Chapter Eleven
A Case of Scheming Scumbags
A small window above my cell let in a whisper of moonlight.
I hadn’t seen it earlier due to the lit sconces—all of which were long gone now. After the royal knights forced my men to leave, they dismissed Ban as well before sneering at me and taking the light with them. I didn’t mind the dark too much; it allowed me to see the moon. A sliver of it anyway.
Iron bars pressed to my back as I sat against them, refusing to go anywhere near the bedroll or the corner with the moving dirt. In the silence of my cell, faint scuttling noises reached my ears. A tiny squeak did too.
“Mice and scary bugs. Awesome.” I tipped my head up to the window. “Guess I’ll be staying awake with the moon tonight.”
A chill came off the stone wall despite me being as far from it as possible, and I drew my knees in closer to my body, wrapping my arms around them.
“You’re shaking like a leaf, little treasure.” The shadows beside me swirled, and I caught a whiff of a familiar peppery scent. Topaz eyes shimmered in the dark before the rest of Rowan came into view, hood pulled up and decked out in black.
“Ro.”
“The one and only.” He unfastened his cloak and draped it over my shoulders before relaxing against the bars, kicking out one leg and bending the other at the knee. “You think I’d let you stay in this shithole by yourself? Not a chance.”
I drew the cloak closer and curled against him. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Scared of the dark?”
“No. Not really.” I pushed my face into the braided hair slung over his shoulder. “Just didn’t like the silence.”
“I know what you mean.” He rested his head on mine. “After living with those fools and hearing their loud mouths every waking hour of the day, I don’t care much for the quiet either. Feels too…”
“Lonely.”
“Aye.” Rowan smoothed his hand along my side.
“They’re all worried sick right now. Except for your big glutton.
He skipped right past worried and is seething in his anger.
He said he’s gonna come here and break you out, killing anyone who stands in his way.
Specs and the rabbit keep having to take away his sword and block the door to keep him from leaving. ”
Oh, Maddox. My beautiful and overprotective man.
“Is Lake okay?” I asked. “Draven said one of the mercenaries went to the cottage.”
“No need to worry. They didn’t lay a hand on the pup.” He tilted his head and looked up at the window. “When I got home, he was standing at the back door, claws out and ready to pounce. The Nocturne bastard was outside in the woods.”
It was hard to breathe. “They were so close to him.”
“But they didn’t try to attack,” he said, perplexed. “They just stood in the woods and watched us before retreating. The twins said it was the same for the one they tracked. Reign’s target seemed to be going for the weeping willow but darted away once realizing Reign was closing in on them.”
“The willow? Why?”
“It’s a source of immense arcane energy, remember? I know little of magic, having taught myself everything I know, but even I can sense the power of the tree. The whole meadow, really. Tapping into pure energy like that would lure anyone.”
“Then send them running for the hills once they saw the Guardian,” I said, recalling the mysterious, hooded figure. “Who is that anyway? Do they stand guard all night and day? What about bathroom breaks? Sleeping and eating?”
Rowan shrugged. “Reign told me not to fuck with them, so I don’t. I get the feeling whatever’s beneath that hood is far from human.”
I shivered. “Good thing I didn’t plan on sleeping tonight.”
“I could always make you sleep.” He gently bumped my side, tossing me a half smile. “With my little bag of magical dust.”
“You told me it wasn’t magic. That it was a concoction of herbs and oils or whatever used to knock people out.”
“Anything that manages to stop your rambles must be magic.”
“God, you’re so mean to me,” I said with a laugh.
“You like it.” Rowan took my face in his hand, all traces of humor slipping away. “I’m sorry for not being there to protect you tonight. When Reign said a trail was leading toward our home… toward the pup, I just… I couldn’t—”
“Hey.” I placed my hand over his. “This isn’t your fault. You knew I had Callum, Briar, and Maddox with me. Lake didn’t have anyone.”
“But still. I shouldn’t have left you, Evan.”
“No one could’ve protected me from this, Ro. Even if you’d been there with me, the king would’ve still been poisoned, and I’d be blamed for it. That’s how this was always going to play out. Either way, my butt would be in a cell sooner or later.”
“If only I was more powerful.” Rowan brought me closer to his chest and petted the back of my hair. “I could use the shadows to escape with you. To take you from this cell and run far away where none of them would find us. Where no one could hurt you.”
“We’ve already been over this.” My lips trembled with a shaky smile. “If we left, you’d miss Maddox too much, and we’d have to come back home.”
He released a raspy laugh. One that rang of a deep sorrow. “Not only him. I reckon I’d also miss the pup, Specs, and even the rabbit. All of you are… you’ve become my…”
Family. He didn’t need to say the word for me to know the truth of it in his heart.
A flicker of light came from the stairwell at the end of the corridor.
“Shit,” Rowan hissed, holding me tighter. His body started to sink into the shadows before solidifying once again. “Come on, you damned magic.” He did it again before emitting a soft whine. “Please.”
That’s when I understood: he was trying to take me with him.
Higher-level shadow mages could teleport with several people, but Rowan hadn’t learned how yet. As he’d said, he’d taught himself everything. Skills he’d learned while living on the streets that had helped him survive.
The light of the torch flickered brighter, closer now.
“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m sure it’s just a guard doing rounds. Go check on our men and make sure Maddox hasn’t killed anyone yet.”
“I don’t want to leave you.” Rowan buried his fingers in my hair.
“You have to.” I hid my face against his neck, gathering my courage, before lifting my head. “Now, go before they see you.”
Right as the torch appeared at the bottom of the dark stairwell, Rowan kissed me softly on the lips and then vanished from my cell.
“Wake up,” a harsh voice barked, his steps heavy on the stone floor. Two other men trailed behind him. Guards by the look of it, though it was too dark to be sure. Reaching my cell, he kicked at the bars directly behind my back. “To your feet!”
The vibration of his kick rattled my bones. I jolted upward. “What’s going on?”
“No questions outta you,” he growled, bringing forth a set of keys. They jingled as he found the one he wanted. “Damned traitorous bastard.”
The insult hurt worse than the bone-rattling kick. “Traitor? I’d never—”
“Shut your trap, boy. Ya can’t fool me like you do the others. Every word you speak is a lie.”
The door flung open with a shrill creak.
I shuffled back a step, only for him to lunge forward and grab me by the arm, yanking me from the cell. Cold metal clamped around both my wrists. My pulse thrummed wild, sending my blood zipping through my veins. They led me toward the stairs, one in front and two behind me.
“Where are we going?” I asked, nerves spiking. This didn’t seem normal: removing a prisoner from his cell in the dead of night.
“You’ve been summoned to answer for your crimes.”
“My crimes? But it’s so late.” My voice rose in pitch. “Surely it can wait until morning. You know, when it’s nice and bright outside and after everyone’s gotten a good night of sleep. Maybe once they’ve had a cup or two of coffee first. That always puts me in a better mood.”
“Enough talking.” He tugged me forward by my cuffed wrists, nearly making me lose my footing. “Prince Cedric is waiting for you.”
***
“As you ordered, Your Highness.” The guard threw me down in front of the last person I wanted to see.
Prince Cedric turned from the window, goblet in hand, and raked a cold gaze over me. “Remove his cuffs.”
The guard obeyed and lowered his head, awaiting his next order.
“You’re dismissed.”
He bowed before joining the other two guards at the door and leaving the room.
On my knees, I rubbed at my sore wrists. Wearing the weighted shackles made my arms ache too, like I’d done an upper-body workout.
Beefcake Muffin.
A quick survey of the room showed a stone fireplace along the wall and armchairs situated in front of it.
To the left sat a small round table with two chairs, a pristine desk, and a set of doors leading to a balcony.
The guards had led me up several flights of stairs, and considering the view beyond the windows, I’d say we were on the third floor of the castle.
High enough to break your neck if you fell.
Or if you were pushed.
“Pebble.” Cedric drank from his goblet, keeping his eyes on me over the top.
“Your Highness.” I lowered my gaze. Did I feel like being respectful in that moment? No. I wanted to leap up from the floor and karate chop him in the throat. But I also valued my head.
The buckles on his boots clinked as he approached. “I must say. I truly am impressed.”
“By what, Your Highness?”
“How you aren’t groveling at my feet and begging for mercy.” He stopped in front of me. “I expected tears at least.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” I kept my gaze on the floor. The tips of his boots were in view. “Begging would indicate guilt, and despite the claims against me, I’m innocent.”
“Innocent, you say.” Cedric squatted down to my eye level. One look at his face told me all I needed to know: he was getting off on this. Like a cat playing with a mouse before going in for the kill. “Yet, we found a dagger and vial of poison on you. How do you explain that?”
“The dagger was for self-defense.”
“And the poison?”