Kieran puts his hands on my arms, stroking them gently. “You said it yourself last night. She’s the law. Her decisions go unchecked—but only for a bit longer. Don’t resist her here, Gen.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. There’s so little we can do to stop the queen, especially here, surrounded by her guards—including Gabe.
“I won’t let them harm you. I’ll get you out. I promise you.” It’s a promise I will die fulfilling. I will not allow my mother to separate us now, not when I know the truth. Not when I allowed it to happen nine years ago.
We dress in a silent flurry, the guards outside our door forcing us to hurry. When we’re both ready, Kieran tugs me close and kisses me, frantic and consuming. I can taste his resolve, and I can sense his fear.
It feels like he’s saying goodbye.
But this isn’t goodbye. I won’t allow her to break us again.
We walk into the hallway, and I smooth the cheerful yellow dress I’m wearing. It’s too bright, too happy a color for what’s about to happen.
Gabriel waits there, handcuffs outstretched. Kieran turns his back to his former friend, letting the irons click into place around his wrists.
“Smart of you not to resist,” Gabe drawls, giving Kieran a hard tug that forces him backward. “We wouldn’t want to dirty your home with your red blood.”
“Gabriel!” I snap. “That’s enough! We are cooperating, despite Kieran doing nothing wrong. I won’t stand here and watch you act like an ass.”
Gabe scowls at me as he shoves Kieran forward, but Kieran doesn’t react. He just walks ahead with a neutral look on his face.
“You’re delusional, Genny. I think your gift has addled your mind. We know he stole you from Leland. We know he coerced you into calling off the wedding. And we have evidence he’s behind the rot.”
My fury reaches a breaking point. I yank my brother to a stop, the guards halting with us, and I slap Gabriel hard with my gloved hand. The silk softens the sting, but the shock on his face is satisfying.
“I left on my own accord,” I hiss. “If Leland claims otherwise, he’s a liar. And if Mother said it, then you—of all people—know better than to trust her word.”
Gabe’s expression curdles. “Because of you, there’s talk that I should marry that ice queen. You’d better hope it doesn’t come to pass.” He points at me, his anger unfurling like a dragon taking flight. “You did this, Genevieve. You chose to marry Leland—even with your curse—and if you fled your own decision, then I have no sympathy for what happens to this man who hurt all of us when he left you.”
“He didn’t leave me! It was Mother!” I shout, uncaring who hears. “She wrote a terrible letter, falsified it as my own, and forced him out of the palace.Sheis the reason I carry this curse—andsheis the reason Kieran suffered for so long!”
Gabe turns to Kieran, suspicion cloudinghis features. “Is this true?”
Kieran gives a tight nod. “We only realized it yesterday. And now she’s doing everything she can to keep Gen and me apart—again.”
Gabriel curses under his breath, and I know he understands exactly what this means. “Be that as it may, there are still countless other transgressions. I have my orders. She cannot be defied.”
Then he drags the man I love—the man who’s held my heart for most of my life—down the stairs like a beast to the slaughter.
40
Genevieve
“How dare you!” I shout as my mother turns to look at me. I’ve been dragged into the parlor, the very room where Kieran and I made love only last night. She stands on the carpet, oblivious to what happened here, but fully aware that what she’s doing now is unwarranted. She wears a smug expression of victory, as if this battle is already over. Already won.
Seeing the place where we connected so deeplydefiledby the woman determined to tear us apart is almost more than I can bear. I want to rip that condescending smile from her face. I want to make her feel even a fraction of what she’s made me endure.
Outside, Kieran is being loaded into a prisoner’s wagon, steel bars and bolts securing him in place. As if he were a criminal—when the true criminal is my own mother. Arresting an innocent man simply for loving her daughter.
“Control yourself, Genevieve,” my mother hisses as she approaches.
“It was you all along! You sent Kieran away! You watched my heart break—not once but twice. And you’re the one who’s always tried to pass my gift off as love. It’s not love, Mother. It’s—”
The words choke me. How can I even name what she allowed to happen to me? How she let me be a victim of my own curse. How she taught me to feel ashamed of it, to believe my worth lay only in an advantageous marriage—my own safety and comfort be damned.
“Really, Genevieve.” She shakes her head and glances around the room before reaching for me. “Speaking that way is beneath you. Two days with this man and you’re already sounding crass. Let’s go. The coach is waiting, and you have a wedding in less than a week.”
I pull away from her grasp, stunned by her refusal to acknowledge a single truth. “I’m not marrying Prince Leland. He called it off, and Kieran is innocent. I won’t go anywhere with you unless you release him.”
