Chapter 27 Haunted and Hunted
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
HAUNTED AND HUNTED
For the first time in weeks, I slept in my own bed.
Or tried to sleep given every minuscule shift of the mattress brought a new wave of pain to my aching body. Lilyanna glanced repeatedly at the expanse of white silk sheets in her own bed but stopped short of begging when she saw my mood.
The spirits were haunting me, not her. For now, she was safe.
The following morning, I leaned back on the buttoned chaise, watching the snow slap against the windows. Big, fat snowflakes and sometimes chunks of ice would break the monotony with a dull thud.
A sharp rap sounded from the door.
“I think it’s your turn to get it,” I said.
Lilyanna perched on the other end of the purple cushions, systematically pushing at her cuticles one by one with her thumbnail.
Her smile was tight, but she rose without complaint.
She smoothed the deep creases in her long skirt as she walked toward the door.
She tentatively touched the diamond handle, her entire body stiffening as the cold speared into her hand.
The prince strolled in. He looked the same as ever, smile bright, hair tousled, clothes perfectly pressed in matching funereal tones. Two guards marched in behind him. Both were men. Bulky, sullen, and heavily armed.
“Up you get, Tam.” He crossed to me, completely ignoring Lilyanna who cast a fleeting glance at the vacant corridor outside before one of the guards closed the door and positioned himself in front of it. He unsheathed his saber and dug it into the floor between his feet.
“Why?” I swung my legs to the ground, a dizzying wave of nausea firing through my body at the movement. I exhaled slowly, muffling the moan and burying my weakness.
The second guard detached himself from the prince’s shadow and hovered at my shoulder. He slowly drew his blade, the metal clanging against the sheath and vibrating directly into my ear.
I swiveled to glare at him, but the prince moved toward me again, and I flung my attention back to him. “Where’s Clement?”
“Oh, he’s a little tied up at the moment.”
My stomach twisted. Lilyanna tiptoed across the room; her slippers whisper-soft against the stone.
She skirted the prince and sat on the raised arm of the chaise at the far end, her weight stacked in her legs as if she would bolt at any moment.
She didn’t look at me, choosing instead to resume picking at her nails, but her face paled.
The prince laughed. “No, seriously, Tam. My wedding’s in two days. He has many chores to do, security details to plan. Hundreds of townspeople are coming.”
I didn’t know what to think. He looked like he was telling the truth, and I was so rarely wrong about people. My stomach shifted, pressing low in my belly.
“Hand over your weapons.” The prince hooked his fingers into his waistband, his shoulders back, muscles loose.
“No.”
The guard behind me gripped my arm and yanked me to my feet. He pushed me forward, and I stumbled, stopping myself from crashing directly into the prince at the last second.
“Unfortunately, Tam,” he casually reached forward and lifted the hem of my sweater, his fingers brushing my thigh, “you can’t be trusted not to harm yourself after that stunt with the bangle.
” He unbuckled the holster, grabbing the hilt of the knife as the leather strap uncoiled to the floor.
“And we wouldn’t want another accident like with that poor woman in the pit, now, would we? ”
He raised the knife, hovering it above the gash on my forehead. Slowly he carved the air, following the line down to my lip. He jabbed it into my face, and I leaped back. My heart lurched, and the cut on my face burned as if he’d reopened the flesh all over again.
“I know you have more. You must’ve learned the castle has ears by now.” He pointed the dagger toward my boots. “Hand them over.”
The fabric lining slipped through my grasp as I forced my fingers to dig out the slim blades. I threw them at his feet, balling my hands into fists to sever the tremors. My chest heated and my throat tightened, but I kept his stare.
“Such a good girl now, aren’t you?” The dimples popped in his cheeks as he smiled. “I must say, it’s been a lot of work trying to tame you, but it has proven to be most rewarding.” He ran my dagger through the air again, licking his lips.
I fought back a shudder as I relived the warm nodules of his tongue brushing against my pulse, his nostrils flaring as he dragged his face up my neck.
“I wonder what role you would be most suited to after the wedding. You have already had a taste of what my permanent consorts can do. They are even now jostling for position, carving out a niche for you amongst the hierarchy. Probably as we speak.”
“Do I get a say in this, my prince?” Lilyanna kept her face smooth and her eyes soft. “Tam is mine after all.”
He laughed, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. “No, no, my love. She is mine. I’ll get you another one, don’t worry.”
Lilyanna quietened. She nibbled on her nails, her teeth clunking together every time she slipped. What would her plan be if I did die? She’d poured all her time and energy into getting here and then surviving. Why had she believed I could be the one to help?
I backed away and sagged onto the chaise. The guard behind me moved to collect the knives I’d tossed and pocketed them before sheathing his saber and resuming his position behind the prince.
“Poor, poor, Tam. Or should I say, Tamara. You do prefer that name, right? Or is it only when Clement whispers it into your ear.” I looked through him, my body wilting as I sank deeper into the plush pillows.
Prince Bellinor’s smile faltered. “Where’s your fighting spirit today, Tam?”
I remained mute. The magic in my veins nulled, my core empty, my marrow sucked dry.
He shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s good practice for the coming days.” He turned and headed for the door. “I’ll see you both later. We’ve got an interesting afternoon planned, so rest up. I’ll have my guards escort you to the banquet room when it is time.”
* * *
The banquet room was the largest chamber in the castle.
The marble floor was spiked with red arteries and glittering diamond veins.
Multiple hearths lined the edges, all barren.
When I stared long enough, faint tendrils would coil up and out like tentacles, slithering into the vaulted ceiling and disappearing.
Dozens of benches filled the space, crudely carved with thick fingers of ivy and stubby leaves. The aisle between lay empty, lined only by fresh candles with pristine wicks and arrow-straight tapers.
At the far end rose a dozen marble steps. Red and white roses perfumed the air, encircling wreaths of unlit candles leading up to a circular marble altar.
The large guard behind me shoved between my shoulder blades, and I forced my feet to shuffle down the aisle. Lilyanna moved next to me, tugging her sleeves down and shivering.
“It’ll be warm on the day,” the prince called from in front. “We must practice getting everyone in position.” He halted at the end of the aisle, resting one foot on the bottom step.
My breath rushed out as I caught sight of the rigid shoulders and somber eyes of Bryn seated in the first row. She looked unharmed and unbound, but where was Clement? I swallowed and forced my lips to curve as I moved to slide in beside her.
“Not today, Tam.” The prince gave me a toothy smile.
“You’ll be up here with me. Dear Lilyanna can sit and observe to make sure she has everything set for the ceremony.
” He extended his hand in a smooth and slippery motion, just as he had outside the castle when he’d marked me with his own magic.
“It really is the best way to learn...” the large guards both stepped into position behind me, their boots clunking on the marble, “...from the mistakes of others.”
I took his hand. My skin shrank from his icy touch, clinging to the fragile bones of my hand. He tugged me up the steps, turning to face me and claiming my other hand.
Awareness shivered through me. The spirits watched from shaded recesses, silent and unmoving, but their chant whispered to me, strumming through my bones, urging me to fight. I glanced at Lilyanna. She gave the barest twitch of a smile, her body tilted forward. I dropped my eyes to the floor.
The magic lay despondent in my veins, residue impeding my spirit. The hairs on my neck prickled, a wave of judgement and disappointment coming from the hovering presence above.
The prince stroked my palms with his thumbs, forcing me back to him.
“This is where we will be bound for eternity, Tam.” I stood numb, gazing at my distorted reflection in his polished boots.
He turned his head, keeping a grip on me.
“I do wish Clement and his dear sister were here to see such a successful match.”
Lilyanna stiffened and a muscle pulsed in Bryn’s cheek. She moved imperceptibly closer, her hand feathering the hilt of her saber and Lilyanna’s breath deepened again.
“I’m sure you’re glad his sister transferred, otherwise you’d have never met Clement, Tam.” His thumbs kneaded my skin, cold and unwelcome. “We all know about your weakness for him. I must say, though, his sister would never have tolerated such disobedience. You’d have been kicked out on day one.”
I ground my teeth but remained mute. If he was alive but trapped, I’d find him. The prince wanted me rattled. It was working, but I wasn’t dead yet.
“I wonder how my lovely mothers are treating her?” His musing question hung in the air.
What I would do to wipe that smug look off his face.
How long had Clement listened to his taunts?
To imagine the depravities befalling his sister?
At least my parents had been dead when I’d found them.
I didn’t have to wonder what was happening or what state they would be in if they ever returned.
A dim fire sparked within me, but the magic stayed hidden.
How could I mark him without getting caught?
His thumbs swirled across my frozen skin.
He would be bound, unable to flee. No walls or spirits or blockade of sabers would be able to protect him.
But if he knew what I’d done, he’d throw me into the pit and torture me for answers.
Would he succeed before the Collectors arrived?
Maybe Siobhan would step in and kill me before I could reveal any information? Unlikely. She’d gag me herself and bite off my tongue if she had to. She’d let him punish me, hovering within sight but just out of reach. Always out of reach.
No. The next time I stood here, I’d be at Lilyanna’s shoulder with hundreds of eyes on us, but it would still just be me and him.
He wanted to play, and the game wasn’t over.