“Andeverythingis not enough.” His eyes lit with a brilliant fire. With a snap of his fingers, he turned to his steward. “Take heraway.”
* * *
“I’ve come with your dinner,”the Prince said as he eased into the cell they liked to call my living quarters. It was a small square room with a bed and nothing else. I didn’t even have a window, so it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. Prince Taveon balanced a tray in one hand while holding a goblet in the other. A goblet of something that smelled suspiciously likewine.
I raised my eyebrows, not saying aword.
He set the tray onto my bed and backed away toward the open cell door. “Listen. I know this situation is far from ideal for you, but I am attempting to make it as comfortable aspossible.”
“You have separated me from my mates, my friends, and my people. If you truly wanted me to be comfortable, you would releaseme. “
“You know I cannot do that. My father would never allow it.” A pause. “If you cooperate, then I might be able to get you moved to some living quarters with a window and a view of the scenery that you seemed quite takenby.”
I glared up at him, fisting my hands. “If by cooperate you mean turning innocent humans into beasts, then I’d rather have a view of the sewers. Why did you warn me if you were going to attack the castle early? What was the point of allthat?”
A pause. “I warned you because I do not agree with my father. Unfortunately, he has many eyes and ears. One of your spies turned on you and has been watching your every move. My father was made aware of my contact with you. As you can imagine, he was not very pleased with me. He gave me an ultimatum, one I couldn’t turn down. If it were up to me, none of this would have happened, but I’m notKing.”
One of your spies, he’s said. My stomach flipped over. Prince Taveon must be referring to the spy that Kael had sent into the realm of the Dark Fae to keep tabs on the King. To find out that all this time, it had been the other wayaround...
“So, you see. My father has been one step ahead of you all this time, and he always will be.” Prince Taveon gestured to the tray of food before backing out the cell door. “Have your dinner. Scowl at the wall. Throw things if you’d like. But the next time I come? You should be ready to do whatever Isay.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Time for your training.”The door of my prison cell cracked open, and the Prince stepped through. Sighing, I rolled over in my bed. He couldn’t be serious. It was the middle of the night, but the Prince was as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as someone who had gotten a week’s worth ofsleep.
“There is something seriously wrong with you. Aren’t youtired?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Not in the least. I’ve left you here to sleep for twelve hours. Certainly that isenough.”
I furrowed my eyebrows. “You’re lying. I can see the moon through that window at the end of the hallway. It’s still darkoutside.”
He quirked his lips. “Yes, because it’s always night in the realm of the Dark Fae. The moon rises and sets, but we have nosun.”
Okay, so I’d been wrong. This place really was a nightmare. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. Regardless of day or night, I still felt horribly exhausted. The past few days had finally caught up to me, and my mind and my heart were in desperate need of abreak.
I wouldn’t get one though. Nothere.
“The sooner you get up, the sooner you can come back to bed. I don’t care what you do outside of training hours. Sleep, eat, read some books if you’d like. Just as long as you make some dailyprogress.”
I groaned and forced myself to get up. I didn’t think he’d leave me alone unless Idid.
* * *
When I enteredthe vacant stone room, the guard shut the door behind me. The lock clicked, a sound that echoed in the cavernous space. Through the bars, I could see the guard standing tall, his head facing away from us. I made a note of that. There was only one of him, and there was a lot I could do to the Prince before the guard would see athing.
Of course, my own powers didn’t really work here. I’d tried to shift several times, but I hadn’t gone anywhere. The shadow power that hid me from view didn’t work either. And the animals of this realm? They couldn’t care less aboutme.
“Trying to plan an escape?” The Prince’s icy voice drifted to me from where he lurked in the shadows of the room. “You wouldn’t get veryfar.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. “You underestimateme.”
“Maybe so.” A ghost of a smile. “Best not to inform me of that though. If I were you, I’d hold my cards as close to my chest as Icould.”
I growled in his direction. “Whatever. Let’s just get on with this...whatever thisis.”
“You know what this is.” He stepped out of the shadows then, and the moonlight reflected off the blade he carried in his hands. “The King wants more energy. You’re a new Redcap. We need to make sure you’re able to control the beastwithin.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Why? You don’t teach any of the human changelings you’ve corrupted. You let them loose on the human realm without any training, left to their own devices, completely out ofcontrol.”
