Page 76 of Ocean of Silver

“What was that about?” The door to the room I was staying in flung open behind me. Reagan stormed in, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at me.

“Get out,” I spat. I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with her shit tonight.

“Do you want to tell me why you left the celebration early?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Her eyes trailed up and down my body as she scoffed. “It’s embarrassing.”

I seethed, trying my damn best to stop picturing him pushing Scottie against the wall… how his hands kept roaming her body, and why the fuck hadn’t she pushed him off? Not that it would have done anything. The guy was too fucking strong for his own good, but Scottie didn’t even try. She didn’t seem bothered at all that he was touching her inappropriately. Instead, she looked worried forhim. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Were they messing with her that much? Did they threaten to harm her if she didn’t obey every fucking repulsive demand of the Prince? Was she his? Did the King gift her to the Fire Prince?

Fuck. That thought alone was destroying me. It was making me contemplate storming back into that room and murdering him. Fuck the consequences. I didn’t care what would happen to me as long as he never touched her again. How many other times had he done that to her? How many times did she just have to endure it? Fuck. This was damn torture.

“She isn’t your wife anymore, so stop pining after her like a sick puppy,” Reagan said when I didn’t respond. “She’s clearly moved on, so why can’t you?” Her words ate at me. Had she moved on? Or was she forced into doing that with him tonight? Did they make her sit on his lap? Did she have a choice that his hands were roaming all over her?

But then she willingly hugged him after whatever the hell that was, and somehow that was worse than any of the Prince’s groping.

Fuck. I was losing my damn mind.

“We’re leaving.”

“Yeah, I know. The meeting is over, thank the Goddesses, and tomorrow we can go back to Tennebris and forget about all of this. We’ll just pretend it never happened—”

“No. Tonight. We’re leaving tonight.” I needed to get off this damn island. I didn’t trust myself for another second because if I saw the Prince again, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back.

I’d kill him.

TWENTY-NINE

SCOTLIND

I waitedall night for Patricia—Peter—to return to my room. He should have been back by now. I started pacing even though my room only allowed for a few steps before I had to turn around and start all over again.

I couldn’t sleep. I had to hear from him to know that everything was okay, that he was okay. He was supposed to warn Sie about what would happen tonight, but if Sie got Peter’s warning, he didn’t heed it. He wasn’t calm during the dinner at all and afterward…

His reaction was exactly what the Lux King wanted, giving me the sinking feeling that we would be forced to do it again at his coronation, but I couldn’t think about that, not right now.

The Lux King had instructed Tezya to take me back to my room, then gave him instructions to meet him afterward. The King was livid, which didn’t make sense because we did everything he asked us to do. Well, not everything. We didn’t kiss, not on the lips, but I think what Tezya did was worse than that. Was the King pissed at him? Was he mad because Athler stepped in?

Tezya didn’t talk to me the entire walk back. I had opened my mouth so many times to try and break the silence and was so close to saying something—saying anything—but nothing ever came out. When we finally reached my door, he halted outside. “I’m sorry, Rumor. For everything.” I was about to tell him it was fine. I wasn’t mad at him. I wanted to tell him that I was sorry too, but he left before I could.

And now I was left anxiously pacing my room, worried about what the King wanted with Tezya and worried about Peter.

A knock sounded on my door after what felt like hours. I sprinted over to it, panting by the time I reached it.

“Peter…” I stopped.

“Hey, little nix.”

No, no, no. I tried to slam the door shut in Kole’s face, but his arm flew out and caught it. He tsked. “There’s no reason to be rude. I’m here to fetch you.” Before I could move, Kole ripped the Complete Alluse necklace from my neck. It clattered to the ground in time with his skin turning golden. “Follow me.”

My mind screamed as my feet obeyed. I followed Kole’s brown hair silently as he led me through the castle. I knew this walk. I knew these stairs…

He was taking me back to the dungeons.

* * *

A blonde male,wearing a dress that was too short for his toned legs, was hanging lifelessly from the ceiling. His arms were chained above his head, and his body sagged, struggling to support his weight. The back of the cream gown he was wearing was torn open. His back was just as destroyed as the dress. A whip drenched in blood was thrown to the side. The large grate carved into the floor was positioned directly under him, his blood dripping down his body and draining into it.

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