Deirdre followed me out and we walked in silence back to the spire. When we reached her room, her handmaiden waited outside.
“My lady! I've been searching everywhere for you.”
“I’m all right,” Deirdre said as she neared her handmaiden.
I stepped in front of Liora, stopping her from following. “Your job is to make sure this one doesn't get into trouble. And as you can see, she found some tonight.”
I shoved the box at the handmaiden. “If you are incapable of watching over a simple human, then I will find someone else who can.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sorry,” she said, head bowed.
“I don't want your apologies. I want your obedience. See that a medic tends to the cuts on her arms and neck.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Go to bed,” I ordered Deirdre.
She shoved past me, stealing another cookie from the box before going into the room. Blood splattered parts of the nightgown that trailed behind her.
Watching me from inside the room, she shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth. I didn't know whether she wanted to thank me, hit me, or yell at me. It didn't matter.
Liora kept her head bowed, waiting for me to dismiss her.
I leaned over and spoke so quietly that only Liora’s fae hearing could hear me speak. “You are lucky my warden didn't flay her alive. Next time the human gets hurt, it'll be you who pays the price.”
“And you.” I spun around and pointed at Deirdre, whose eyes went wide, her cheeks full of cookies. “No more roaming my halls at night. There are worse things in this castle than redcaps. If you are caught where you’re not supposed to be again, you will not be allowed to leave this room, even if I have to chain you to the wall.”
“You can’t keep me locked in this tower forever,” Deirdre said, mouth full ofmyfavorite cookies.
Folding my arms, I eyed my little thorn… already she dug into my skin far too deep. “You’re right. We’ll introduce you to the court. We’ll see what the fae think of their futurehumanqueen.”
Her eyes widened, and the cookie she held crumbled in her hand.
If she wants to defy me, fine. Let’s see what her defiance costs.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Deirdre
A goblin wearinga black suit and red bow tie stood in front of me, blocking the entrance to the banquet hall. A tuft of black hair protruded out of the top of his head like an odd peacock's feather. Two bright-white fangs hung past his underbite.
“No humans,” the goblin growled.
Great. Another fae with pointy teeth.
“His Majesty has requested m’lady's presence at dinner,” Liora said. “You will allow her entry.”
This was my first dinner at the court. I had no idea what to expect or why Kane even wanted me here. Would he be angry if I was late?
After the night in the kitchens, I had stopped arguing with him, at least for now. Yelling only made my head ache more and it was difficult enough being in the same room with him. Though I was grateful he hadn’t allowed his pointy-tooth kin to maim me.
Maybe I would survive long enough to escape.
The past few days, I had spent all my time with Boots and the other animals outside, and when the rain came like an unwanted guest, I sat in my spiraled prison, snuggled under furs, staring at the stained-glass windows.
“Gitz will let you in now.” The goblin turned around, strangely referring to himself, the tail of his suit dragging across the floor, and opened the large doors. “But you will regret it.”
Liora stood a few paces behind me. She promised to stay near me during the dinner. We had practiced a simple gesture of my fingers to my chest to alert her I needed to leave if things became too overwhelming.
