Page 69 of Ties of Deception

Minutes ticked by. Then hours. Flavia didn’t return. Nobody came. I knew how easily Ethen and his men could sneak in here, and there was no extra guard presence in the gardens.

A maid I didn’t recognize brought me lunch. I sat next to the balcony and waited, twiddling the plain gold band around my wrist.

Ethen, where are you? Don’t come. Do come. Speak to me. Be free of me. Don’t leave me.

I craved his comfort, but I didn’t deserve it.

When the sun turned fiery red and stretched shadows across the gardens, I swallowed hard and went to find a cloak. He wasn’t coming. Maybe he was just as disappointed in me as I was in myself. He had lied to save me. Maybe he saw us as equal now. He had killed me in the last life, but he had saved me in this one. He owed me nothing anymore.

‘We swore vows to each other before Ismara and Ienar to become Fated, and I will always keep my vow. I will always be here for you in whatever form.’

So where was he?

I couldn’t hold him to those vows. Not when he had made them with somebody so different than me. Maybe he’d realized that Snow was gone forever and was grieving. Or maybe he’d rushed back home to inform his father that his supposed Fated had caused a war.

Whatever it was, he hadn’t even sent a man to let me know. My throat thickened, and I ground my teeth. This was driving me mad.

A knock sounded on the door, and then an Amazone entered. “Lady Purity.” She gestured for me to follow.

I was guided straight down toward the atrium without being accompanied by anyone to bring my bags. I wondered again what had happened to Flavia. I steadied my shaking breaths. Whether Ethen eventually came to rescue me or not, this would be the last time I set foot in the palace. A sense of shame and failure kept my eyes glued to the floor, rather than observing the beauty one last time.

The guard led me out the door and down wide steps that spanned huge, fluted columns toward the driveway. A carriage was already waiting—this one had reinforced wooden walls, rather than the standard litter with only curtains between the occupant and the crowd. I frowned. Was that really necessary? I wasn’t a criminal—just a fool.

I slowed my pace, but the Amazone was insistent. “Please climb in, Lady Purity.

I hesitated, but nobody else was around. The Amazone pushed on my back. “Please don’t make me insist.”

I climbed up and the Amazone bolted the door behind me. It was pitch black inside. Something definitely wasn’t right. I turned to shout, but the shadows moved, and hands grabbed my head. Something soft and damp was pressed to my mouth. I recognized the scent. The incense in my room. Moon blossom.

I struggled, but my fingertips were already tingling. My arms and legs felt weak. I didn’t even manage to hit my attacker before I fell unconscious.

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

Ijerked awake, my heart pounding. I was lying on a soft couch. It took a moment for my vision to focus, and I took in a grand room with ornate furniture and mirrors lining most of the walls. I’d never been here before, and there were no windows to help me work out where I was or even what time it was. Three closed doors stood among the mirrors, and a table beside me held a cup of water and an apple.

I stood on shaking legs, supporting myself on the back of the couch before stumbling to the nearest door. It was locked. I tried the second one, but it didn’t budge either. Blowing out my breaths slowly to keep calm, I made my way to the third one. It opened into a study. Prince Sebastian sat at a large desk, his back to me.

What was going on? None of this made sense.

He turned and smiled his charming smile as if I were merely paying him a visit. “Ah, you’re awake. How are you feeling? I heard moon blossom can cause headaches, so I left you some water. Please don’t push yourself—there’s no need.”

I worked some moisture into my mouth and attempted to move my sluggish tongue to form words. “Where…am I?”

He sat back and spread his arms. “My private villa. Don’t worry, we’re still in Fierro. I apologize for the kidnapping, I just couldn’t risk the Aidis taking you first, particularly since he didn’t come to you in your rooms this afternoon like we had expected. I believe Mother quite fell for his lies.”

A tremble ran up my legs. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, it’s clear you’re the Fated Grace, or he wouldn't have gone to all that trouble—taking the blame himself instead of letting it fall on you. He’s ignored every other Grace who we’ve put in a tricky situation—but not you.”

I frowned, a headache beginning to pound behind my eyes. “I don’t understand. Why are you certain he was lying?”

Sebastian stood and walked toward me. “Come now, my dear. Enough talk about him. You really should be sitting down. You are quite safe with nothing to fear. Soon this will all be over, and you can return home.”

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind from the fogginess of the sedative and the headache that was relentlessly battering against my skull. “No, I need to know. How was what he said a lie?” Beside me, the door handle thudded to the carpet, the bolt broken. A crack climbed up half the door.

Sebastian folded his arms. “Don’t distress yourself. Come, take a seat.” He placed a hand on my back, but I stumbled away from his touch.

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