Page 55 of Heir of the Autumn Queen

Something is off with King Cadogan, that much is obvious. The way he greeted me so causally—solovingly—it’s definitely not normal behavior for a king; especially considering I was told he retrieved me because I pose a threat to his kingdom. But I do remember Bellamy saying something about the king not having been in his right mind for a long time. Maybe this is what he meant.

The servant girl returns with all the things I requested; the bath is filled with scalding water and floral oils, and she gives me a soft, fluffy black robe to don after I’m done bathing. She also brings back multiple pairs of soft black pants, similar to the ones I got from Pearl, and several long-sleeved tunics of varying colors, along with some underclothes made of silk. The servant asks me again,“Is there anything else you need, m’lady?”

“Just your name,” I tell her, offering a warm smile.

Her eyes go wide in surprise, but she obliges me.“Beth, m’lady.”

“Beth,” I repeat.“Well, thank you for your help.”

She appears unaccustomed to being thanked since she curtsies for the third or fourth time and leaves the room without a word. I strip my clothes quickly and leave them in a pile by the tub, getting into the bath with a sigh of ecstasy as the hot water relaxes my muscles and washes away the grime of travel. I sit for several minutes, simply existing in the water, before scrubbing my body and hair with the lavender bar of soap that Beth provided. I give myself an internal pep talk and finally convince myself to get out, reluctantly leaving behind the peace and weightlessness that the bath offered. I put on the soft robe and leave my hair down to dry before browsing the countless options on the bookshelves. I settle on a book titled,Eternal Lovers.It reminds me of the kind of book that Briar would have on her shelf; a romance that helps one escape from their normal, unexciting life.Not that my life is unexciting at the moment.

I sit down on the sofa, bending my knees and tucking my feet underneath me, snuggling in. But before I can even crack the book open, a male voice says from behind me,“I didn’t know you liked romance novels.”

I startle, whipping around on the sofa to find Finn leaning against the post of the bed casually.“How did you get in here?” I ask him, my heart pounding.

He jerks his head behind him to the window, which is now cracked open and letting in the cold night air. I stand up, crossing my arms over my chest, realizing that I’m wearing nothing but this ridiculous, fluffy robe.“I do live here, you know,” he tells me, raising an eyebrow. He still looks pale and exhausted, but his cocky attitude seems to be back in full-force.

The black armor around my heart strengthens itself as I remind myself of his betrayal. “What do you want?”

He senses my tone and drops the arrogant facade, taking a tentative step toward me.“Just let me explain.”

“Let youexplain? You wouldn’t even look at me when I arrived, and now you show up in my room acting like everything is normal?” I bark a laugh, bitterness lacing my words.“What would you like to explain to me, Finn? The fact you knew who I was the entire time we were together? Or that you were charged with the task of abducting me and delivering me to your father? You pretended to care about me forweeks, just so you could what? Brag aboutfucking your prize?” The anger in my blood is threatening to boil over as I stare at him from across the room, verbally assaulting him.

Finn winces at my harsh words but doesn’t address my accusations.“Aurelia, listen to me.” His authoritative tone leaves no room for arguing. I want nothing more than to continue to yell at him, but I clamp my mouth shut at the use of my real name on his lips.“You are not safe here. You caught my father on a good day, but his mood can change quicker than you can blink. Brutus is the devil on his shoulder, the commander of his armies; he whispers evil that takes hold in my father’s fragile mind, but he’s too far gone to realize the influence Brutus has over him.”

“Why does Brutus want me?” My voice shakes slightly, both from adrenaline and from the realization that my little stay of luxury will be cut short, one way or another.

“He wants to ally our lands to the Autumn Kingdom. What better way to do that than to present the heir Selena’s been searching for to her on a silver platter?”

“For what purpose? Things have been fine across the kingdoms… Why disturb the peace?”

“Why does anyone do anything?” I scowl at him, awaiting his apparent wisdom.“The two biggest motivators in this world are power and love. Brutus is obviously motivated by the former.”

“Why does he have such a strong influence over your father? Can’t you talk to him? You’re his son.”

“My father still views me as a child. Brutus has been his advisor since the beginning; for centuries now, Brutus has watched my father change from a just, capable ruler to a shell of a male, driven mad with grief over the loss of my mother and brother. At some point, my father lost any real interest in ruling, and Brutus realized he could pull the strings.”

The thick, black coating of armor around my heart starts to melt ever so slightly at Finn’s words, at the pain he’s endured watching the man who was once his father waste away. But I quickly rebuild the barrier, making sure my guard is up and not going anywhere.“I’m guessing you and Brutus don’t get along,” I say, my shoulders tensing at the memory of his cruelty.

“It wasn’t always that way…” Finn answers softly, remembering another time.“But no. He’s a poisonous snake who’s only interested in his own political gain. As far as I’m concerned, he is no longer a friend to our kingdom. But my father will never see it that way. He trusts Brutus more than anyone.”

“So I’m as good as dead.”

Finn nods once.“If you stay here, Brutus will hand you over to Selena without a second thought.”

I launch into action, rushing around the room, stuffing the extra pairs of clothes that Beth brought me into my knapsack. I pull some pants on under my robe, then turn my back to Finn and shed the thick fabric to put on one of my new tunics. I hear his breath catch at the sight of my bare skin, and I look over my shoulder to find him staring at the dark purple bruises on my elbow. He’s next to me in a flash, his hand hovering over the spot where Brutus grabbed me as I hold the tunic to my naked front side.“I’m fine,” I tell him as his eyes darken.

“Who touched you?” His shadows creep out of him, enveloping us in a cloud of darkness.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say, pulling the tunic over my head and tamping down my own rage at the memory of Brutus’ violence.

Finn studies my face intently, just now noticing the fading bruise on my cheek and the scab on my lip. His hand hovers over my cheekbone, his pupils dilated enough to take over his entire iris.“I swear to you, Aurelia. He will never lay a hand on you again.”

I flinch at the use of my real name again, but give him a curt nod.“I know. I’ll make sure of that myself.”

Finn smiles down at me weakly.“That’s my girl,” he whispers.

His words stoke the embers of anger back into a roaring fire inside me.“I’m not your girl, Finn.” Even if I thought he was being genuine in his care for me, I can’t trust him. Not anymore.

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