Page 17 of The Shadowbound King

We bypassed the tall staircase, entering the castle through a set of tall, wooden doors that opened before we reached them.The knights didn’t speak or so much as glance at me as they continued their brisk pace, their fingers tight around my arms as we navigated a series of wide, labyrinthine corridors.

Even with panic fluttering in my stomach, I couldn’t deny the castle’s beauty. Soaring wooden pillars were carved to resemble trees. High overhead, the green ceiling sparkled like glass traced with silver the way veins webbed across a leaf. Vines climbed the walls, some of them dotted with the white flowers King Andrin wore in his braid. Wooden chandeliers held dozens of candles that danced with balls of light instead of flame.

I waited to leave the beauty behind—to turn down a dark, dimly lit corridor or descend a set of steps leading to a dungeon. Instead, the knights hauled me into a wing even more opulent than the one we’d just left.

Jeweled lanterns cast colorful patterns on the polished stone floor. Statues of solemn-looking elves loomed in alcoves. Tapestries embroidered with forest scenes decorated the walls. As we passed, a phantom breeze appeared to move through one tapestry, setting the trees’ orange and red leaves fluttering.

Another massive set of carved wooden doors lay at the end of a broad hallway. Once again, they opened without command or touch, and the knights carried me through them.

Elegant apartments spread before me, signs of unmistakable wealth everywhere I looked. Towering bookcases lined the walls, the shelves stuffed with leatherbound books. A fire crackled in a grand fireplace at the far end of the chamber. Lush carpets spread over the stone floors. Chairs and sofas upholstered in rich greens and golds clustered around carved tables of various heights and sizes. An arched opening offered a glimpse of an adjoining chamber.

And in one corner, a large wooden cage hung suspended from the ceiling, its base about four feet off the ground. Big andround, the contraption resembled a bird cage, but it was sized for something much larger.

The knights dragged me toward it.

“No!” I cried, twisting my body as I kicked at the knights’ legs. They simply tightened their grips and lifted me off the ground.

I squirmed as they carried me forward, but their hold was unyielding. My heart pounded wildly as I cast a frantic look around the chamber, searching for a weapon—or anything that might help me. But there was nothing. Just luxury and my looming prison. In a final surge of strength, I twisted and sank my teeth into one of my captor’s hands.

“Fuck!” he bellowed, dropping my arm. The other knight quickly grabbed me.

“We’ll have none of that,” he grunted, bending and planting a shoulder in my gut. The breath whooshed from my lungs, and nauseating memories of dangling over Gerren’s back spun through my head. Before I could rally, the knight thrust me into the cage and slammed the door.

I landed on a cushion in a tangle of skirts. Light zipped around the cage’s thick, smooth bars. The door clicked softly. Then it disappeared.

Scrambling to my knees, I lurched forward, setting the cage rocking as I searched for a way out. The door wasgone, as if it had never existed. A scream of frustration ripped from me as I gripped the bars and shook them. The cage swayed, wood creaking like a ship at sea.

The knights stared at me. The one I’d bitten cradled his hand against his breastplate. “She reallyisa feral little thing.” He examined the bite, which slowly repaired itself. “Like an animal.”

The other knight shrugged. “That’s probably why King Andrin put her in the cage.”

I tightened my grip on the bars. “You’rethe animals. Every single one of you.”

The first knight scoffed. “Doesn’t look that way from where I’m standing.”

“Come on,” his companion said, tugging on the first knight’s shoulder. “I hear tonight’s feast is supposed to be a wild affair.”

They turned, ignoring my shouts. Seconds later, the chamber’s double doors closed behind them with a lowboom.

Leaving me alone in the cage. The fire crackled merrily. Sunlight streamed through windows that stretched almost to the top of the soaring ceiling. A soft cushion covered the bottom of the cage. Plump pillows formed a small mountain against the bars. Andrin could have tossed me in a dank cell in his dungeon. Instead, he’d imprisoned me in what appeared to be his bedroom. Just what did he plan on doing with me?

My heart sped up as I touched the collar. Andrin had declared I would serve his court with elven gold around my neck. He didn’t mention clothes, and he didn’t specify what kind of service he had in mind.

Drawing my knees up, I hugged my legs to my chest. My throat burned, but I refused to cry. If the chamber truly belonged to Andrin, he’d return at nightfall.

And when he did, I’d be ready for him.

Chapter

Five

ANDRIN

Rane followed me as I headed toward the King’s Grove. Several nobles attempted to draw me into conversation after I left the courtyard. Understandably, they wanted to know more about Mirella. For too long, Autumn had seemed all but certain to fail. Now, hope shimmered in the air.

But I wasn’t in the mood to talk. Not when the male I trusted most in the world had broken my trust.

I could always sense when he followed me. He’d been doing it for the better part of four centuries.

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