Page 52 of Desperately Yours

Anger surged through my veins. Yes, Kabir was honor-bound to Mother’s commands. It didn’t matter what she asked of him,even if it went against all that he believed, he had to do it. Since even murder was not out of her reach, of course lifting the transportation freeze didn’t phase her.

“Fine.” I practically pushed my guard out of the doorway. “I’ll take it up with her myself.”

Michaela

The long lines of my handwriting stared back at me like traitors. I wrote the letter, but it was all lies. I wasn’t hung up on how we would make our situation work. Fitz had a plan and I still thought it was worth trying. I wasn’t questioning the way I felt about him, because I only wrote the letter in order to save him. And I certainly didn’t feel like we would be better apart. If I had my way, we would always be together.

But the lies were all that remained in the end, scribbled out in black and white, masquerading as truth.

I couldn’t even slide in a secret message, not with Sadie reading every word as I wrote it. Her fingers pinched the edge of the notepad and pulled it from my grasp. “That will do.”

“But I didn’t sign itRo—” I stopped myself short before I admitted to the one thing every single one of my letters had.Royally Yours, Princess Coco, every single time. If I left it blank or signed it wrong, would it be enough to tip him off?

“Fine.” Sadie’s nerves increased with every passing moment. I got the feeling she was ticking down to some deadline. “You should sign it.”

She returned the notebook, but my mind stalled without my normal tagline as an option. I couldn’t very well write,locked in a tower but still yours, but something would work, right?

Sincerely, Michaela

Was it enough? Bland, generic, a hundred miles away from the years of letters we’d exchanged, but would he realize the letter was written under duress?

“Thank you.” Sadie stole the notepad. The page ripped from the pad, and she slipped it into an envelope after folding it neatly. “Which brings us to thefinalelement of our evening.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Too much emphasis on the word final.

“You didn’t really tell me what you planned to do with me, did you?”

“Do you show the dinner lamb the menu?” She frowned. “I told you; I never wanted it to happen this way.”

“And yet,” I replied dryly.Here I am, tied to a chair. But that wasn’t entirely true either. Once she’d freed my hand to write the letter, I’d been quietly working on releasing my other hand as well. I felt like I was one hard jerk away from freedom.

“It’s not so bad, what they have planned for you. No one comes to the tower. You won’t be found. Though, it’s hard to say if your hunger or thirst will end you before the elements.”

“You’ll leave me here then? Waiting for death?” I wriggled my wrist, knowing at any second she could re-tie me and I would lose my opportunity. “A bit cruel, isn’t it?”

“Would you rather I kill you? I’m sure I have an elixir that would work.”

For a minute, I couldn’t breathe. It was a real offer. And she saw it as a mercy she could extend.

“No, thank you. I’ll take my chances.” More than ever, I knew I had to get free. Once she cleared the doorway, my fate would be sealed. I would never escape the tower.

“I know you think I’m cruel, but it’s not that way at all. Tauriq needs me to be strong. I won’t ever see him again, but if I do as they wish, at least he’ll survive.” Sadie turned away from me and I took my shot, tugging and jerking against the rope that still held me. “It gives me comfort to know that my sacrifice will grant him freedom, even if we never—hey! What are you—”

I stood, both hands free, ready to barrel into her like I was on the field ready for Monday night football and the whistle just blew. Eyes wide, Sadie’s hand disappeared into the folds of her skirt before I could take a single step. As I started to lunge for her, she threw something at the stone floor. Glass shattered and a thick plume of smoke rose between us. My lungs seized instantly, driving me to my knees.

“Careful,” she cautioned, “it shouldn’t kill you, but it will knock you out. You won’t wake up until tomorrow at the soonest.” I kept coughing but over my gasps I still heard the massive door release and pull backward.

I had to get out. I had to make my way to… My body dragged with exhaustion. My eyes rolled back in my head without my permission. Everything became heavy and weighted.

“It’s better this way,” Sadie’s parting words were meant to give me comfort, “if you wake up, it’ll all be over.”

“Wait!” I stretched a trembling hand toward her, touching the bluish haze that filled the room. But my plea fell on deaf ears and the door latched closed again, leaving me in my cell of poison to die.

Fitz

A guard moved as if to stop me, but with one look, he cowered back to his position. The transition of power was imminent and everyone within the palace knew it. I wasn’t king yet, but that guard didn’t want to do anything to upset me in case I held grudges.

I burst into my parents’ chamber, startling my mother where she spoke softly with her lady’s maid.

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