I find Ronan near the back door with Ivee hanging on his every word as he regales her with some fanciful story. Two guards I don’t recognize stand a short distance away, scanning the crowd for trouble through somber eyes.
As if she can hear my pounding heart, Ivee turns her head slowly, her gaze widening when she sees us. A sneer pulls at her painted lips, but Ronan doesn’t so much as spare us a glance.
This is going to be much harder than I imagined.
Nia steps in front of me, her eyes narrowing as she trades glowers with Ivee. “Good evening, Ivee.” She lets out a little gasp. “Oh, dear.”
“What?” Ivee rushes.
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Tell me.”
“You just have a little something right between your teeth.”
An indignant screech bursts from Ivee before she reins it in with tight lips. She slides off her stool and twirls toward the privy.
One problem solved. Now to deal with the next.
Ronan collects his pint from the table, drinking deeply while staring into the crowd, a blatant slight that doesn’t even sting. If I had my way, I’d never see the man again.
Still, I force my legs forward, erasing the gap between us. “Prince Ronan? I was wondering if I could have a word?”
He rolls his eyes like a child. That’s what he is. A spoiled little boy trapped inside a man’s body. “Go on then.”
What I have to say—what I must do—requires a little more privacy. “Could we go outside?”
With another eye roll, he carries his pint to the back door leading to the gardens but doesn’t bother holding it open for me after he steps through.
Unlike the first night he brought me out here, the sun is high, waiting to boil me alive. Ronan stops next to a bush laden with white hydrangea blooms and takes another drink, his foot tapping out his impatience.
The door opens once more, and the guards step through. Thankfully, they remain far enough away that they might not overhear.
Here goes nothing.
“I wanted to say that I am dreadfully sorry for what happened between us and for treating you so poorly.” That sounded sincere, didn’t it?
He sips from his glass, his gaze roving over me. Gone is the man who cared—or at least pretended to, leaving in his wake a cold, calculating prince. “Let me get this straight: Your Unseelie used you, then tossed you aside, and now you’re crawling back to me?”
Annoyance prickles my spine. Ever didn’t use me. He may have sent me away, but it was for my own safety. Because he loved me. If I hold onto that knowledge, I just might find a way to survive this. “That isn’t true.”
He yanks Trevor’s shirt from my shoulder, exposing the scars from Ever’s teeth. “Do you want to try again?”
With my face burning, I drag my sleeve back into place. What’s the point in continuing this farce when he knows that I have no intention of rekindling our relationship? “I need to speak to your father regarding a very urgent matter,” I say, remaining calm despite the panic gripping my chest.Please let this work. Please.
Ronan’s nail taps against the glass, condensation sliding down the smooth surface, dripping onto the toes of his boots. The silence between us rings through my ears. Deafening in its emptiness.
His lips twist into a sneer. “You’re trying to save the bridge, aren’t you?”
Might as well come clean and pray this man has a heart somewhere in that arrogant chest. “Without access to the well, the Unseelie will die.”
“So?”
“So, they are people too.”
“They’re not people. They’re monsters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere else to be.” His shoulder bumps mine on his way past. I should follow him, beg him to reconsider.
All I can do is stand here, fighting for my next breath.
