Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Briar
M y wolf howled in agony as I watched Vad walk away.
Restrained and unable to go after him, I wished like hell that I could get him to believe me.
Part of me flared with anger that he hadn’t given me the benefit of the doubt before casting judgment, but even the anger was laced in grief, and tears blurred my vision.
“Please,” I broke out as he stopped.
Stomach churning, I waited to see what he would do next. I hadn’t anticipated him standing at the heavy wooden door with his back to me, its broad expanse eclipsing the flicker of torchlight on the wall.
Vad’s wings arched, trembling at the edges and merging with the shadows.
His hand hovered above the metal door handle, fingers splayed.
His shadows swirled around my feet like a caress, or like he was fighting not to jerk me upside down.
The hollow ache within me chilled me more than his magic, but now that I was in a room where magic wasn’t bound, the strange warmth of my new magic flared.
Scar Eye snarled. "How dare you speak to the prince in such a familiar manner?" Out of the corner of my eye, armor flashed toward my face. I braced and turned to shield myself.
But the blow didn't come.
"Was I not clear?" Vad demanded in a cold, low voice. "She is not to be harmed so that she may be ready to face true judgment and suffer for her guilt."
My head lurched upward. A long, thin shadow had coiled around Scar Eye's fist and held his arm back. The metal frosted beneath the shadow's grip as Scar Eye winced and his breath came in harsh pants.
Vad’s shadows tightened. "Do you not think I am capable of defending my own honor?"
Thalen had taken a step toward us as well. His eyes flashed with anger, and for a moment, I saw the Thalen I’d known before, when he’d protected me while teasing me back at the castle. He smoothed the emotion back into his stony expression.
“There is no need for concern, Your Highness. We are more than capable of punishing her appropriately for that disrespect.” Colm spoke with clipped words as the two guards gripped me even tighter.
Reality hit me so hard that my legs almost gave way. I couldn't even say his name? I barely noticed the dull aching of my wrists, bound together too tightly and held at an awkward angle with my elbows drawn out and my stance unsteady.
“Take her away,” Colm commanded. "We will ensure her punishment is appropriate without causing harm to the future plans."
Claw Tattoo jerked me, and I whimpered before I could stop myself. My wolf grew restless inside me, wanting to break free and get to Vad. But I couldn’t, not like this. All that would accomplish was hurting myself.
He didn’t want me anyway.
Vad’s hand curled into a fist, and his shadow curled even tighter along Scar Eye's wrist and bent his arm back. "No," Vad said. "I will deal with her in private, and I will measure out the appropriate punishment."
Thalen released a tight breath, and his gaze darted between Vad and me.
I sucked in a shaky breath, trembling so hard I had to clench my teeth. For the first time since I’d met Vad, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with him. A chill ran down my spine.
Colm's brow lifted. "I beg your pardon, Your Highness?"
Eyes the color of a raging storm, Vad looked past me at Colm. He stalked the few paces back, wings flaring. The shadow tendril that caressed my ankle remained in the pool of shadows and squeezed my bare foot tighter. It lingered over the cuts and scrapes, providing relief with its coolness.
Colm straightened his shoulders and pressed his palms together. Those merciless claw tips of his clacked against one another.
Head inclined forward, Vad loomed over him with his shadows and wings flared out. “This woman disrespected me. It is not your place to punish her. It is mine.” He pointed in my direction but didn’t glance at me. “It’s my right to punish her for what she’s done. Alone .”
My head spun, and my chest constricted painfully. Vad not only hated me, but he wanted Colm to plan my death, and he also wanted to hurt me himself for speaking his name.
Smile vanishing, Colm blinked. The corners of his eyes tightened.
Thalen remained near the door, his thumbs looped in his belt as he avoided my gaze. The guards at my side tensed, and their hands tightened enough to intensify my discomfort.
“I assure you, we can provide more than appropriate repercussions for her actions.” Colm sucked in a deep breath, puffing out his chest.
“I have no doubt you can.” Vad’s face tightened. “But this was done to me , and it’s within my rights to punish as I see fit. Are you trying to disrespect my position as she did? Am I now to punish you both?”
Colm’s breathing quickened, but it seemed to come from far away, like he wasn’t in the same room as I was. It was as if I were separated from them, even though I stood right there.
“Of course not, Your Highness. It is simply—” Colm started, and Vad lifted one hand and leaned closer, the shadows around him darkening. Scar Eye winced as the shadow holding him bent his arm back, but he didn't let go of me.
Scoffing, Thalen crossed his arms. “The High Aureline Council should be at the palace when we return. I’m sure they’d love to learn what happened here.”
Colm’s entire body stiffened. He glanced between Vad and Scar Eye. “The prince is correct. He should punish her as he sees fit. Release her, and we’ll step outside while he deals with her insolence.”
My fingers dug into my palms as the guards grunted and released their hold on me. The shadow tendril retreated from Scar Eye's arm. He shook it out and gripped it to his chest.
My heart galloped painfully. I still couldn’t comprehend Vad hurting me willingly. Worse, his believing so readily that I’d killed his father made me want to scream into the void.
“Want us to bind her to the wall?” Claw Tattoo’s fingers pinched my arm even harder.
“Not unless the prince commands it,” Colm responded.
“No. If she harms me, I deserve it.” Vad scoffed and looked at me.
I froze as his gaze raked over me. Heat coiled in my stomach while pain strangled me. The way his eyes drank me in still set me ablaze, and I hated myself for that. Except…that shadow of his still held on to my leg, hidden from sight, caressing me. My stomach knotted. Was he playing games with me?
Claw Tattoo and Scar Eye exchanged a look and then released me. Scar Eye shoved me in the back, causing my hips and knees to unlock as my balance shifted. Panic surged through me, and I started to fall.
The cold, slick shadow on my leg curled tighter and slid higher along my calf. Still hidden by my ragged, stained skirt, his shadow supported me enough to help me regain my balance without anyone seeing.
My heart raced faster as I straightened and held my bound wrists before myself. Maybe he was saving me so he could have the pleasure of destroying me more thoroughly himself. Could it be that horrifically simple? The fae worked like that, but I’d thought Vad was different.
My wolf whined as if she didn’t believe that. I wasn’t sure I did either, but doubt clung to me, cold and as uncomfortable as my clothing.
The guards strode away in a column, and Colm moved toward the door as well. “If you require aid, please do not hesitate to call out, Your Highness. We will be just beyond the door.” He inclined his head forward.
I kept my eyes fixed on Vad, but he remained focused on the door, as did Thalen. Vad’s hands stayed braced on his belt, his index finger tapping against the leather.
Thalen’s hands twitched at his sides, and he spread his silver-white wings. He gave a grim nod in Colm’s direction, though Colm didn’t seem to notice.
The heavy door clicked shut behind Colm. The guards’ footsteps echoed their departure, heavy and deliberate. The air seemed to thicken with the horrible smells of rot, sweat, mold, and blood.
Vad said nothing. Part of me wanted to die, and yet I also wanted to hear him tell me to my face that he didn’t believe me and that he believed I murdered his father. I wanted to experience the real man behind his princely facade.
The tendril around my calf pulsed with a soft energy. I looked down and tried to lift my foot. The shadow moved, not holding me prisoner but simply flowing with me.
Nothing made sense anymore.
The temperature in the room dropped, and my breath frosted.
The darkness in the shadows intensified.
I looked back up in time to see the ghost of a cocky smile on Thalen’s lips as he turned his hands palms up, and then a blur of pure darkness as Vad lunged at me.
His shadows ripped up beneath me and lifted me off the filthy stone.
I yanked at my rope, needing to fight. But my wrists were still tied tightly. My wolf snarled, determined that I not die at the hands of the man I loved without being able to fight back.
A panicked cry slipped out before Vad thrust me against the wall, one hand at my throat and the other over my mouth.
I kicked and flailed as best I could amidst the tangle of his cold shadows, and I braced myself for bone-jarring agony.
But the shadows rose with me, cradling my legs and holding me up.
They even swept under my feet to keep me from striking my bruised toes and heels against the wall.
What was this? What was he doing? Was this some mind game?
His claws pressed on my skin as he leaned against me, his warm, smoky leather scent filling my senses and almost overpowering the horrid stench of this place.
The pressure should have knocked the breath from my lungs or cracked something, but instead, the darkness underneath me kept me cushioned, strangely buoyant, so that my dignity took the brunt of the hit.
My heels dangled a few inches above the ground, my toes wrapped in his shadows and kept immobile.
The icy grip of his fingers dug in, careful but unyielding.