Page 144 of Kingdom of Death and Hope

“The prince told me to stay close and protect her. You may be her sister, but the prince told me what you did to her and he does not want her alone right now,” Henry says before I utter a word.

Avira clenches her jaw before sitting down next to me. “Okay. That is okay.”

It is anything but okay. She’s mad, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s going to try and do something to me later when Henry goes back home for the night. Will she take me in the dead of night back to the dungeon?

Gripping my dress, I lock eyes with her. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to ask a couple of questions.” She smiles sweetly at me as people walk past us.

“Yes?”

“What does he look like?” she asks.

“Who?” I reply, keeping my tone even.

“The Fae that you are in love with.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie.

Avira chuckles. “Oh, sweet Adeline. You do know you told me that you had fallen in love with one of them before I told you who I was.”

“I don’t love him anymore,” I lie, flinching slightly at my words.

“Lie,” she whispers, getting closer to my face. “It’s a lie and you know it. Who is he? Is he in Bellhollow or in Hellhollow? Who am I kidding? He has to be here since you have fallen in love with him. You wouldn’t have enough time to get to know him in Hellhollow.”

Sweat slides down the middle of my back as she continues to talk.

“How about we line up all the Fae and we go through them one by one. I’ll give them two lashes from a whip and watch your reaction. That will be an easy way for me to tell who it is.” She smirks.

“You know I don’t like violence and won’t be able to handle any of that,” I whisper, my voice quivering as I imagine her doing just that.

She hums and tilts her head. “True, but I will get enjoyment out of watching you puke, cry, and beg for me to stop.”

“Avira.” Henry’s voice drops an octave.

Sighing, she rolls her eyes. “Fine. We won’t do anything, but give me one detail about him.”

“He has brown hair,” I reply, holding my smirk back.

Her face falls and she looks at me with disgust. “Something else besides that. There are so many of them that have brown hair. I would say ninety percent of them have brown hair.”

“You said to give one detail and I did. You didn’t specify what kind of detail,” I reply, finding a little confidence with Henry so close to me. “Now, do you need anything else?”

Avira growls. “I don’t like this newfound confidence you have. So then tell me where the book is and I will be on my way.”

“I told you before that I don’t know what book, and I don’t have the book,” I say, contradicting myself.

“You do have the book. I smelt it all over you,” she says, annoyed.

So she isn’t afraid to talk about it right in front of Henry. Is she not worried he will ask questions, or has she placed some kind of spell over him to make him forget everything?

“I don’t have the book. I told you before that I found a book in a random hallway in the palace and lost it when I was walking back from Hellhollow,” I reply.

“Then get the book back.”

“I can’t. Prince Archie wants me to recuperate and not do a lot of things since we don’t know when the wedding will be now.” I smile sweetly at her.

I’m surprised she can’t cast a spell to locate it.