Page 53 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“You remember something.” He accused me. I didn’t even flinch at his accusation because he was drunk and a moron. I stepped around him, but he grabbed me and smiled at me.

“Tell me your secrets, and I’ll tell you mine. We would be so good together,Thea.”

Gross.

“You’re drunk.”

Tell me what he’s thinking.

I may be drunk, but I’m not stupid. I can see how much you hate it here. My mother warned me that you were going to be a problem. I just didn’t think you’d be this big of a pain in the ass.

“What secrets do you have that I could possibly care about?” I asked, hoping he would think about them and reveal them.

We want the same thing: your father dead.

“I’ll share when you start being honest with me.”

Mother said that you know about Cassius, but I can’t confront you without blowing my own plans and secrets.

I stilled at his thought. Jesper’s parents were dead. So, was he referring to something from a long time ago?

“I have nothing to tell you.”

“You should have chosen me over Cassius. We are more alike than you know.”

“My father needs me, so piss off.”

“You could’ve learned to love me,” he whispered. When my eyes met his, I could see that he truly thought that. His eyes filled with something close to guilt or regret, but I didn’t feel bad for him. I opened my mouth to respond but shut it when I felt him. Cassius was spying somewhere close to us. I could feel his possessiveness, and I could only imagine it was because of what Jesper had said. A momentlater, I couldn’t feel Cassius anymore. I shook Jesper’s grip from me and left.

?????

My father had wanted me so that he could send me away for the meeting of the kingdoms. I accepted eagerly. A few days into our mission, we were closer to the castle of Crimson than we had ever been before. We hadn’t run into a soul. We hadn’t even seen an animal. That should have been my first clue that something was wrong, but we kept pushing through Crimson lands like no one knew.

Guards were stationed outside the castle as we sat in the shadows and watched. We did that for the first night, but something just seemed weird. The guards never switched duty, and they kept glancing into the trees like they were expecting someone. Us, maybe.

Even with my instincts telling me that they knew we were here, I didn’t warn my men. Gods, I wanted to be fucking caught so I could see Cassius.

“Hello.” I turned to see Haden looking at us. The two large fae were with him. “Don’t reach for any weapons, or we will kill you.”

He spoke directly to the guards but didn’t seem to be talking toward me. The other fae smiled at me the same friendly way Haden had. The same way they did in my memory. They held their weapons to our backs as they ledus to the castle. It was far prettier up close. The black stone that it was made from was stunning with the stained-glass windows.

It was like a portrait, and the gardens were vast, with hundreds of flowers of all shades of red. We stopped when the doors to the castle opened. The king greeted us with his tall crown and pretty red and black robes. He was tall and handsome for an older fae, and he was staring daggers into me.

“Captain Thea of the Cerithian Armies, what a surprise.”

He didn’t sound very surprised. I glared at him, and it only seemed to make him smile.

“Take them to the dungeon and make sure they are comfortable.” The king demanded of Haden and the others. “Thea will be placed in the jail room.”

“Yes, sir.” Haden bowed.

Once inside, my men were taken to the right, and I was taken in the opposite direction. My eyes took in the castle and how different it looked from what I pictured.

“Where’s Cassius?” I demanded.

Haden gave me a smug smile before stopping at a wooden door and ushering me in it. I tried to leave, but they locked me in. When I turned, there was a small bed with dark green bedding and a large window. I went to thewindow to see a beautiful view of the gardens and fountains. The drop wasn’t far down. I could leave if I wanted to, so why didn’t I?

The door opened a moment later, and Haden stood inside.

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