Chapter 24 #2
“How will we see where we’re going?” I asked, standing just beyond where the light reached, everything past it utterly black.
“There should be something here. The queen would have needed to see if she was to escape.” Shade shuffled along the wall, then made a small sound of victory. Sparks flashed and a flame ignited, casting shadows along the narrow path.
“Shall we?” Shade offered me his hand not holding the newly lit torch, and I took it with enthusiasm.
There was a lightness to my steps as we made our way down the path.
The walls were solid earth propped up every few feet or so by thick timber beams, the air stale and slightly damp.
The tunnel moved down on a steep slope before leveling out.
Rather than a straight line, it turned and curved, making me think it was taking us an obscure way out of the castle and even Prallues itself.
We turned the next corner to reach—a dead end.
Shade lifted the torch higher, illuminating the area ahead of us. All hope and excitement that had filled me moments ago snuffed out as quickly as someone blowing out a candle.
It was blocked, the wall half collapsed.
No.
I fell to my knees, the devastation too heavy to stay upright.
The scent of purloe intensified as Shade’s smoke tendrils edged toward the blockage. They curled through the rubble of rock and dirt, then pulled back, and Shade turned to face me, the expression on his face grim.
“We can’t get through.” His words reflected the pain striking through my chest.
All these weeks of searching, trying to find an escape, was for nothing. We couldn’t escape.
I should have known better than to get my hopes up.
Shade helped me to my feet, and I leaned against him as he led me back the way we came. My body resorted to muscle memory, my mind too busy battling with the truth of my situation.
Not only did I have to marry the king tomorrow, but he would expect consummation. He demanded an heir, and if his reaction to my refusal of his proposal was any indication, it wouldn’t be gentle.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason for Queen Jade’s death was the king himself.
I didn’t even realize we reached the entrance to the tunnel until Shade was closing the stone door behind us, all the hope and determination driving me these past weeks locked within it.
The sound of Pierce calling my name echoed through the hidden pergola, and together, we hurried back toward the fountain. Shade’s tendrils of smoke pulled the vines back in place to hide the entrance we discovered just in time for Pierce to stalk into view.
“Where have you been? I’ve been searching everywhere.” His words were rough and wild, and if I wasn’t mistaken, that was panic in his eyes.
“We’ve been right here,” I choked out, the emotion in my voice making it unrecognizable.
His eyes narrowed, then his gaze trailed down my dress, which was now covered in dirt. He didn’t mention my distressed state and instead said, “It’s late, we need to go back to the castle before the sun gets too high.”
I nodded once, and we followed Pierce into the garden, the sun baring down on us once we were clear of the large trees. I could make a wish, ask Shade to take me away from this place, away from the king and his demands.
Away from my future as Queen Consort.
Guilt was an acidic river in my stomach, and I swayed on my feet. I couldn’t abandon Eleanor.
Rumbling sounded in the distance, and when my eyes moved to the sky, it was to find dark clouds looming. A storm approached at a rapid pace, hiding the sun. It seemed even the Gods wanted me to meet this fate.
By the time we made it back to my suite, the storm had well and truly arrived, rain pelting against the windows and echoing through the room.
I moved toward them and sat before the stained-glass window to watch the water run down the panes.
I stayed that way for several hours. Shade tried to talk to me a few times but in the end decided to give me space as I came to terms with my situation.
Wista arrived to prepare a bath and provide food, which sat untouched on the large table, nerves having taken permanent residence in my stomach.
Thankfully, the king canceled our daily meal, so I wouldn’t have to face him today.
Instead, I returned to my place in front of the window, the rain splashing against it a perfect reflection of my mood. Droplets ran down the glass, making it look like Goddess Ammoraelis was crying, like she, too, mourned the loss of my free will to choose my husband. Fitting.
I had long ago come to terms with the fact my life would never be my own, that I would be a slave to my obligations to keep Eleanor safe, but how cruel could the Gods be to fate me into a forced marriage with such a vile man.
It had been foolish to hope that one day, far into the future, after Eleanor took her place, I would be able to live my own life. Something simple and quiet, with a job I enjoyed, not that I knew what that would be.
Perhaps I would have met a man who didn’t care about my past, someone I could love wholeheartedly, open up to and truly be myself, who would see all my flaws and love me for them. We would live in a small village, quiet and away from any chance of war or violence.
That dream didn’t hold the appeal it once had; there was something else I wanted.
Something I craved more than the nameless, faceless man in my fantasies.
No, I wanted the person who had shown me nothing but devotion and fidelity.
Someone I could never have, even if I wanted it with my entire being.
I looked to where Shade sat on one of the lounges, brow furrowed as he read one of the romance novels I borrowed from the castle library. His skin had darkened from our days in the sun, those swirling marks not as stark as they once were.
The Gods, or fate, had drawn us together for a reason, and I feared it was the worst, a future condemned for tragic ending.
The Giver of Love was a cruel Goddess indeed.
We hadn’t kissed since that first night, and how I craved more. Just the memory of his lips on mine made my body tingle, no matter how hard I tried to push the feelings away.
I wanted him, needed him, and I shouldn’t. I was about to marry another man; it was selfish of me to want him in such a way. To crave him.
Gods, I craved him.
It wouldn’t be fair, not to him and not to me. That’s why I couldn’t give in to this feeling. I couldn’t give Shade my whole self. Not yet. Not when my responsibilities were still to Eleanor, to the promise I made my mother to prepare her to take her rightful place as Queen of Galisordis.
Shade knew that, I knew that, but it didn’t stop the longing. The deep ache to be touched by him, to be held closely, to soak in his warmth and comfort.
To know he was mine.
Sensing my gaze, Shade looked up, and a small smile spread across his face when he caught me staring. He had started doing that more.
Smiling.
Our weeks together had shown me so much more than I ever thought possible, his previously blank mask now bore an array of emotions. Curiosity. Wonder. Happiness. Desire.
It was his smile that never ceased to make my stomach flutter, no matter how many times I’d seen it. Warmth spread through my chest each time he sent it my way.
In this moment, I couldn’t return it with a smile of my own, so I turned back to watch the rain again. The last thing I wanted was to ruin our final night together.
“Will you dance with me?” His deep voice was close, and when I spun around, he stood before me, hand out in offering, smile bright, and his intense silver eyes locked on mine.
His odd request pulled a chuckle from me. “There isn’t any music.”
“Humor me,” he murmured, his smile turning into a lilting smirk.
I placed my hand in his, sparks dancing across my skin, a feeling that would never get old. “I’m not a very good dancer.”
“I’m good enough for both of us,” he stated, drawing another laugh from me.
“Modest too.”
He sent me a wink and pulled me close enough our bodies were flush. I gasped at the sudden contact, and my heart thumped an erratic beat. Everywhere our bodies touched, tingled. Static lingering as warmth soaked into my skin.
Gods, I was burning up.
A hand settled on my lower back, and the other pulled our joined hands to his chest. Swirling silver zeroed in on my parted lips, and my heart took off.
I wanted to kiss him, more than anything.
His eyes darkened as if he could sense my desire. Then he moved, leading us gracefully across the floor. My body followed, entirely at his mercy.