Page 113 of Ruling the Green

My head whipped over, looking at Tove.

But he didn’t rush forward to knock the glass from the king’s hand. He didn’t even open his mouth to object as the glass lifted to Cass’s lips.

My heart was thundering loudly in my ears.

No.

Wait.

That wasn’t my heart.

Those were footsteps.

Someone was coming.

Cass took a long swig of the wine as he sat in his chair.

My blood froze in my veins.

The footsteps grew closer.

Then stopped.

I didn’t know which way to look: at the king with the poison working its way through his system, at Tove, who allowed it to happen, or at the figure that was suddenly at the door.

I chose the last option, turning and feeling my heart swell in my chest.

“Jet,” I whispered.

There was a loud thud, making all of us turn toward the king. Who was folded forward facedown on his desk. Unmoving.

Jet stepped closer to me, his hand on his sword.

“What is going on?”

My gaze slid to Tove, who was watching both of us.

I had no idea.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Jet

“Serin!” I screamed, racing down the hallway of my wing in the palace.

Mendalyn was running a foot behind me. I could hear the footsteps of two of her other women behind us. A few others were spreading around the palace, finding strategic places to stand guard.

We’d left the majority of the women back at the tree, safe to continue on Mendalyn’s mission if something happened to the rest of us. They worked on a volunteer basis—with most of them offering to come, save for the few who were too injured or too valuable—like the healer—to put themselves into potential harm’s way.

The woods were quiet as we made our way back, pausing only to grab my crown from up in the tree, then running the rest of the way back to the palace.

As the scouts said, there was an angry mob still outside the stone walls, riling each other up.

If allowed to continue, it was going to get worse and worse as the night wore on. Eventually, some of them would get brave and try to infiltrate the castle.

I had to find Serin, check in with Vishen, then find a way to get my father off the throne, so I could handle this shit before it got any worse.

The guards knew better than to hassle me about the women, despite them being told not to let anyone in the castle.