“Heelean treated you well?”
“Yes.”
“What did you two talk about? She can be quite the chatterbox,” he says with a laugh.
“Nothing really. She asked me what happened then applied something to my temple.”
“Surprising. Normally she has much more to say.”
“Maybe she was tired?”
“Maybe.” He stops walking and takes both of my hands in his. They’re cold, and the contact makes my skin crawl. Especially when he begins massaging the tops of my hands with his thumbs. “Speaking of, you must be exhausted.”
I glance out the window at the setting sun. Truthfully, I’m wired. So much has happened today that I doubt there will be any sleep for me, at all. But if it gets me away from Taranus, I’ll agree to damn near anything. “I am wiped,” I reply.
“Wiped?”
“Sorry, tired. It’s a phrase we use where I’m from.”
His smile spreads. “, I understand and am looking forward to learning more about where you come from.” Taranus releases my hands before looping one of my arms through his. We begin to walk, and I pay close attention now to the way the servants watch him. Those daring enough to look our way study him with a grimace, those not brave enough—they do everything possible to avoid him.
It’s heartbreaking to see.
As he guides me up the stairs, my throat tightens. The idea of being so far from anyone but the man I watched slit a throat without so much as the blink of an eye is nerve-wracking—to say the least.
“I can sense your nerves,” he says. “I assure you, you’re safe in my presence.”
Can fae read minds?“I’m sorry, this is all new to me.”
“I can understand that.” We stop outside my door. “You will have a good life here with me, Ember. I can assure you that. A long, happy life at my side.”
“A long, happy life sounds nice,” I reply with a smile.
Taranus beams at me, but all I see is a nightmare dressed in a daydream. “Have a good night, Ember.”
“Thank you, Taranus.” For good measure, I lean in and press a kiss to his cheek. When I pull back, he is smiling widely at me. Before I hurl in front of him, though, I rush into my room and shut the door behind me. The trip to the bathroom is easy, thankfully, and before I know it, I’m bent over a bucket with the contents of my stomach coming right back up.
I heave while sweat beads on my brow, and my stomach clenches when there is nothing left. As soon as it relaxes, I sit back and take a deep breath. Now that I’m done vomiting, I can smell the scented water from the full bathtub right in front of me.
It’s alluring, that’s for damned sure, but the suffocating panic in my chest has me remaining right where I am. As a child, I’d been alone a lot. That loneliness bred a ton of anxiety about what could happen to me. In an attempt to cope, I’d devised a plan for coming to terms with my reality while not focusing on all the what-ifs.
So I use that tool now.
I am here in another world, surrounded by creatures with abilities I cannot even begin to understand. My sickness may have subsided, but as it turns out, there are much bigger things to worry about than my impending doom.
I’ve been seeing what must have been visions of a man Taranus claims is dead; a man I saw less than an hour ago imprisoned below.
In the last twenty-four hours, I’ve seen more death than I’ve seen in my entire twenty-six years, and the worst monster of them all thinks he’s going to marry me.
Oh, and how could I forget to mention the murdering bastard holding the literal key to my escape? Running both hands over my face, I groan.
How the hell did I draw this shit card? Dinner with a handsome man turned into a flare-up of my illness, which led me here. Fucking wonderful. I must have done something truly awful in a past life to get this deck handed to me.
Reaching between my breasts, I withdraw the vial Heelean gave me. I know I shouldn’t take it to him. After all, even he asked me to stay away, but the idea of seeing him again—it’s far too enticing than it should be. And who knows how badly he needs it? It was pretty dark down there. Could be he’s injured more than he let on.
Mind made up, I push to my feet and head to the basin full of clear water on the counter. I reach in with both hands and drink some of the water to rinse my mouth out. Then, after splashing some on my face, I strip down to climb into the bath that’s already waiting for me.
Warmth surrounds me, and I sink down beneath the surface. I’ve never been overly heroic, but I always believed I’d do the right thing if given the chance, so as I sit here beneath the surface until my lungs begin to burn, I add Heelean to the list of people I want to free from Taranus.
All I need is a key.