Page 51 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

The leader of the guards scoffs like I’ve deeply offended him.“PrinceFinneas is in the Winter Kingdom on the King’s orders.” My brow furrows in confusion, but I keep my arrow locked on my target, aimed at the front man’s heavily armored chest.“It seems our prince got confused…distracted, one might say, in completing the task he was sent to do.”

“Which is what, exactly?” I ask, a sense of dread taking hold in my stomach as a wave of nausea rolls up my throat.

“Why, to retrieve you, of course.” The handsome, middle-aged man smiles wickedly, as if he knows he’s breaking my heart with his words. His dark brown eyes barrel into me, somehow making me feel violated.

“You’re lying,” I say, too much emotion seeping through my tone. It feels like an invisible hand is squeezing my neck, forcing the air out of my lungs.

“Stupid girl,” he chides, clicking his tongue in disapproval.“Prince Finneas has known exactly who you are from the very beginning. Sent by our king to retrieve the long-lost heir of the Autumn Queen.”

My heart sinks at his words as my world comes crashing down around me.Finn knows who I am. How could I be such an idiot?I feel like I’m going to vomit, but I keep my composure, the sadness turning to anger as I look at the three guards.“And I suppose you’ve come to finish what he started?” I ask through clenched teeth.

The savage smile grows wider on the man’s face.“Well, noteverythinghe started.” My cheeks flame; how he deduced that Finn and I were intimate, I don’t know, but it only serves to anger me further.“But yes, you’ll be joining us on our journey back to the Northlands.”

“The hell I will,” I say, refusing to balk despite the danger I'm most likely in.

“Unfortunately, we are under strict orders to bring you backalive.” He sounds bored.“But that doesn’t mean we can’t make this journey extremely unpleasant for you, should you choose to be more of a pain than you’re worth.” I consider his words carefully, but keep my bow drawn as my hands start to shake.

The man behind the main guard to the left clears his throat. I meet his gaze and study his face; he’s much younger than the other two, closer to Finn’s age probably, with a strong, handsome face and dark brown hair and green eyes. But unlike Finn’s unruly waves, his hair is cropped short, just like the other two riders. The male’s eyes widen slightly and he gives me the slightest shake of his head, the movement so subtle I question if I imagined it, but his expression is enough for me to heed his silent plea.

“Listen, girl,” the first man speaks again, forcing my attention back to him.“Either you can willingly ride with us and your beast, or I can cut your mount down faster than you can blink, and drag you behind me with your hands tied. It’s your choice.”

“Such compelling options, how will I ever decide?” I deadpan, and the younger man coughs, seemingly covering up a laugh.

Despite my pitiful attempt to lighten the mood, I do indeed grasp the severity of the situation, and I don’t doubt that he would make good on his threat to kill Shadow and drag me behind him. I have no idea how far we are from the capital of the Winter Kingdom, but I’m not fool enough to want to walk all that way rather than ride. I lower my bow and put the arrow back in my quiver, resigned to follow them north to Viaria.

Chapter Twenty-five

We ride at a quick pace, all of us silent as the spirits who haunt the Obsidian Gap, as I process Finn’s betrayal. The more I think about it, the angrier and more confused I become. If he was sent to bring me back to the Winter Kingdom, why didn’t just do it as soon as he met me? Was he trying to gain my trust first in some sick game to make me fall in love with him before turning me over to his father? My head is telling me it was all just a cruel joke and that Finn was only pretending to enjoy our time together, but my heart is telling me that our connection was real for him, too. That he does feel something for me, and that’s why he hesitated in turning me in. Knowing how foolish the heart can be, I ignore every good thing it’s trying to convince me of and choose to listen to my head instead. But that brings me back to the original question; what does the Winter King want with me, anyway? As a bargaining chip with Selena, or does he have some other purpose in mind for capturing me?

By the time we stop to make camp for the night, I have a pounding headache from all the thoughts swirling around in my head. The only thing keeping me from breaking down in hysterics is the anger I’m feeling, all of it directed at Finn and his countless lies. Who knows how much of what he told me is true, or if it was all just part of some elaborate scheme to get me into bed with him. Every warm, loving feeling I ever felt towards him has turned sour; an oozing black liquid coating my heart in hatred and disdain. The honey-sweet taste on my tongue leftover from his kisses has turned to ash in my mouth, filling me with bitter resentment for the male who was my first friend here, my first lover.

As we make camp, I consider making a run for it with Shadow; if we took to the skies, it would be much harder for them to follow us, but we’ve never flown together before and I’m not sure if it’s worth the risk, especially knowing they could shoot at us from the ground, potentially injuring or killing Shadow. And any thoughts of sneaking off on foot are quickly squashed as the guards set a watch rotation to keep eyes on us at all times. The guards gather around the fire, eating some dried meat with cheese and bread, talking in low voices as they completely ignore my presence where I’ve set up camp a few feet away against an old oak tree.

The younger guard who gave me the look of warning saunters over and tosses me a hunk of stale bread. He takes a seat beside me against the tree, making sure to leave a respectable amount of distance between us. He’s the only guard among the three who seems even remotely friendly or decent, but I still don’t want to be near him.

“Can I help you?” I practically snarl.

“Thank youis typically the proper response when someone shares some of their food with you.” His arrogant tone reminds me of Finn, which only makes me dislike him more. I bite into the hard loaf, working my jaw to chew it enough to swallow, ignoring his snide remark.“I’m Bellamy.”

“I didn’t ask,” I say, not caring that my mouth is still full.

“Finn wasn’t kidding when he said you’re bold,” he says coolly, knowing that referring to his prince so casually would get my attention.

I try to keep my face neutral, uncaring even, as I ask him,“You know Finn?”

Bellamy laughs.“I’ve known Finn since we were kids. He’s my closest friend.” Only now do I notice Bellamy’s wings tucked away under his cloak. I wonder silently if he’s Yazmina’s brother, but even if he is, it doesn’t change anything. In fact, it only reignites the fire of animosity that I feel toward Finn.“He practically begged me to be a part of the unit that would retrieve you.”

“And where is he now?” I ask, unable to curb my curiosity.

“I don’t know,” Bellamy answers quietly.“Probably being detained.”

“Why would he need to be detained?” I ask, panic creeping its way into my heart.

“He’s been corresponding with his father since he met you, always coming up with excuses for why it was taking so long to bring you in,” Bellamy says, his brow furrowing.

“And the King got impatient?” I guess.

Bellamy nods.“I saw him this morning before they dragged him away. He only calmed down when the guards made an oath not to harm you.”

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