“There’s no use in trying,” Kaden’s familiar voice said from behind her. “I gave you an inhibitor after your pathetic excuse for an escape.”
“Why is it that you are so keen on keeping me here, huh? I figured you would want to take me to King Renard as quickly as possible, seeing as how I’m the long-lost princess and all,” Layla replied. She kept her tone as neutral as possible as she tried to think of a way out of this fiasco. For once in her life, Penny remained silent on the topic as she continued to twist her hands in the cuffs.
“You’re just going to keep hurting yourself if you do that,” he chided.
“As if you care.”
Silence stretched between them for several seconds. Eventually, he cleared his throat and his footsteps approached her.
“I care that your family betrayed the alliance of the three,” he said quietly. There was a small grunt and the air behind her stirred. She knew he was sitting close enough that she could touch him, if her hands hadn’t been bound. He chuckled softly. “You know, it’s funny.”
“What is?” she interjected.
“My whole life, I’ve thought about the fae as monsters. You all have immense power, but here you are, weak, afraid, and powerless. It’s not what I expected.”
“And you think that’s funny?”
She twisted her neck around to look at him, but he was shrouded in shadow.
“No, not really,” he finally admitted. “If I’m being honest, I guess I just expected more.”
A heavy silence settled between them like a suffocating mask as Layla tried to think of what to say.
“My parents died during the insurgence,” he finally said.
Layla closed her eyes, her heart aching for him. Five years after the fae royal family had been massacred in their own home, a band of fae had attempted to lead an insurrection against King Renard. Her parents had been part of the resistance, but had chosen not to participate in combat.
By all accounts, the fighting had been brutal. Bloody. Although the king’s guard lost many members, they succeeded in killing all the rebels. Over two hundred fae lights had been snuffed out in a single, massive blow. Following this failed attempt at freedom, the fae had been too scattered and broken to gather a large enough force to strike again.
“They chose to defend a murderous king,” she replied, her tone bitter.
She felt him moving behind her. She struggled to gain enough slack in her restraints to turn around, but the handcuffs were too tight.
“They chose to defend the honor of our kingdom. There is no shame in that. It was your parents who started this, anyway. They were the true traitors.”
Layla shook her head, her hands balling into fists. “You might have lost your parents, but, if I am the lost princess, I lost everything when your oh so precious lord decided it was time for my parents—my people—to die. So, you can go eat your own manure for all I care.”
“Tsk, tsk,” he murmured. “You are a feisty one, aren’t you?”
“Careful, Layla,” Penny said. “I don’t like how this man is talking to you. I don’t like it at all.”
“I learned from an early age that if I didn’t learn how to defend myself, no one else would,” she spat.
“Too bad all that learning was wasted.”
His fingers snaked around her neck. They were hard and firm against her skin. She knew that if he wanted to, he could squeeze and there would be nothing she could do about it. She was at his mercy.
Penny hummed in her mind, sending a vibration through her body. His touch lingered at the nape of her neck as his thumb traced a small circle there. His touch felt like bricks stacking against her chest, making it difficult for her breath. It was suffocating, feeling him behind her, breathing on her, while all she could do was sit there and let it happen.
Powerless.
Gritting her teeth, she considered what moves she could make to get out of this situation. There weren’t many.
“Wouldn’t it be easier to kill me?” she asked.
Kaden released his hold on her and she felt him shift as he sat back. She licked her lips before continuing.
“I mean, I can’t imagine that the king would want even the hint of a possibility that the lost princess is still alive. Think about it. He’s probably just going to confirm that I am who you think I am and then kill me. It’s easier that way. Cleaner.”
“What are you doing!” Penny hissed, but Layla ignored her.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you for killing me here. Today. I’d still be worth whatever bounty he’s offered to pay you.”
The heat of him was oppressive as he closed the gap between them once more. The metallic sound of the key pin being inserted into the handcuffs startled her. She hadn’t anticipated him releasing her from the manacles.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You can’t hurt me without your abilities so there’s no reason to keep you chained,” he replied. His tone was melancholic, although she didn’t understand why.
As the handcuffs slipped from her wrists, she immediately brought them close to her face so that she could inspect the wounds. The welts and lesions weren’t as bad as she had anticipated. Sighing in relief, Layla turned so that she could look Kaden in the eyes.
“Why are you being nice to me now?” she asked. “Is it because you want me to stop referring to you as the unmitigated villain?”
His lips twitched and she could see amusement brighten his eyes. “Unmitigated villain, huh?” he asked, rubbing his chin. “That does have a nice ring to it.”
“So, are you going to explain why you’re keeping me alive or not?”
“Alive, you’re still an asset to the king. Dead, you would be nothing more than the babe that was butchered by his assassin.” Although he said the words matter-of-factly, there was something about the way he was looking at her that gave her pause. She didn’t know if she was imagining it or not, but she thought she saw sadness in his eyes.
“What does he want with me?” she asked.
“The answer to that particular question is above my pay grade,” Kaden said.
“So what, you’re just going to keep me here until you figure out some answer to give the king?”
“That’s the plan.”
They sat in silence for several moments. Layla scouted the room for any sign of a way out. Unfortunately, without her abilities, she doubted she’d get far. Her head was already spinning from the inhibiter he’d given her. She didn’t know where they were. She doubted she’d be able to find someone willing to help her. Although she could normally pass as an elf, she was dirty and bloody. She’d be treated as a second-class citizen or worse.
“I know you’re probably not going to believe this, but I’m sorry it has to be this way. I really wish it didn’t,” he said. His voice was soft, and a small tremor crept into it.
She scoffed at him. “I don’t believe you. How could I? You are clearly someone of high rank if not high birth. And, despite our kingdom’s rapid pace forward, you can’t change centuries of persecution against the magical beings of this realm. King Renard would sooner see us killed. We mean so little to him.” She panted. Her heart beat rapidly as her hands continued to shake. “You’re just like him: a draking bigot.”