Page 99 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

“Then so it shall be.” She turned back to me with rage and hate in her eyes. “I shall see you then.”

I didn’t stop her this time, letting her walk past me. She didn’t look back, but I felt the slight shove against my shoulder as she passed, and Samkiel caught it, too.

“What was that?” I sneered at him.

“You were taking too long to ask her. I was merely helping.”

“With all due respect, prince,” I said, dragging the last word out. “I don’t need your help.”

“She’s fun,” Samkiel said, ignoring me. “I need fun.” My skin practically vibrated as I glared at him.

He barked out a laugh. “Calm down,” he said, slapping my shoulder. “I wasn’t talking about her.”

“Good,” I said as we turned back toward the exit. “And don’t you have enough fun as it is? How much more fun do you need?”

Samkiel was quiet for a second. “Having fun and having a distraction or three are very different things. I have distractions, Logan. Never forget that. I do not have fun.”

As we walked out of the auditorium, I wondered just how much of himself he buried that none of us were aware of.

THIRTY-SEVEN

IMOGEN

I saiah spoke to Kaden in those damned hushed whispers. A line of generals passed by, their golden swords and shields held tightly to their sides. We had not been called, so why were soldiers moving?

My thoughts died as Isaiah looked at me, his hand stroking his jaw as Kaden continued to talk. If I had control over my body, my heart would have leaped into my throat when Isaiah’s eyes met mine. It was cursed and damned and wrong, but the only time I didn’t feel like an empty shell was when he was near me or looking at me. Gods above, I didn’t know how to explain that, and a part of me absolutely hated it, hated him, even if he did keep me safe. No one even dared look at me now, much less touch me. Not even Nismera questioned it.

Even stuck in my head, I at least knew my body was safe with him. I didn’t sleep in this state, not like I had before. But Isaiah gave me his bed, said the words that made me lay down, and he slept on the floor. I stared at the ceiling and wondered why he did it until sunlight filled the room and the day repeated. He never tried to touch me. It was quite the opposite, as if he were afraid to, and I didn’t mind one bit. It was strange to feel peace when I could feel nothing at all.

Kaden nodded once before turning and disappearing from view. Isaiah strode toward me, stopping and folding one massive arm over the other before sighing. He whispered the command, and I followed once more, a part of me wondering if I would follow him even without the words.

THIRTY-EIGHT

SAMKIEL

Doors screeched across the stone floor as guards went by, opening cells for breakfast. Orym groaned and rolled out of bed, shuffling around a bit before leaving the cell. Dianna shifted beside me, and I sighed, resting my head atop hers. I hadn’t slept much, and I did not feel like eating, not when Logan was so close. Questions circled through my mind. How long had he been here? What had he made him do? Then there was the one that made my heart ache. Was he still in there?

Dianna had snuck me up to the upper levels the night after the brawl, and seeing Logan damn near made me weep. I hugged him and hated that he did not hug me back. He stared at me, no flicker of emotions or life, just emptiness, and I hated it.

Dianna’s arms wrapped around me and pulled me close as if she felt my apprehension. She nestled her face against my throat and inhaled deeply. “You didn’t sleep last night. I’m pretty sure I have a bruise on my leg where you kicked me.” Her breath tickled my neck as she spoke.

“Sorry,” I replied.

She pulled back to look at me. “It’s because I took you to see Logan?”

“I think it’s a combination of everything, truly,” I said, brushing a kiss to her nose.

“I just wanted you to see him. I’m sorry.”

I pulled back a fraction to look at her. “I know. It’s not that. It’s . . . I had this hope that if I found them, maybe if they saw me and knew I had come for them, it would help break whatever trance they were in. But when I saw him, held him . . .” I shook my head. The swell of emotions and pure heartbreak were almost crippling. “He didn’t even flinch or respond. What if—”

Her lips slanted over mine, stopping me mid-sentence. My body relaxed, the taste of her warmth driving the cold, dead feeling from my heart. Her mouth teased mine, moving over it in a way that sent my heart racing and my blood pumping.

She pushed at my chest, rolling me onto my back. “We will save him, save all of them, okay? Don’t give up hope.”

“How can you be so sure?” I asked the one question that had been gnawing at my gut all night.

“Because I am always right.” She flicked my nose with her finger.

---