Chapter 6 Jace
JACE
Iexpected to storm into the castle and massacre every single bastard standing between me and Serena.
My expectations are shattered as we spend the next week scouting the area, Zadyn overhead, us on foot. He was right. The wards are rock solid, and walking in the front door is not an option. Not when we don’t know what or how many are waiting on the other side.
If we get captured, or killed, then there’s no hope for her.
Dover relays everything he knows about the castle, adding to Zadyn’s sketches, which are now tacked up on the walls of the flat like a massive map.
My eyes slide to Serena’s familiar, tapping his finger against the mantel in Ilayna’s room.
Tracking down someone who could potentially be our ticket into Kylian’s keep was clever.
Guess there is a brain in that pretty little head of his.
I had all but given up hope there was anything but air between those ears.
I’ll be honest. Zadyn is much more level-headed than I am when it comes to being patient, and for that, I find myself appreciating the male just the slightest bit.
I’m all hot temper—my instinct is to fight and kill, but he is cool in a crisis.
Smart, sharp, and analytical. I know he has just as much to lose as I do.
Probably only keeping it together for her sake.
Our heads snap up as the door to Ilayna’s chamber swings open, and in slips the fine-boned female we met a few days ago.
Finally. I was just about losing my mind.
I quit my pacing as she shrugs off her cloak and—woah, that’s a lot of skin. I quickly avert my gaze.
“Just give me a moment to change, and then we can talk,” she tells the four of us.
She skirts behind a folded bamboo screen and emerges in a long blue robe with closures down the front. Tucking her long hair behind her ears, she sinks down onto the upholstered bench in front of the bed.
“Well?” Zadyn asks, sliding onto the settee across from her.
“I saw her.”
I charge forward. “Tell us everything. Was she alright? How did she look—”
“Let her speak.” Zadyn holds up a hand, eyeing the girl with enough patience for the both of us.
With a steadying breath, Ilayna begins, “She was there, in the hall—chained up beside the king.”
Her voice drops off, a haunted look crossing her face.
Zadyn leans in. “Ilayna…did something happen?”
My heart starts thundering, anticipating the news I’m certain isn’t good.
“One of our girls, Amira…” She swallows, struggling to articulate.
Come on, spit it out.
“Kylian and Serena were going back and forth, and she started mouthing off a bit, and Amira—she hit her.”
“She hit Serena?” My voice jumps an octave. Ilayna looks up at me, clasping the front of her robe.
“She struck her across the face and Kylian—” She clutches her throat, shaking her head as she recalls the memory.
“What. Happened,” I growl.
I swear to gods, if—
“Kylian ripped her heart out. He ripped Amira’s heart from her chest and just dropped it on the floor.”
“Fuck,” Dover mutters. Zadyn and I exchange a concerned look.
“She was defending Kylian, but Kylian was defending your girl.”
What the fuck? Why?
Zadyn masters his surprise enough to continue, “Then what happened? Did you get to speak with her?”
“I asked if she was alright.” Ilayna hugs herself tightly, clearly shaken by the events of the night. “There wasn’t time for anything else. It would have drawn too much attention.”
“No, you did great. Thank you. Thank you, Ilayna.” Zadyn reaches out and takes her hand, kissing it gratefully.
“Of course,” she murmurs. “I have no love for the Trioris. If I can help your friend get away from them, I will.”
“I’m sorry about your friend,” Mar says softly, imparting her with a tender look. Ilayna gives her a sad smile.
“I wouldn’t say she was a friend. But she was like me, like all the girls in this place.
” She nibbles her bottom lip. “The four of you shouldn’t linger.
The madame will start asking questions if she spots you here a few nights in a row.
” Rising from her seat, she heads toward the door. “We can meet next week.”
“Do you think you’ll be able to get inside the castle again?” Zadyn asks, getting to his feet.
“Kylian has a handful of favorites. I’m one of them,” she says, regret lacing her soft voice. “I’ll see your girl again.”
Ilayna holds the door for us. I’m last out of the room, and as I cross her I can’t refrain from asking, “Did she seem—did she seem alright to you? Has he—did it look like he’d hurt her at all?”
I shudder at the mere possibility. Ilayna leans against the door, looking exhausted.
“No, she was not alright. She was thin. And worn. But I only imagine that what she’s enduring there goes beyond the physical. I don’t think he’s touched her. If tonight proved anything, it’s that he values her too much to put his hands on her or to allow anyone else to do so.”
I nod my head, slightly relieved. But that relief sours into nausea when she continues, “Which may not be a good thing.”
She eyes me warily as I wait for an explanation.
“It means he’ll stop at nothing to keep her.”