Chapter 33
Ishould be asleep at this hour, but I rarely sleep, preferring to use the darkness as a shield for my training. During the day, I train my mind while playing pretend, listening in on conversations through secret passages and creating new schemes to shake the tail of whatever unlucky soul was on guard duty.
When the sun gives way to the moon, that was when I shined, honing my body into lethal grace with a precision I knew even my brother couldn”t beat. Sure, he was stronger. But I was faster, smarter, and didn”t care about the pile of bones our lives were built on.
I had lost my humanity years ago, sacrificing it to protect my sanity in a world designed to break me.
I heard my father”s men bring someone in through the basement doors a couple of hours ago, but I didn”t give it too much thought. People come and go down there all the time. What do I care.
That is, until Finn texted me on my burner phone, the one I hide from everyone so I can try to have some semblance of a life. And then I heard the guards talking as they walked down the hallway, eager to take down Kieran Calder.
So here I sit, twirling my pearl-handled knife in my hands, its sides glimmering in the low light of my bedroom.
The knife matches its surroundings. White bedspread, white curtains, white rug. White as far as the eye could see. Everything white and pure and innocent for the O”Neil princess.
Even my attire is fit for the myth that swirls around me, a closet filled with dresses of all shapes and sizes, not a pair of pants in sight.
Father keeps me out of the spotlight, away from prying eyes, letting the rumors twist and choke like thorny vines. A beauty, a prize for any made man, tucked away high in her tower room of the great O”Neil manor.
A monstrosity, more like. Everything is gilded and ornate, as if that will hide the blood and bones it”s built on.
And me, always guarded to keep the princess safe. But what they were really doing was trapping a monster.
I”m still swirling in my thoughts, trying to decide on the best course of action, when I hear raised voices and cheering coming from downstairs.
Leaping off my bed, I make my way to the door, looking for shadows and sounds that tell me who is on the other side. I hear nothing.
Frowning, I turn the knob silently and peer through the crack. I see nothing. Dumbfounded, I swing the door open wide, peering first down one side of the hallway and then the other. There”s no one there. What the fuck? My door is always guarded.
Stepping back into my room, I grab my gun and quickly wrap my thigh holster on. My dress hides it well enough. Feeling nerves skate up my spine, I tuck a pocket knife into my sock nestled in my ankle boot. Something”s not right. I would rather have more weapons on me, but if I”m wrong and get caught with them, I”ll be in even more danger, so this will have to do for now.
I creep forward swiftly, moving like the other ghosts that haunt these halls. As I near the stairwell landing, the voices come in more clearly.
”He was spotted with Kieran on the west perimeter. My men lost sight of them, but we know they”re here.”
”Looks like Calder isn”t the only trash we”re taking out tonight,” my father”s voice booms. ”But know this, I”ll be the one to kill my son, and if any of you try to, I”ll fucking kill you.”
I stifle a gasp with my fist. Finn. Fuck. I may not care about much, or anything really, except for my baby brother.
My terror is interrupted as a muffled feminine voice emerges from the chaos floating up the stairs.
”I told you to shut it. Was the gag not enough of a hint to keep quiet?” my father fumes.
”Oh, I”ve something to keep her quiet with,” another voice answers.
”All in due time. She”s no use as bait if she”s broken,” my father says as he steps echo towards the front door, the unmistakable sounds of someone being dragged behind him.
I would know, I”ve been dragged before.
Keeping low, I turn back and tiptoe to my room, hoping the plan I”m hastily building in my mind doesn”t fall apart and kill us all.