Page 18 of Taken By the Shadow Prince

“How noble.”

We don’t speak for what feels like an eternity.

“Should I address you by your title?” I ask. Because he was a prince. One of seven. My mother told me all about the cruelties I’d face at his and his brother’s hands when I was younger, if I misbehaved.

“What a waste of words that would be after half a decade. Don’t you agree?”

His words surprise me. “What did you just say?”

Armin raises an eyebrow and shoves his hands in the pockets of his black trousers. “Are you hard of hearing, Mavey?”

It’s clear that he doesn’t mean it as an insult. He’s curious, maybe trying to learn as much as he can about the girl who he will be stuck with for five years.Five years. Five years without my brother. Without Mair, or Auley, or the rest of them.

But it’s better than failing—than all of us dying because I was too selfish to make what is a comparatively small sacrifice.

“No.”

“Were you just not listening, then?”

“No,” I say again, my teeth gritted. “I was just surprised.”

“Why?”

I turn away, unwilling to answer. “I’m going to go hunt for dinner.” I don’t ask if he has any requests. I just turn and stalk toward the woods. I’m sure I could head into the kitchens and find something in there, but they might need that food later, if this battle doesn’t go the way we’re all hoping it will. Besides, I don’t mind hunting, especially if it means getting away from the demon prince behind me.

“Very well,” he says. “I suppose I’ll be right back.”

I turn around, about to ask him where the hell he’s going, when I need himhere, but he’s already gone.

I huff out a sharp breath and stalk into the woods.

When I return with a handful of rabbits, Armin is sitting in front of a fire. There’s a tent set up behind him, and I realize where he must have gone—home. To Atheya, to gather his things for the duration of his stay.

“I took the liberty of getting the fire started,” he says by way of greeting.

I nod and drop the rabbits on the ground before pulling a knife from my side and getting to work on skinning them the proper way. The sun is setting by now; I spent a few hours in the woods, setting traps with that same elixir that I used on Armin. A coward’s way of hunting, but time is of the essence, and I haven’t eaten since last night.

“You’re not going to thank me, are you?”

I don’t spare him a glance. “Why would I? I can only assume you used your magic with how poorly those sticks are stacked. It took no effort on your part.”

“Fair enough,” he nods. “I apologize for my less than decenttwig stacking.”

I shrug.

“Do you want help?”

“You can skin rabbits?”

Armin gives me a smile. “Well, I’ve never skinnedrabbitsbefore. But I have some experience.”

My stomach twists at all that implies, but he’s already standing up and walking over to me, already bending down and pulling a knife from my hip. It’s a skilled movement, one that makes me wonder how much blood those long fingers of his might have bathed in.

It’s best if I don’t know. I don’t think of myself as a weakling, but I’d guess that his answer would send even the bravest of men running as far away as fast as they can.

How stupid, to be here alone with a demon—a demonprince, at that. I should have let Benji stay, should have given myself just a little more protection. But to risk his life just so I could feel safer... Unacceptable. These are my actions, and so they shall be my consequences.

Five years. Shit. That number keeps running through my head. I think of everything I will miss in those five years. What will change in my brother? Will he be married when I come back home? And what about Mair and Leven? Will they have had any children? Will Finch still be in the castle, or will he have decided he’s had enough of the political life and retired to a cottage? Will Lillian and Isa have married—will they even still be together? And Auley, will he have stopped denying that he wishes for someone to love him? Or will he still be sneaking out of women’s beds in the middle of the night because he’s too afraid to let himself feel love and possibly be hurt?

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