Page 125 of Somber Prince

She shook her head.

“It kind of got crowded out there. Everyone was rushing. I just tried to stay out of the way. And then, well… You saw what happened to Kostya.” She shuddered at the memory. “I mean, I couldn’t stand the guy. He was such an obnoxious asshole, groping everyone in the sarai and talking shit. But what a horrible way to go. Even he didn’t deserve that. After I saw that, I didn’t stick around the hill.”

“What did you do?”

“I saw Prince Rha came after us, so I ran down the hill and let the first Teneris guard I saw catch me. Except that then, we were attacked by those scruffy guys from the desert who came out of nowhere. They killed my captor-slash-savior guard, which was a shame, really. He seemed like a nice guy.” She frowned, pushing a thick strand of her copper-colored hair away from her face.

“How did you get away from them?”

“Oh, they never caught me to begin with. I ran away while they were fighting the guard. I hid between the rocks on the hillside and stayed hidden until all the baddies had left. I hitched a ride with another Teneris guard for a while until we met the queen’s scouts, who then brought me here.” She rubbed her forehead, wincing at her memories. “There was so much fighting in that storm. I saw you and the prince but briefly until the storm hid you from view. I saw Elaine?—”

“You did? What happened to her, do you know?” My heart raced as I waited for her answer. “Is she here in the sarai too?”

My hopes were crushed as Lucia said, “I saw one of those desert guys throw her over his horse’s saddle and ride away.”

Dread chilled my insides.

“Do you know who these guys were?” Lucia asked. “Those who attacked us?”

I shook my head, breathing through the worry tightening my throat. “I’ve no idea, other than Elaine is probably not safe with them. Rha promised to offer a reward for the safe return of his Joy Vessels. But he’s been gone for a while now, and I’m afraid he may be in trouble himself.”

“Where is he? How did you end up in Kalmena?”

“Princess Alzali brought us here.”

“Well, that’s nice of her.”

I scoffed. “She didn’t do it to be nice. She said the queen wanted to see Rha. I fear queen Abeille will hold him responsible for losing his Joy Vessels.”

“But he didn’t lose us. We ran away.”

“Apparently, that’s still his fault.”

“That’s too bad.” Lucia sighed sympathetically. “But she’s his mom. Hopefully, she won’t be too hard on him. I like Prince Rha. It was chill and relaxing in his sarai.” She lowered her voice. “Hey, what’s the deal between you and the prince? I know you fucked him. But are you guys together now? Like a couple?”

What exactly were we?

“He says he loves me.”

She sucked in air with a whistle. “Wow. That didn’t take him long.”

“Shadow fae see love as a disease. He must’ve recognized the symptoms.”

“Interesting. But how about you? Do you love him too?”

Rha believed that I did, though I never told him that. I remembered the feeling I had when running down the hill to him and away from the portal that would take me home. I remembered how certain I was about that spur-of-the-moment decision I’d made.

When I thought about Rha, my heart swelled with so much tenderness, I could barely contain it in my chest. I didn’t want him hurt. But it was more than that. I didn’t want to be in a world that didn’t have Rha in it. We belonged together.

“I do,” I said.

My head was spinning at that admission, but it was the truth.

She nodded. “If you said anything else, I’d think you’re lying. I saw you running to him. I stayed in Alveari for food and shelter. But you stayed because of him.”

I darted another glance toward the walkway that led out to the gate, waiting for Rha to walk through it any minute. But it remained empty. The longer Rha stayed away, the more my concern grew.

“I just hope he’s okay,” I muttered under my breath.

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