Page 83 of The King of Frost and Shadows

Nightbane bounded onto the bed and nestled into my side. His warmth eased some of my loneliness, but it couldn’t touch the deep, endless void that had been ripped through my chest. Still, I clung to him like a lifeline, needing to not feel alone. I knew Nightbane would always be there for me.

I just wished Tavish felt even a small part of the beast’s love for me.

The doorto the bedchamber opened, stirring me from my sleep. I jerked my head up and grimaced. Of course, it’d behim, the man who’d had me believing that maybe Tavish and I were meant to be together. Maybe that was part of their plan to torture me—make me believe I had a chance to live.

“Hey, Lira.” Finnian mashed his lips together and placed a pair of leather pants and a long-sleeve black tunic on the bed while dropping a new pair of boots on the floor.

This particular tunic lacedhigh up to the neck, which would hide my new tattoo. Something I noted but didn’t care enough to correct. Each time, my heart ached worse; my tattoo kept lighting up like it was trying to summon someone.

I didn’t respond, but those were the clothes I wore for the gauntlet, which meant one thing.

Round three was here, and Tavish hadn’t come back since that night two days ago. Finola had brought me my food and water, and I’d been practicing flying around this room to get a sense of my wings.

It was difficult in here because there wasn’t much room to fly high or maneuver.

I untangled from Nightbane and placed my feet on the floor. “I take it the time has come for me to die?” During the past two days, I’d thought a lot about everything, and my remorse for outing Finnian vanished the more I realized it was my future to die … nothis.

“Don’t say that.” He lifted a hand. “I’ve told you—”

“You better shut your blazing mouth.” My blood boiled, and I jabbed a finger at him. “Stop giving me false hope. Tavish made it clear where his loyalties lie, and I won’t be a buffoon any longer. I’ve come to accept this was the plan since I’ve come here, and I am through letting you mess with my mind.”

His jaw dropped. “I’ve never messed with you. I’ve seen Tavish’s marks. They further validate everything I’ve been saying.”

I wanted to cling to those words, but no. I’d rather die with dignity than the deluded hope that some prince—or, rather, king would save me.I’dsave my own damn self. “Stop with the bond and mark conversations and comments. If anything, those two things pushed us further apart. My people might have wronged your people, butevery single Unseelie wants to murder an innocent whose only sin is who her parents are.” Parents I didn’t remember, which made this harder for me to understand. They were strangers without faces to me.

I swiped the clothes from the bed and headed into the bathroom. “Nightbane, come with me, please.” After two days together, during which he’d been my only companion, he was the one friend I had in this realm.

The beast didn’t hesitate, trotting after me while eyeing Finnian the whole while. The fur on his neck rose.

Good. At least Finnian might not be so mouthy. I didn’t want him to continue pushing something that was none of his business anyway.

Today, I’d die one way or the other—either at the hands of the prisoners, from the obstacles we faced, or when I tried to escape again. Unlike last time, there was no way I would stop, especially since I had wings. I could now fly high enough to find my way back to Earth and my family. My only hesitation was leaving Nightbane behind, but it wasn’t like if I stayed, I’d have a happily ever after.

I removed my dress and tossed it aside as I desperately tried to ignore the glowing marks on my chest and arms. Looking at the magical tattoo caused my heart to throb and the tattoo to pulse harder, as if it were sending out an SOS.

Pushing away the crushing sensation from not being near Tavish, I slipped on the pants and shirt quickly. Despite the clothes covering the tattoo, I could feel it under the material, a stark reminder.

I still wasn’t sure what it meant, and I feared that if I learned more, it might make the sting of betrayal worse.

Nightbane whimpered, coming to my side, and I ran my fingers through his fur again. I wasn’t sure what I would’vedone if we hadn’t formed this friendship. “Thank you for being here for me.”

Someone knocked on the door. “Lira, I hate to rush you, but we need to hurry to the gauntlet. The prison guards are expecting us.”

Us.

Tavish wasn’t even going to come see me before I entered the last battle. Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away. That was for the best. Seeing him would only distract me. I didn’t need to struggle more than I already was.

Swallowing past the thickness of my throat, I walked around the bed to reach the boots Finnian left on the floor. I didn’t waste any time, almost eager to get out and fight someone to handle the frustration boiling inside me.

I slipped the boots on and bent down to tie them.

Finnian cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if I made things worse. I didn’t mean to,” he whispered.

I froze on the last loop. “You do realize you just apologized to me?” I straightened, my heart lightening in my chest. “Which means you owe me.”

“Oh, I know.” He exhaled. “And I do owe you. I fear that maybe whispering in your ear made everything worse for you. That wasn’t my intention, and you’re right; you’ve already suffered so much for things you didn’t do. It only felt right to say that.” He winked, his cocky grin sliding back into place. “But you won’t get me to say it again.”

Laughter bubbled from my chest, startling me. “I wasn’t trying to trick you.”

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