Page 38 of The Serpent Prince

“Hmm, I suppose you were wrong. Did you ever consider that lie took his attention off you and put it on me? You can’t solve everything by being a whore, you know?”

Imani had made every attempt to leash the fury snapping and growling inside her up until that point. But at that comment, her composure broke.

She wrapped her fingers tight around a nearby glass vase full of flowers and threw the whole thing at his head. He ducked, and the vase shattered, spraying glass shards and water all over Kiran’s back and floor.

He chuckled. “Such a temper! Now, that wouldn’t have helped with my father, either.”

She marched up to him and pointed her wand at his chest.

The sight made him laugh again. “Oh, you want to fight me, do you? Do you think you’d win with such terrible control?” He took a slow, pointed step forward.

Her heart was pounding like a drum. He was so much bigger than she was, and with her shadows curling around them, caging them in, it felt as though he were the only thing that existed in the world.

“No, not today.” Imani lifted her chin to stare directly at him. “But you might have made a mistake making me train with Zolyn—I’m a fast learner. So, eventually, when you treat me like an object, a belonging, and a slave, I’m going to lash out. This is your warning.”

If he was surprised she knew the nymph’s true identity, he didn’t show it.

“I’d adore that, my bloodthirsty elf,” he purred, cupping her face. He smiled, both vicious and warm. “Now, leave. I need to speak with my advisor.”

His demanding tone made her bristle, but she kept her mouth shut. Her reactions were what he enjoyed most, and Imani didn’t want to give him exactly what he expected or be too predictable. She wanted him on his toes from here on out. Besides, she couldn’t stand the thought of being in this room with him for another moment.

She sauntered out without a word.

Shadows rippled across the flagstone, soft and blue, as Imani stalked through the palace halls. Dawn was coming. Outside in the east courtyard, Imani tightened her cloak around her shoulders to protect herself from the harsh wind and smattering of raindrops. It truly was miserable here.

Looking up, she saw the sky was moving from pitch-black to a gray color, clouded even more by a dense fog rolling in. It drew a cloak across the solid inky sky, stretching between the trees, broken only by the occasional burst of lightning. When the sun rose, the bright orange star would be barely noticeable.

Lowering her eyes from overhead, her gaze fell on the east wall with the strung-up bodies. There was a fourth one now; a new body on display.

It was a female—Nida, Aiden’s heartmate—hanging from the other side of the wall, swinging slightly with her head tilted unnaturally. Imani’s breath quickened. A few minutes earlier, Imani might have witnessed the whole gruesome act.

It churned her stomach to see the body because she was on borrowed time in both kingdoms. That could be her someday soon. If it wasn’t a hanging, then the pyre would take her.

Unsettled, she wanted to stare, but she only had a second to make a decision. In the next instant, she tore her eyes away and turned on her heel, walking briskly in the other direction. Luckily, the palace was deserted in this area, and she prayed it stayed that way. If someone laid eyes on her anywhere near here, there’d be questions Imani didn’t want to answer.

A better person would have probably called for help. They would have ensured Nida’s body wasn’t some sight to be gawked at, leaving her a shred of dignity.

So be it. Imani could worry about the Under realm’s judgment of her sins later, when she was dead. At present, she was in a strange, hostile kingdom with few allies and on shaky ground in her own kingdom. Being accused of involvement in the death of an Essenheim witch was the last thing she needed.

Esa exited her rooms as Imani approached her own neighboring suite. With a pause, Esa turned to Imani and gave her a funny look. “Where have you been at this hour?”

“Assignment for Kiran,” was all Imani said. Liar, liar, liar, she thought.

Esa merely blinked a few times. “Nida was just found dead on the wall. Do you know anything about it?”

Feigning as much concern as she could muster, Imani’s brow wrinkled, and she shook her head. “What happened?”

“I heard she hung herself.”

“Do you believe that?” Imani asked carefully.

A moment passed before the pixie replied, her voice softer this time. “I do. It’s a common enough occurrence after someone loses their heartmate.”

A long pause stretched out between them.

“You have an alchemy brand, do you not?” Esa asked softly.

“I do,” Imani replied.