Gryff stands up straighter, his expression growing grimmer as he realizes my meaning. “Maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe it is for the best? The prince can give her a good life. A safe life.”
If that is what Kerris wants, then I will let her go. But I need to know for certain that what we shared no longer lives in her heart.
I take Nyx to the bridge, but cross on foot. When I reach the other side, four burly men stand guard, swords drawn as if expecting a wolf to emerge from the mist at any moment.
If they are startled to see me, they hide it well. The only movement between us is their hands flying to the hilts of their swords. Not the short daggers usually favored by the men who patrol this territory.
These are weapons of war.
“Turn back,” the one in front growls, a head shorter than me but nearly as broad across his shoulders.
“We have orders to slay anyone who crosses,” another bellows through whiskers as dark and thick as the west wood.
Slay me, will they? They will have to catch me first?—
I hear the telltale creak of someone at my back a split second before a hand clamps on my elbow. Gryffin and Maddox glower at the guards, but after a tense moment, they turn those glowers back on me.
“Getting yourself skewered and tossed into the canyon helps no one,” Gryffin says under his breath. Maddox nods his agreement.
They should have stayed away and minded their own business. I cannot fight men on both sides of this fucking bridge.
Although I yank my elbow from his grasp, I turn away from the Seelie guards and stalk back toward the mist.
One way or another, I will make it across this bridge, even if I have to run someone through to do it.
51
“Your wedding will be one of the best days of your life.”
A Seelie Guide to Matrimony
The gown squeezing my waist and hips may be white, but it feels as if it’s covered in muck. I didn’t buy it, nor did I pick it out. A garment bag had arrived from Madame Ella’s yesterday, along with a note from Prince Ronan telling me where and when to meet him for our wedding.
My lace veil conceals the tears in my eyes as my father helps me down the stairs of Ronan’s treehouse and into the gilded carriage.
Ronan chose to hold the wedding in the square, claiming that he wants all the people of Rosehill to be present for this farce.
I know the truth: he doesn’t give a whit about any of our citizens. He only wants the Unseelie to bear witness to our union, to carry the news of our nuptials back to Ever.
Guards have been posted throughout the crowd and next to alleys. They wait at each corner of the dais, and more stand guard along the edge of The Divide.
The king’s golden throne sitting on the dais looks like the one from the castle. A crown rests on his head, gleaming in the sunlight. Does he know what his son has done?
If only I could have begged for his help before it was too late.
Turning away from the carriage window, I yawn into my fist. The last proper sleep I had was in Ever’s bed. The only good thing about him being exiled is that he won’t be at the well. Won’t have to see me marry this wretched man.
My father adjusts the bow tie at his throat and sweeps a hand through his navy hair. “It’s almost time.”
The beginning of the end of my life.
“I’m ready.” It’s a lie but won’t be the biggest one I’ll make today. I’m about to promise to love and remain faithful to the worst man I’ve ever known. A man I despise with every fiber of my being.
Father catches the handle and throws the carriage door aside, climbing from within and extending his hand toward me.