Page 6 of Claws of Death

“Let her out so I can speak to her like a person.” It’s a reckless demand to make, but I make it anyway, just to see if there are any magical locks on the door that I am not aware of or if brute strength will do the job of breaking her out when the time comes. Guardians, let that time be soon.

Ephegos shakes his head. “Nice try, Ayna.” But he steps back, releasing my arm from his grasp.

I nearly groan as the numbness makes way for an assault of pain.

“Any ideas?”Kaira prompts as she stays well away from the iron fence separating us. When she notices my observation, she clarifies, “those bars will drain your magic, no drug injections needed.”

“I remember.”I do. If only I had part of my Crow reflexes and strength available to shove Ephegos into the barrier, I’d level the playing field and rob him of his magical advantage,but I’m barely strong enough to keep upright. Damn those drugs. Damn this entire palace and Erina’s unholy alliance with a megalomaniac Crow traitor.

Kaira’s lips split into a distorted grin as she follows my train of thoughts. “I’ve tried.”

“No success?”

“Obviously, or I’d already be out of here.”Her tone has more humor than I could ever muster in a situation like this.

It’s almost too easy, too familiar, slipping back into our silent conversation. As if no time has passed at all and nothing changed when, in reality, everything has.

“At least, leave us alone for a few minutes.” Forcing the desperation out of my tone is a challenge in itself.

Ephegos raises a brow. “Not that it will make any difference when I can hear you whisper from the end of the corridor.”

All right… No privacy then.

“Let him believe he’s privy to everything we say. It will fool him into a false sense of security.”Of course, Kaira is right. We’ll need to give him a conversation to listen in on though, or he’ll know we’re up to something.

“Easy…”Kaira tugs on the dirty fabric of her servant uniform—apparently, they haven’t bothered giving her fresh clothes since they locked her down here. The need to hurt Ephegos for what he’s done only increases when I spot the scar on her forearm where Erina sliced into her flesh. If it weren’t for the Crow traitor, my sister wouldn’t be behind bars. The irony is that, would I tell him who Kaira truly is to me—blood, a half-sibling just like Sariell was to him—hemight understand. Since understanding won’t change any of his reasoning though, I keep my mouth shut, waiting for Kaira to work her magic.

“The guards make sure I get enough to eat. They give me fresh water every day. I even had an opportunity to bathe,” she rambles, giving Ephegos an inconspicuous conversation to listen in on while we both do our best to think up a plan to get her out.

“And you didn’t take it, given the state of your dress?” My comment makes Ephegos laugh, and for a heartbeat, I see the friend I believed him to be. The male who’d laugh and joke with Myron and Royad. The laugh gets stuck in my throat as I meet his gaze, and I find more of the cruelty I have learned him capable of lingering there.

“Since no one will grant me an audience with the King of Tavras, why bother cleaning up? Surely, not for the barbarians that are the guards.” Kaira’s eyes spark, and I remember what she did with Julj, the guard at the side gate of the palace, to get us in and out on our rescue mission.

“Any of the guards susceptible to your charms?”It’s the only thing I can think of since neither of us is in the physical state to fight our way out.

Kaira’s grimy braid slides over her shoulder as she shakes her head.

“The King of Tavras doesn’t care to be bothered with a halfling like you,” Ephegos comments. “As a matter of fact, he couldn’t care less what happens to you, Kaira. He’s only keeping you around until Ayna’s mate decides it’s time to get her out.”

“Which he won’t.” My retort has less bite than I was going for with all the foolish hope meddling with my emotions at every mention of Myron, and my shoulder tingles right above where Ephegos’s claws severed my skin. If he can feel my pain through our bond, he might not be as wise about a rescue attempt and simply turn around from wherever Herinor took him and run back to seal all our fates.

“You still haven’t grasped the severity of a fae mating bond, have you, Ayna?” Ephegos seems genuinely curious as he leans closer to study my face.

Ignoring the prickling sensation of discomfort, I turn my back to him and focus fully on Kaira.

“Not the way Julj was. They have more experienced soldiers down here. Julj was a young, hormone-driven fool.”

I can’t argue with that. Allowing Kaira to charm him got him killed after all. He wasn’t even smart enough to figure out she was using him.

“Any potential allies among the palace staff upstairs?”she asks in return. “How about your new handmaiden?”

An image of the various women fleeting in and out of my rooms to help me dress when it’s time for Erina to parade me in front of his court floats into my mind. “I never see them long enough to gain their pity. They are all convinced I’m the luckiest woman in Tavras.”

Another person comes to mind?—

Lady Andraya brought up my past in a cryptic way that makes me believe she knows more than she let on. That doesn’t make her an ally though, just a woman who mightsit on information the King doesn’t want her to have. Leverage, but nothing I can use against him.

“Perhaps there are people who are aware I’m not here out of my own free will,”I say into Kaira’s mind, “but there is no way for me to speak with them privately. Erina makes sure I’m never alone with anyone longer than a few minutes. He switches out servants and guards so I can’t build relationships. I don’t know who I could trust, even if I had time to speak truthfully.”

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