Bleakness darkens my stepbrother’s face. “Everything.”
“Then why don’t you—"
“Edain?”
The sound of his name echoes through the enormous tent.
I freeze as I recognize my sister’s voice.
But curiously enough, so does Edain. His head tracks toward the sound, all his attention focusing upon her. “Andraste?”
“Maybe your intruder was a princess herself,” Finn taunts. “Maybe she wanted to know what a real male looks like.”
I can’t see my stepbrother’s response, but I can feel Finn tense as if he’s waiting for a blow. “Keep your mouth shut about our princess,” Edain finally says. “And don’t tempt me.”
“Let me out of the cage, pretty princeling, and maybe we can dance again. We can wrestle a little bit more. I wonder though, who will end up on top.” Everything about the way he says the words is suggestive. “This time you won’t have the element of surprise.”
Edain stalks toward the door. “I won’t need it.”
And then he’s gone in a swirl of canvas, and my heart is suddenly beating like the galloping of a horse’s hooves. Close. Too close.
If he’d found me in here, then my mother would be furious.
What am I doing?
It makes no sense. None of this makes any sense.
Breathe. I ease the breath from my lungs and force my hands to stop shaking.
“Well, that was interesting,” Finn says in some surprise. “Your boy likes cock as much as he likes sweet pussy. I thought he was almost going to take me up on my offer.”
I grind my teeth together as I crawl out from beneath the dress and then slip back into Edain’s chambers. “The things I do not need to know.”
Finn laughs under his breath. “You know, you almost sound exactly like my prince right now.”
Our eyes meet. He’s picking at me as much as he picked at Edain. It would be easy to dismiss him for a rogue, but there’s a cunning intelligence in those blue eyes. He knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Now that’s interesting,” Finn breathes, as I return to the lock. “You never did tell me how you met my prince, but here’s that blush again, stealing up your cheeks. I’m shattered, truly. I thought we were starting to get to know each other.”
“You were just flirting with my stepbrother.”
“Distraction, sweetheart. I was channeling my inner Lysander. And don’t change the subject. Have you kissed Thiago?”
I ignore him. How are we going to manage this? “He put the ward inside the lock itself.”
“Ah yes, but the ward is broken. I was trying to distract him so he didn’t reset it.” Finn steals the dirk from me, jams it inside and after a few playful twists the lock clicks. “And you did, you naughty girl. Where did you kiss him?”
His eyes light up as the cage door swings open.
“Like I’d tell you.” I drive the point of the dirk into the tiny screw that binds his collar together.
“On the mouth?” He laughs as I grumble under my breath. “That’s a yes. Did you kiss him anywhere else, Iskvien?”
I swear, I could just about wring his neck myself.
The collar gives way, and Finn shoves forward, scrambling out the cage. He takes a step and winces. “Bastard shot me with an arrow when he took me down. It’s nearly healed, but it might take the edge off me.”
I cross my arms. “I could help you.”
“Could?”
“Only if you promise not to ask me any more questions about kissing. We still have to escape this quadrant of the camp without being seen, and return you to your prince.”
“Oh, princess.” Finn stretches his arms behind his back, his spine cracking. “That’s the easy part. I’ve had loads of experience in escaping traps. The hard part begins when your mother realizes I’m gone and starts to wonder how I managed it.” He shoots me a brilliant smile as I slip under his shoulder. “And I promise on my life that I won’t ask you any more questions about my prince. I already know the answers, and I can’t wait to see what Eris thinks of you.”
9
THIAGO
“Let us start,” Adaia purrs, as she crosses one long smooth leg over the other, her golden metallic skirts falling apart to reveal the slit. “I have something you want. Now I want to know how much you want it back.”
I stare at her and I can see Vi’s bruises again. And the way she tried to hide them.
And I know what that little smirk is telling me about Finn’s condition.
Everything within me yearns to wipe it from Adaia’s face, but we’re playing at diplomacy now, and Lucidia is watching.
The ancient queen of Ravenal is the only true neutral vote on the Seelie Alliance. Kyrian sides with me, and Maren most commonly with Adaia.
It is to her that we bring this dispute.
“I’m sure you do,” I murmur, “but Evernight has neither proof of Finn’s life or condition, and before we begin, I intend to have it.”
“I give you my word,” Adaia states. “He is alive and he is well.”
This time it’s my turn to smile. “You think I would ever believe you at your word?”
“Adaia speaks the truth,” Lucidia confirms. “I was brought to see your man not one-hour past. He is in reasonable condition and alive.”
Reasonable fucking condition. I know what that means.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Lucidia chides.
“I want to know if he’s been tortured.” The muscle in my jaw twitches.
“He is alive,” Adaia snaps and that is all that matters.
Lucidia arches a brow toward her. “I’ve seen no signs of torture, though I do believe a whip was used upon him.”
A whip. I am going to kill this bitch with my own fucking hands. One day.
Take her apart piece by piece, whispers Ruin.
Break every bone in her body, says Wrath. Her screams would be music.
Of all the Darkyn souls I’ve consumed, he’s the most violent.
I lean forward in my chair. “Then why don’t we see—?”
Eris’s hand comes to rest upon my shoulder. “A word?” she whispers.
This is the worst possible time for it, but I cut her a look. She wouldn’t make this demand unless there was something important she needed to tell me. She knows how much Finn’s life rests on a knife edge.
I nod, and she passes me a slip of folded paper.
The words inside are Thalia’s.
We have Finn. Don’t give that bitch anything.
We also have something else you might be interested in.
—T
We have Finn. Something inside me unknots. I came here willing to barter my soul for my brother-in-arms. It’s the promise I made to myself when Finn, Baylor, Lysander, and Thalia backed me when I took the throne. I will always have their backs—because I know they have mine.
This is my family.
It’s the one thing I’ve managed to forge for myself that can’t be taken away.
That won’t be taken away, no matter what I have to do.
“Well?” Adaia leans back in her chair, her smile small and tight. It’s the smile of a queen certain she’s about the make her enemy crawl. There’s nothing of Vi in that smile. It seems a miracle that this snake bred a daughter like her. “What say you? Mistmere in exchange for your misplaced hunter.”