Page 84 of Until the Stars Fall

Gretchen ignored my scowling and went about making up my bed. It had taken two days of confinement—and one good slap on the back of my hand—for me to learn not to interfere with her duties, though I still found it difficult to watch someone else perform such basic tasks for me. I wandered into the living area and lay down on the couch to take her suggestion and stare at the ceiling.

A few minutes later, she leaned her face into my line of sight. “If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll be back later this evening to prepare your bath.”

I mumbled my gratitude and offered her as genuine a smile as I could.

Hours went by. Or perhaps they were mere minutes. It was difficult to track the passage of time with so little to occupy my mind. When my backside finally fell asleep, I sprang up from the sofa and growled.

I needed to get out of here. Out of this room. Out of my own head.

I stalked toward the door and grabbed the handle but stopped. What would Connor do if he came by and found me gone? Or what if I ran into him in the hallway or on the stairs? His temper wasn’t something I particularly wanted to deal with today.

So what?

What could he do? Cancel our engagement and have his former fiancée hanged? Unlikely.

But possible all the same.

Still, this was the prince who had saved my life not once but twice. I wagered he wasn’t about to let me hang simply for stepping outside my room. He’d be angry, of course, but when was he not?

Sucking in a breath, I pulled the door open enough so I could check the hallway to the right.

No one. Empty.

Opening it slightly more, I held my breath as I poked my head out to peer down the other side.

Again no one.

So far so good.

I stepped out of my room for the first time in days and clicked the door shut quietly behind me. At first, I tiptoed toward the main stairway, as if I were an escaped prisoner. But I wasn’t a hostage. Connor had said as much himself. For all anyone on the staff knew, I wasn’t an insignificant human who was currently being used in a political game; I was their future queen.

So why was I slinking around like a common thief?

Angling my chin high, I straightened and proceeded to walk through the palace like the ruler I was never actually going to be. Down the main stairway I continued, smiling kindly and nodding regally to the staff I passed—ignoring how they seemed to sneer. Did they all feel as Lola did? Did I really not have any friends here? Or were they merely jealous I’d snagged the prince?

Whatever the reason, they were clearly unhappy with my new station.

On the ground floor, I meandered through the hallways, admiring the paintings and tapestries that graced the walls, running my fingers over the soft petals of the fresh flowers placed on tables throughout. As nice as the blooms were, though, and as gorgeous as the artwork was, I longed to be out in the sunshine among the leaves and grass and vines and blossoms in the garden.

I had just turned the corner when I saw him. Connor. Prowling toward me with a vicious gleam in his eye. Of course he would have sensed me coming before seeing me.

Cursed fae abilities.

CHAPTER 41

Connor

I should have locked her fucking door, but I’d stupidly wanted to prove to her that she wasn’t a prisoner in her own room. Even more foolishly, I’d actually expected her to listen and stay put.

Her heartbeat appropriately sped up when she saw me, so I at least elicited some fear in her, but the serene expression on her irritatingly beautiful face proved it wasn’t nearly enough.

“There you are, dearest,” she crooned. I clenched my jaw tighter, trying to get control of my temper. “Would you like to join me in the—”

I didn’t allow her to finish her invitation. Wordlessly, I reached out, wrapped my hand tightly around her wrist, and spun her around, never slowing my stride as I pulled her with me back toward her room.

“What in the stars do you think you’re doing?” I demanded quietly. Although no one was nearby at the moment, I didn’t want to risk making a damned scene. She stumbled beside me as I dragged her along. The slipping of her feet started to remind me of the night she’d killed Griffin. I eased my pace so she could keep up, but I regretted it as soon as she answered.

“Taking a walk, obviously.”

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