It was all a lie.
The carriage lurches sharply, and her shoulder slams into the wall.
I flinch, despite myself.
The air crackles with my rage, still present, still simmering since my world shattered. The sight of his lips moving over hers haunts me every time I close my eyes.
“What a relief,wife.” Venom coats every word. “I was beginning to worry you’d never wake.”
She doesn’t look at me.
“A waterwielder,” I continue. “Right under my nose for months. In my skiesdamnedbed.”
The waterwielder finally meets my gaze. At first her eyes are soft. Vulnerable. But in a blink, they harden, freezing into icy, blue chips.
She straightens her back as much as the chains will allow, casting her wary gaze around the carriage.
“Recognize it? It’s the same design as the prisoners' carriage we rode in when we left Tundrayn. Seemed only fitting we end our journey the way it began.”
She sucks in a shuddering breath before clenching her eyes shut, face pinched.
She’s trying to summon water.
My lips curl into a cold smile. “First time in iron chains?”
She glares at me. No hint of the warmth that used to temper even her coldest expressions.
“Why did you really come to Arbinj?” I demand.
“Untie me,” she hisses.
“Answer my question.”
“No.”
So much fucking defiance. The nerve of this woman.
Before she can take another breath, I lean forward and wrap my hand around her neck. I don’t squeeze, even though the temptation claws at me.
Her breath escapes in harsh pants as I loom closer. She recoils, pressing herself against the wooden wall, but there’s no escape.
She’s completely at my mercy.
And I have none for her.
“Is this where you tell me not to touch you? Because you’re the princess of Tundrayn?” My voice drops to a low whisper. “Tell me, was that the real you? Or just another mask?”
She swallows hard, throat bobbing beneath my palm. I grin at her, sharp and cruel. I trace a finger along the bare line of her collarbone, and she shivers beneath my touch.
It’s meant to be threatening. That’s the only reason I do it.
“Why did you come to Arbinj?Do notlie to me. I won’t ask again, wife.” My stomach stumbles as the mocking endearment passes my lips. I ignore it.
“To marry your brother!” she bites out. “We’ve had this conversation before, remember?”
A growl builds in my chest. My power responds.
The sky darkens, dimming the faint light inside the carriage.
