Page 33 of Beneath the Cursed Veil

Her breathing had changed while Kaia and I spoke. I didn’t mention it because if she wanted to pretend to sleep while listening in, I’d let her. Now that it was just us though . . .

“I know you’re awake.”

Chapter 12

Meera

Falling out a window was a new experience.

My eyes remained closed, and my head throbbed more than it had before, but the king was right. I’d been awake. Right around the time my dress was cut off, as a matter of fact. My eyes had shot open, but the healer wasn’t paying attention to my face, and Vareck had the decency to have his back turned.

Still, I didn’t know what to say. Everything had happened at an alarming pace. Kidnapped. Dream man. Tumbling through snow and hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

“How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?” he asked.

“Hadn’t decided. Feels safer if I keep my eyes closed right now.”

“You’re not in any danger.” I peeked an eye open and the look on my face said it all. He added, “Not anymore, I mean. Just stay away from windows.”

I sighed, sitting up and resigned to the fact thatignoring the situation wasn’t going to make it go away. This was not a dream, and the bump on my head proved it. That and all my dreams of him werenothinglike this.

“Can we start over?” he asked, standing with his arms crossed and leaning against the bedpost.

Scooting back in the bed, I leaned against the down pillows at my back and smoothed the covers over my legs, avoiding the weight of his stare. “I don’t know what that means. I woke up in a different realm, taken by the king himself.”

“How about we start with introductions? What’s your name?” I squinted my eyes as I looked at him in disbelief, and he shook his head. “Sorry, I know it’s Meera. What’s the rest of it?”

“Why? So you can hunt down my family and bring them here? They had nothing to do with my actions. That’s on me, and me alone.” Crossing my arms, I held my chin high. I would never let my family take the fall for me.

“I’m not after your family.” He sighed deeply. “I’m Vareck Einar, which you already know.”

I stared at him pointedly. Of course, I knew. Did he think I was an idiot? This was like a first date hell I couldn’t escape from.

“Look, I’m just trying to get to know you,” he began. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Like you sending Kaia off to find something that will nullify my powers? Because I heard that too.”

He waved me off, not reacting to the accusation. “I said that to give her something to do. She’s more concerned about finding my nephew. But she was right. This gives us the chance to get to know each other.”

“What if I don’t want to talk to you?”

He looked down at the floor, nodding like he understood my hesitation. “Then I guess I’ll talk and hope you listen.”

That wasn’t the response I was expecting. Not from a guy in general, and definitely not from the king. “You aren’t going to just persuade me for answers?”

“I could, but I’d rather not, if I’m being honest.”

I stared at him in silence, trying to figure out his angle. Briefly, I reached for my persuasion, quickly discovering two things. One, my magic felt far away from me. More so than it had earlier. The exhaustion was too much. Two, that tiny attempt made my head start to spin again. I was well and truly stuck here until I could get back to full strength. Until then, all I could do was have a conversation the old-fashioned way. “Why don’t you want to use magic on me?”

He raised a brow, tilting his head as he looked on. “Because you already view me as your enemy?—”

“I don’t think you’re my enemy,” I interjected, feeling a little defensive, but I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it was because he had come to my rescue after falling out of a window.

He chuckled, moving away from the edge of the bed to sit in an armchair next to a small round table. It had a pitcher and wine goblet set on top. He leaned forward, casually placing his forearms on his thighs and clasping his hands. “Well, you don’t exactly think of me as a friend right now either, do you?”

Okay. He had a point there too. I grumbled my agreement.

“Right. Well, friends don’t persuade each other.”

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