TEN #5
"Don't let him hear you say that. I'd never get the throne if he heard of so much weakness within me."
"I don't think kindness is a weakness," I told him, holding in a groan as the berry broke apart in my mouth.
Was it possible for things to taste purple?
Because it tasted purple. And ripe. And perfect.
One day, I would grow my own blackberries.
Make a day of picking it with my children, eating so many we'd get belly aches, then taking it home to preserve as jam for the colder months.
One day.
When I got out of this place.
When I was safe again.
It was a harsh reality to realize that once I was back behind the veil, I would never again be able to leave it.
I would only ever be safe behind it. And, I had a sneaking suspicion, the truth would be the same for not only Drake, but also Smoky and Sal.
If the Dark trackers had their scent, they might never be safe.
Especially if I got away. They would be tortured for information about my whereabouts.
And even though I knew I could trust them with that information, the idea of them being tortured and killed for not getting it would be too much to bear.
Would the elders let them in as well? Would they even come if they were allowed? Sal had a huge family. Smoky valued her freedom above all else.
Maybe Sal's whole family could seek asylum in the Light Court.
But that left Smoky still stubbornly on her own in The Green, thinking she didn't need anyone but herself.
"What has that look on your face?" Jet asked, brows drawn low.
"I was thinking..."
The sound of the door flying open, sailing and cracking against the wall cut off my sentence, made my heart lodge tightly up in my throat.
"Father," Jet's voice said in a somewhat bored tone even without looking over to see if that was, indeed, who it was. Then again, I guess when you were a prince, not many people would have the audacity to charge into your room that way.
"What is this?" the Dark King's voice demanded.
Cass was, well, not exactly what you would expect from an evil, brutal, half-mad man.
For starters, he didn't look old enough. Maybe somewhere around my parents' ages with dark hair, handsome features, a solid, but thin build, and the honey-brown eyes that both of his children had clearly inherited.
He just seemed like a man.
Maybe a rich, powerful man by the way he carried himself and spoke. But just a man.
It was interesting how wrongly you could judge someone based solely on their appearance.
"That, father, would be my fiancée," Jet said, tone still holding that bored sound, like his father's demands were a bother.
"Imagine my surprise to find she was tossed in the cellar like some prisoner.
You should see her ankle," he added, tisking as his head swiveled to his father.
"It is most unbecoming of a Dark Princess now. "
"It will heal," Cass said, brows going low in what seemed to be confusion. "I wasn't aware you would be open to the idea of having her in your chambers before the wedding."
I didn't know him well enough to understand the odd tone his voice had taken on, but Jet's chin lifted a bit defiantly.
"I figure if I am being forced into marriage not of my own choosing, I should at least enjoy my privileges whenever I wish."
"And you're not opposed to this arrangement?" Cass asked, tone disbelieving.
Across from me, Jet's eyes seemed to tell me to tread carefully.
"I figure it is not my virginity that has sealed my fate here, but rather my connections."
Jet's eyes danced a bit, letting me know I had chosen the right thing to say. It was something these men shared, it seemed, a desire to be spoken to bluntly. But, I imagined, with Cass, it was a much thinner line to try to toe.
"Your mother claimed you were meek and obedient," Cass told me, brow raised.
"My mother never had much use to spend time with me. She's hardly the best judge of my character."
"Indeed," Cass agreed, nodding. "Well, son. Enjoy your privileges. But don't create an heir until after the wedding. One bastard in the family is enough."
With that, he left as suddenly as he appeared, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Two," I said under my breath, annoyed on Jet's behalf even if he was part of my captivity as well.
Jet's smile curved up, but didn't meet his eyes. "Be careful with that tongue, Amethyst. If you want to survive, you need to know when you use it to slice, and when yo use it to spill compliments and subservience."
I snorted at that, plucking a grape from the tray. "I have never really needed to watch my tongue. It's never run away with me in the past."
"We must bring it out of you."
"It must be your charm," I drawled, dragging a small chuckle out of him. "Just so we're clear, there will be no having of privileges while I am here."
Jet's head ducked to the side a little, watching me.
"You've lost that virginity you just flung in my father's face," he observed, making me stiffen.
"Don't try to deny it, I can practically smell the sex on you.
Who was it? The Salamander? The lower female?
" he asked, eyes dancing a bit at that prospect. "Or the unknown?"
"Does it matter?"
"Not particularly."
"Then I see no need to answer."
"In another world, Amethyst, I think you and I may have gotten on well," he declared, rising from his seat, moving toward the door.
"There's no need to bolt this behind me.
No one will lay a hand on you now. You're free to walk around.
But make no moves toward exits," he told me, voice getting more serious than usual.
"You need to appear like you plan to live out your life here.
Don't look for opportunities until I tell you to. "
Not having anyone else to trust, I had to blindly put my faith in this man who would stand by and watch me be tortured to death.
Life was full of strange choices, I guess.
"Okay," I agreed, reminding myself that I could bide my time, play a part.
Because I knew what was at stake.
My life.
My future.
The one I wanted to build with Drake.
It was worth a few fake smiles, some dinner conversation with a man who wanted to kill my brother and use his own daughter.
I could pull it off, bide my time, wait until Jet decided the time was right.
And then I would free myself.
I would find my way back.
And I would spend the rest of my life trying to put all of this behind me.