ZOEY
As I roundthe corner to head back to my suite, Katerina appears at the far end of the hallway, her pale blonde hair unmistakable, even at this distance.
“Katerina,” I call out, quickening my pace.
She doesn’t look up. Doesn’t acknowledge me in any way. She just turns in the opposite direction, walking away with measured steps and turning the corner.
The rejection stings. After all, Katerina was the one who pulled me into her room a few days ago, breaking her years-long silence to tell me about Henry. To confide in me. To ask me to help get Henry killed.
And now she’s ignoring me? It makes no sense.
“Fine,” I mutter to myself, my hands curling into fists. “Be that way.”
By the time I reach our suite, I’m bracing myself for more hostility. I can almost feel the tension behind the door, a warning that tonight won’t be any calmer than the last few.
Victoria and Sophia have their doors open, both in their nightgowns, preparing for bed. Victoria is brushing her hair atthe vanity, while Sophia sits on the window seat, a small book open in her lap.
They both look up when I enter, their expressions hardening in an instant.
“Look who decided to grace us with her presence,” Victoria drawls, setting down her brush. “The prince is already done with you for the night?”
“Actually,” I say, forcing myself to stay calm. “I chose to come back.”
“How gracious of you.” Her voice drips with sarcasm.
Sophia closes her book and joins me in the living area, her eyes darting between me and Victoria.
“I talked to Aerix,” I say, deciding to get straight to the point. “I asked him to make sure you stay here, to keep you both protected.”
Victoria stands slowly, her face flushing with anger. “You what?”
“I think it worked. He seemed open to helping?—”
“Save it,” she snaps. “I don’t need your pity or protection.”
“Why can’t you just accept that I’m trying to help?” I ask, genuinely confused.
“Because we’re not your handmaidens,” Sophia says quietly. “We’re not here to serve you, or to make you feel better about being his favorite.”
“I never said you were,” I protest, but the guilt gnaws at me, anyway.
“It doesn’t matter how you meant it,” Victoria says. “That’s how it is. And I refuse to spend another night with the reminder of what’s waiting for me when the prince decides he only wantsyou.”
She tosses her hair over her shoulders and storms toward the door.
“Where are you going?” I ask, tension swirling in my gut.
“Anywhere but here,” she says, not bothering to look back.
Sophia follows, pausing briefly by the door. “I’m going to stay with Elijah for the night,” she says softly, her cheeks turning pink. “We’ve been... talking.”
“Sophia, I really didn’t mean to?—“
“I know,” she cuts me off, giving me a sad smile. “That’s what makes it worse. You don’t even see what you’re doing.”
And then they’re both gone, the door closing behind them with a heavy thud that echoes in the suddenly empty suite.
I stand there for a long moment, the weight of what just happened settling over me. Part of me wants to run after them, to explain, to make them understand. But another part—the part that felt Aerix’s name being carved into my skin, that tasted my own blood on his lips—knows they’re right.
