I remained mute. The magic in my veins nulled, my core empty, my marrow sucked dry.
He shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s good practice for the coming days.” He turned and headed for the door. “I’ll see you both later. We’ve got an interesting afternoon planned, so rest up. I’ll have my guards escort you to the banquet room when it is time.”
The banquet room was the largest chamber in the castle. The marble floor was spiked with red arteries and glittering diamond veins. Multiple hearths lined the edges, all barren. When I stared long enough, faint tendrils would coil up and out like tentacles, slithering into the vaulted ceiling and disappearing.
Dozens of benches filled the space, crudely carved with thick fingers of ivy and stubby leaves. The aisle between lay empty, lined only by fresh candles with pristine wicks and arrow-straight tapers.
At the far end rose a dozen marble steps. Red and white roses perfumed the air, encircling wreaths of unlit candles leading up to a circular marble altar.
The large guard behind me shoved between my shoulder blades, and I forced my feet to shuffle down the aisle. Lilyanna moved next to me, tugging her sleeves down and shivering.
“It’ll be warm on the day,” the prince called from in front. “We must practice getting everyone in position.” He halted at the end of the aisle, resting one foot on the bottom step.
My breath rushed out as I caught sight of the rigid shoulders and somber eyes of Bryn seated in the first row. She looked unharmed and unbound, but where was Clement? I swallowed and forced my lips to curve as I moved to slide in beside her.
“Not today, Tam.” The prince gave me a toothy smile. “You’ll be up here with me. Dear Lilyanna can sit and observe to make sure she has everything set for the ceremony.” He extended his hand in a smooth and slippery motion, just as he had outside the castle when he’d marked me with his own magic. “It really is the best way to learn...” the large guards both stepped into position behind me, their boots clunking on the marble, “...from the mistakes of others.”
I took his hand. My skin shrank from his icy touch, clinging to the fragile bones of my hand. He tugged me up the steps, turning to face me and claiming my other hand.
Awareness shivered through me. The spirits watched from shaded recesses, silent and unmoving, but their chant whispered to me, strumming through my bones, urging me to fight. I glanced at Lilyanna. She gave the barest twitch of a smile, her body tilted forward. I dropped my eyes to the floor.
The magic lay despondent in my veins, residue impeding my spirit. The hairs on my neck prickled, a wave of judgement and disappointment coming from the hovering presence above.
The prince stroked my palms with his thumbs, forcing me back to him. “This is where we will be bound for eternity, Tam.” I stood numb, gazing at my distorted reflection in his polished boots. He turned his head, keeping a grip on me. “I do wish Clement and his dear sister were here to see such a successful match.”
Lilyanna stiffened and a muscle pulsed in Bryn’s cheek. She moved imperceptibly closer, her hand feathering the hilt of her saber and Lilyanna’s breath deepened again.
“I’m sure you’re glad his sister transferred, otherwise you’d have never met Clement, Tam.” His thumbs kneaded my skin, cold and unwelcome. “We all know about your weakness for him. I must say, though, his sister would never have tolerated such disobedience. You’d have been kicked out on day one.”
I ground my teeth but remained mute. If he was alive but trapped, I’d find him. The prince wanted me rattled. It was working, but I wasn’t dead yet.
“I wonder how my lovely mothers are treating her?” His musing question hung in the air.
What I would do to wipe that smug look off his face. How long had Clement listened to his taunts? To imagine the depravities befalling his sister? At least my parents had been dead when I’d found them. I didn’t have to wonder what was happening or what state they would be in if they ever returned. A dim fire sparked within me, but the magic stayed hidden.
How could I mark him without getting caught? His thumbs swirled across my frozen skin. He would be bound, unable to flee. No walls or spirits or blockade of sabers would be able to protect him. But if he knew what I’d done, he’d throw me into the pit and torture me for answers. Would he succeed before the Collectors arrived?
Maybe Siobhan would step in and kill me before I could reveal any information? Unlikely. She’d gag me herself and bite off my tongue if she had to. She’d let him punish me, hovering within sight but just out of reach. Always out of reach.
No. The next time I stood here, I’d be at Lilyanna’s shoulder with hundreds of eyes on us, but it would still just be me and him.
He wanted to play, and the game wasn’t over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
THE PROMISE
“Clement, where the hell have you been?”
He brushed past me and closed the door, setting the laden tea tray on the table.
“I’ve been scared to death worrying about you. Imagining you trapped in that box or splayed on a wall, but I’ve been locked in here unable do anything about it.”
He kept his back to me, casually removing the teapot, saucers, and biscuits one by one, infuriatingly slow. Eventually, he turned to me and cleared his throat, brushing imaginary crumbs from the front of his uniform. “I know. I’m the one who did it.”
“You what?” I stalked toward him.
He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around, shepherding me toward my room. I stopped on the top step, refusing to go any further, and he pulled the door closed.
