attention back to blonde George, whose golden curls cascaded over her shoulders, bobbing as she looked him up and down.
Isahn was fairly certain George looked nothing like either of the women standing before him. He was also pretty sure the unblinking guard was a full-blown mirage, not human in any real way. To verify his suspicion, he sent an invisible puff of vapor toward her. It whooshed through her body. He didn’t risk glancing in that direction, just in case his magic had somehow disturbed the illusion of the second person. Blonde-George didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, so he relaxed.
As their silent staring war raged on, curiosity got the better of Isahn, and he walked toward the pale guard. His chain dragged obnoxiously on the stone floor until it pulled taut when he was a few feet away. With hands cuffed behind his back, his stance probably appeared more confident than he felt, but that wasn’ta bad thing. It’s how he’d approach if he wasn’t shackled—and it brought a bit of normalcy to his horrible situation.
He studied Princess Georgetta, blonde edition, with unveiled interest. Everyoneelsefrom Domos had skin that ranged from taupe to a deep, rich brown, and every other Domossan he’d met had dark eyes and hair, too. He’d heard that some folks from Gramenia and Domos had skin the color of onyx, and that the rarest of the rare Karovians had a purple tint to their black hair, but he’d never met anyone that richly toned himself. Either way, the blonde guard looked like a bloody Selwassan, andthatcouldn’t be right.
George studied him, running her gaze from the top of his light brown hair to the tips of his dust-covered riding boots. The damned guards had scrubbed him so thoroughly back in Sorhaven, the walnut husk coloring his tresses had faded substantially. George had no idea who he was either way, but if Isahn didn’t darken his hair again soon, he’d risk Peros recognizing him, should they cross paths.
Feeling slightly cocky, he rocked on his heels while the princess looked him over. Neither of the Georges in the room had spoken yet—he didn’t even think the white-haired onecouldtalk—so he waited for the true George to break the silence as he wondered about her real appearance.
Hemusthave seen a portrait of her at some point in his life. There had to be one hanging at Kirce Palace in Selwas, right? Despite having visited on a number of occasions, the recesses of his memories came up empty. So, he moved on to a crude attempt at logic. Princess George didn’t seem as cruel as rumor claimed; the cart ride east had proven that to him. If exaggeration was at play, did that also mean she waslessbeautiful than the gossip said?
They both decided to break the silence.
“What—”
“Do you—” George pressed her lips together and glowered at Isahn.
“Ladies first.” He inclined his head politely.
A single blonde eyebrow popped on George’s most-likely-miraged forehead. “Do you intend to be more cooperative this evening?”
“That depends. What’s in it for me, George?” he drawled.
Her pretty pink mouth fell open. He expected her cheeks to redden as well, but they didn’t change.
Shockingly, he was shoved back several feet. An invisible set of hands held him firmly against the stone wall, the pressure painful on his ribs.
“If I could put my hands up in surrender, I would,” he croaked.
The force lessened and he took a deep, shaky breath.
“Who the fuck are you?” she rasped.
