Nymiria wanted to believe that her loved ones would be able to outsmart him, that they would be able to see his deceitful ways and discover the monster underneath. All she needed to do was get Aziel alone. She could find a way to tell him—find something to say to him that could make all of this go away.
She knew that Everand could not overpower Aziel. He was far more skilled and experienced than she was—he’d had years to master his skills. He could save them. He could end this.
Chapter 23
Thorn was the first person out of the door when the carriage came to a stop outside of the palace. His wide stride and enraged expression was enough to rattle even the surest of men, just the sight of it was enough to make Everand swear under his breath and glance around the carriage. Nymiria still didn’t move. She waited patiently, her face void of emotion, until her father ripped the door off of the carriage and extended a finger in Everand’s direction.
“You have got some nerve, boy.” Thorn seethed. “To take her without so much as a word to any of us—”
“My apologies, your majesty. I was under the impression that you all knew. Nymiria came to me, I did not take her.” Everand said smoothly. “I believed she would have said something.”
Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies.
She kept her head down, kept her lips sealed tight. Even with just the urge to spill that secret, she could feel something likea noose being tightened around her neck, pressing against her vocal chords. She just needed to get to Aziel.
Stealing a glance at her father, she could tell that he was torn—that he didn’t quite believe the story Everand was spinning. Nonetheless, he let the young prince exit the carriage, Auritsa and her scarred face not far behind. Nymiria looked down at her nails, at the blood that was now dried and crackling on the tips of her fingers. She curled them into a fist and opened her own carriage door, refusing the exit on the same side as those traitors.
“I can assure you that we have been more than accommodating to her needs,” She heard Auritsa saying. “Everand has painstakingly obsessed over every detail of her care.”
Nymiria straightened as she came to a stop at Everand’s side, folding her hands together in front of her to hide the ring on her finger. When her eyes locked with Thorn’s, she was sure that Everand had done something to deceive him. Perhaps he’d made her appear happy. Perhaps he’d altered their reality just enough so that she seemed happy, that her hair wasn’t a tangled mess and that the ill-fitting dress was perfectly altered to her curves.
She just needed to get Aziel alone.
Thorn led them into the palace after a few more pleasant exchanges, leaving Raina to escort Nymiria to her rooms while the others turned towards the receiving parlor. It became more than evident that Everand’s powers were at work here, because Raina, who’d always been kind and gentle with Nymiria, growled at her as she closed and locked the door—sealing her inside.
She released a sob the moment Raina’s footsteps disappeared, her breathing ragged as she tore through the room in search of shadows. She cursed the sun, she cursed the large windows that lit every corner of the room. Panicked, tears streaming down herface, and her stomach on the verge of emptying itself onto the floor, she rushed towards the armoire.
“Please, Trio.” She whispered into the darkness. “Trio, I need you. Please.”
Silence.
Nothing but pure, angry silence.
Her stomach gave another painful twist, bile rising to the back of her throat as she heaved. “Please, I know that you are probably mad at me, but I need you.” Her body shook, her fingers dipping into the darkness of the armoire as if she could reach into those shadows and retrieve her friend.
Still, there was silence.
She let out a soft whimper, one that turned to a small squeal when the door to her room slammed shut. Everand was there, glaring at her, his body an imposing force as it moved in her direction.
“I thought of this already.” He said simply. “Once I’d learned that your shadow friend could walk and communicate through shadows, I went through certain rooms in this palace and placed my own wards. You can’t reach him here.”
Just the urge to inflict pain upon him made the runes behind her ear burn, sending pulses of fire into her brain. Nymiria’s knees buckled, her eyes going wide, her hand pressing against the spot. The prince merely smiled and took a seat on the bed. “We are sharing a room.” He said simply. “I’ve heard that you don’t mind sharing rooms.”
“Only with people I feel safe with.” She gritted out, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Everand surveyed her face, frowning. “Nymiria, the last thing I want to do is hurt you. My mother was correct—all you have to do is what I tell you to do. Just be agreeable and fuck me on occassion, and you will be treated well. And, I can assure you, I am not a horrible fuck. You might actually enjoy it if you arewilling to set aside our differences.” His eyes were focused on his rings, watching how each of them gleamed in the light.
Nymiria scoffed, eyeing the ceiling as she shook her head. “You… do you nothearyourself when you speak?”
He stared at her for a moment and then chuckled. “Of course I do.” He rose to his feet and moved towards her, getting so close that she had no other choice than to flatten herself against the wall at her back. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Nymiria winced, fingers clutching at the skirt of her dress. When he pulled away from her, he ran a large hand over her cheek, brushing away what dampness remained of her tears. “I have business to tend to. Raina will be delivering your clothing and your meals for the day. I should be back by nightfall.” He said it so gently, so kindly that Nymiria felt ill.
He was demented. There was something far more wrong with him than him just being evil. He was sick.
Everand left her standing there. Nymiria couldn’t bring herself to move a single muscle, not until a knock on the door brought her from her thoughts. She looked up from the floor, watching as Raina entered with a dress slung over one arm and a tray of food in the other.
“Raina,” Nymiria started forward, nothing but sheer urgency in her tone. “Raina, can you do something for me?”
Her father’s friend looked at her, her eyes glossy with magic. “Within my limits, yes.”
