Fifty-Six
ALLETTE
The sweat bathingmy skin turns into tendrils of icy dread as King Boris shakes his head and huffs a resigned sigh. His silver eyes zero in on Senan like a hawk tracking its prey. “Brother, brother, brother. What am I going to do with you?”
Senan shoves me behind him, as if that will save me from what has come for us. There is no escape. No way out. No happily-ever-after waiting for us at the end of this dark day. My heart and lungs burn with exhaustion and fear. We were so bloody close; I could practically taste the starlight.
Silver-clad guards flank the king, five on each side. Even if Senan and I were both armed, there are far too many to take on with any hope of winning.
King Boris clicks his tongue. “Imagine my surprise when I went to your chambers and found the room empty.”
Senan’s spine stiffens.
I clutch his blood-soaked shirt, pulling him closer.
Boris unfastens the buttons on his cuffs, rolling his sleeves to his elbows. “Where is your wife?”
“How the hell should I know?” Senan spits.
A twisted smile curls the king’s lips. “I will only ask this once more. What have you done with the princess?”
Senan backs up a step, urging me back as well. “I left her in my bed.”
In his bed? Did he sleep with her? Not that it matters now. Whatever happened, we will deal with it together.
“Boris, if you would just listen to me for a moment, I think we can come to?—”
“I’m afraid the time for talking has passed. I’m going to give you what you want, Senan. I’m going to let you go.” He gestures toward the guards, and they take a step back from the portal.
He is letting us go?
This must be some sort of trap, right? The king would hardly bring all these men here only to set us free. I shouldn’t celebrate, and yet my heart begins to sing.
Until a hand clamps over my mouth and an arm bands around my torso, dragging me against a solid frame. A blade presses against my throat, stifling my cry as more guards swarm the alley on silent feet.
“You…you are?” Senan asks, clearly not noticing that I no longer stand at his back.
“Yes. But first, a parting gift.” The king clicks his fingers.
Two guards lurch forward, grabbing Senan’s arms. He whirls, his wide, panicked gaze flying to mine. The color in his face drains away. Hot tears roll down my cheeks, the blade cutting deeper each time I swallow.
“Let her go.” Senan curses and writhes, pulls and drags, but the men do not loosen their hold. “I swear I’ll come back to the castle. Just let her go.”
The king wags his finger, stepping closer to his brother. “Ah, ah. There is no need for more of your false promises.”
Senan never stops begging as the guards force him to his knees, and then to his chest, pinning him in place. I hold my breath, watching the king stroll forward and stomp on Senan’s spine. My love’s onyx wings burst from behind their glamour.Two more guards catch the feathers at the ends, forcing them wider and pinning them on the cobblestones with their boots. Senan’s broken cry muffles the crunch of his bones.
“Why couldn’t you just take your dust and die? That’s all you had to do. Fuck the princess, get her pregnant, and then leave us in peace. But no. You had to fight, didn’t you?” The king withdraws a vial of black liquid from his waistcoat pocket.
He grips Senan’s jaw, forcing him to look up, and dumps the liquid down his throat. “Now, I’m going to ask you once more, and this time, I want you to tell me the truth. What did you do with the princess?”
“I left her in my bed.”
“She wasn’t in your room, brother. Where did you hide her?”
“I left her…in my…bed,” Senan slurs.
What the hell did the king give him?