“He hit you,” I realized out loud, running my thumb over the bruise while my other palm remained against the stone beside her head. “I can help you, Valora. But only if you allow me to.”
“I’m standing here, aren’t I?” she countered, arching a brow.
“You are,” I agreed, tracing her jaw with my finger before wrapping my hand around the side of her throat. “But you’re afraid of me.”
“Can you blame me?” she breathed, her eyelashes fluttering.
“No. You should fear me.” I squeezed just enough to prove dominance without harming. “I came here to kill everyone, Valora. Including you.” I loosened my grip. “But now I see we might be able to form a mutually beneficial arrangement.” At least temporarily, I thought to myself, careful not to convey that message to her through our telepathic link.
“Who are you?” she marveled, her eyes dancing between my own, back and forth in a hypnotic whirl that drew me closer.
Valora needed more. She required a reason to trust me, some sort of boon to attract her faith.
And there was only one way to accomplish that.
“I’ll tell you a story,” I murmured. “A true one, but it will be up to you if you want to believe it.” I took a step back and held out my hand. “Walk with me. Please.”
She glanced down at my palm, then up at my face, and then back at my wiggling fingers. Her brow creased as she considered her options.
Which were simple.
Either she agreed to move deeper into these halls with me…
Or I let her go.
I said as much out loud, causing the lines of her forehead to deepen even more. I leaned against the wall beside her, my hand still hovering between us, awaiting her decision.
“All right,” she finally agreed, her delicate palm pressing to mine. “But I want you to tell me about our telepathic link, too.”
I nodded. “Deal.” I linked our fingers together and guided her down the murky hallway. “If you’re attached to that dress, then try not to touch too much.” These corridors would more than soil the fine fabrics of her clothes.
Not that I particularly enjoyed the bone adornments.
Those must have been chosen by her betrothed.
“This is why I desire pants,” she muttered, causing my lips to curl. “Everyone else has them, even Zaya. But not me.”
At the mention of her lady’s maid, I asked, “How is she?”
“Still asleep,” Valora replied.
“She’ll recover.” I’d made sure of it on my own, not that Valora would ever know. But I sensed the girl meant something to the queen, and considered it my one good deed for fucking up her life.
Well. Not that I could take all the blame for that. Her husband was doing a fine job of it himself.
“Did you know this palace wasn’t always inside Caluçon Kingdom?” I wondered, leading her toward the old part of the estate—the part Necros kept closed off from the public.
She frowned. “No. What did it use to be?”
“One of the Shadow Kingdom palaces.” My parents’ favorite estate, according to Lux.
“Shadow Kingdom,” she repeated. “I’ve not heard of it.”
“No, I imagine not. It was destroyed right before you were born. Graystall was next, but the king and queen traded their valuable daughter to the Caluçon King in return for peace.” I looked pointedly at her. “I’m sure you’re familiar with that story?”
She grimaced. “Very.”
“Well, unfortunately, the Shadow Kingdom didn’t have anyone to trade. And further, a prophecy declared that the Shadow King would one day destroy the Caluçon King. So, as you can imagine, Necros very much wanted to destroy the opposing kingdom.” I pushed against a wall along the side, revealing a dusty old library with skylights for lighting. The purple glow gave the oval-shaped room an ominous appeal, highlighted by the white sheets covering the old furniture.