Then, without another word, she steps around him and glides toward the palace entrance, leaving Matt staring after her with his mouth slightly open.
“Quite the performance,” Henry’s voice sounds beside me, making me jump. “But you might want to be more careful about making enemies around here. Especially when there are so many potential allies waiting to be discovered.”
I scoff at him, annoyed that he’s placing himself in the path of my personal issues with Matt.
“Is that what you think you are?” I ask, keeping my voice neutral. “A potential ally?”
“I’m whatever serves my interests at the given moment.” His gaze drifts meaningfully to Katerina, then back to me. “The real question is: what areyou?”
I pause, thinking about Katerina’s request to have Henry killed, Matt’s accusation that I’m falling in love with Aerix, and Aurora’s calculated advice.
Everyone in this court is playing their own game, moving pieces across a board I’m only beginning to understand.
“I’m whoever I need to be to survive,” I finally tell him. “Tothrive.”
His smile widens. “Now that’s the kind of answer that might keep you alive around here.” He starts to walk away, then pauses. “Oh, and Zoey? You might want to keep a closer eye on your friend from home. I’ve been doing what I can to convince the queen to make him last a little longer, but she’s not going to be thrilled when she hears about his little fit here today.”
I watch him disappear into the palace, his words settling like stones in my stomach. Because as much as I hate to admit it, Henry’s right. Matt’s letting his desperation cloud his judgment. And sure, Matt’s a jerk, but he wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with if he didn’t feel a need to get out of town before he could be blamed for my and Sapphire’s disappearance.
Which means I can’t help feeling responsible for him.
But in a court where everyone’s playing their own game, who can I trust to help me keep him alive?
