Page 9 of Somber Prince

“As per your order,” the general had said.

Meaning this man was the one who sent the shadows to take us. He was responsible for everything. For the black smoke invading my house. For our kidnapping. And for my father’s death.

Anger bubbled in my chest. It rose to my throat, making my face burn and my heart pound hard against my ribs.

The prince stopped in front of me abruptly. Every muscle in my body tensed in his proximity. Rage coursed through my veins, scorching hot like lava. But my hands were tied, literally.

“Why are you tied?” he asked me.

“Ask your goons,” I gritted through my teeth. Refusing to look at him, I stared at the plaza past his bicep.

“General Oskura, why is this one tied?”

Not waiting for the general’s reply, he slid a curved dagger out of the sheath on his belt. With his hand on my shoulder, he gently rotated me with my back to him, then cut the rope in one smooth movement.

The moment I was free, I pivoted to face him. With the hazy numbness blown away from my emotions like a morning fog, the pain of loss sliced through me, sharp like a blade.

“You killed my dad!” I slapped the royal cheek so hard, pain reverberated through my palm and up my arm.

His eyes grew wide from shock. His irises were such a pale yellow, they looked almost white in the stark contrast to his coal-black skin.

I brought my arm back again in hopes of landing another blow. Sadly, the element of surprise was no longer on my side. The prince grabbed my wrist. Shoving his dagger back in its sheath, he preemptively grabbed my other wrist too.

“That was why she was tied, Your Highness,” the general muttered under her breath, shooting me a reproachful look.

The prince towered over me, holding my wrists in his hands. His black pupils narrowed to pinholes, and his shapely lips pressed into a thin line. He clearly wasn’t used to being slapped and didn’t appreciate it in the slightest.

“Don’t ever do that again.” His voice was low, but every word was weighted with power and meaning.

I had no doubt he could kill me as easily as I’d slapped him. It surprised me he hadn’t immediately done so already. But I was too angry to care.

“You killed my father, you asshole,” I hissed in his face.

“I’ve never met you until tonight,” he replied evenly. “I’m certain I never knew your father, either.”

“One of them slit his throat,” I choked out, jerking my head in the direction of his people standing nearby. “And you were the one who sent them.”

He held my gaze steadily for another moment. His eyes moved between mine, back and forth. He flinched as if repulsed. Suddenly, he released my wrists and stepped back, avoiding eye contact now.

“My prince,” the general lowered her voice, but they stood close enough for me to hear her. “This was a public insult to you. She needs to be punished.”

He frowned, no longer looking at me at all. “Put her in a separate room from the rest.”

Pivoting on his heel so fast his skirt swirled in the wake, he marched out of the plaza without a single glance back.

Chapter Five

RHA

Flicking my fingers on my way from the plaza, I summoned Oskura closer. She caught up, matching my step.

I crossed the covered inner-court garden toward the palace. The guards opened the palace gates of ornamental gold for us. From the large main hall, I turned into the corridor leading to my private rooms.

The pale, ill-tempered Joy Vessel refused to leave my mind.

“That woman has extremely disturbing eyes,” I voiced my thought out loud.

Oskura easily kept up with my pace. “Are you talking about the human who dared raise her hand to you?”

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