Page 29 of The King of Frost and Shadows

“Oh, and what exactly would constitute payment?” She turned toward me like it was a dare. “What is your plan to make mypeoplepay? Clearly, it begins with me, so I’d like to know.”

This was a test and one I had to meet head-on. I steeled myself, trying to cut off every damn emotion I felt toward her. The answer was simple … four words that would make her hate me even more. So why were they nearly impossible to say?

“I will kill you.”

9

LIRA

My hands clenched in my lap as Tavish changed right in front of me. He’d been overbearing, controlling, and passionate, but his face had turned stony … more calculating, like the night he’d thrown me in the holding cell.

“I will kill you.” Tavish took a bite of his fish as if the words hadn’t been hard to say.

Swallowing, I managed to hold my head in place and not allow it to snap back. He kept saying that he would hurt me, but since this morning, I hadn’t fully believed him … until now. Maybe that had been part of his plan, some psychological warfare, which I’d fallen for. “Then why haven’t you done it yet?”

“Eager to die, sprite?” He chuckled, placing his fork back on the plate.

“If that’s the only way I can be free ofyou.” I’d rather die than lose all my dignity and break in front of him. He didn’t deserve to break me, especially since I hadn’t done a damn thing to him or his people. “Nightmare.” I added myown special nickname again, needing to remind myself that he was the enemy more than to actually hurt him.

He smirked like he approved of the name.

Bastard.

“It’s a relief to hear that you do plan to kill her.” Eldrin’s shoulders relaxed marginally. “I’d begun to doubt your intentions. If that’s the plan, why is she sitting here with us, and when is her execution?”

“Spilling the blood of the Seelie princess will restore the spirit of our people.” Caelan lifted a black napkin to his face and wiped his mouth.

My stomach roiled, and I noticed how Finnian had bit his bottom lip instead of interjecting. I’d need to keep an eye on him—maybe he could become an ally.

“Precisely.” Tavish placed his hands on the table. “The Seelie princess, which she isn’t yet. We need her powers to awaken and her memories to return in order for the Seelie to feel her magic and know she’s returned to Ardanos. They’ll be desperate to find her, which will be when the four of us, with most of the army, will arrive at the Seelie veil they created to keep us from returning home and slit their princess’s throat, allowing it to coat our bodies so we can finally enter the kingdom once again.”

I was thankful I didn’t have an appetite. Otherwise, I was certain my stomach would have emptied its contents. I wanted to believe I wasn’t a fae, but between my blood color changing and every memory of my childhood gone, I couldn’t discount it. Though, I still doubted I was the actual princess. Either way, I had to make an escape plan quickly.

Not having wings was extremely problematic.

Finnian leaned back and clapped his hands. “Very theatrical and vicious—your father would be so proud. No wonder you don’t want her harmed until the time comes toreveal her soiled and broken right in front of her parents’ eyes.”

His eyes didn’t sparkle the way they had when he’d teased me. I had to hope that meant something.

“Yes, he would.” Eldrin nodded, a smirk firmly in place. “That is a plan every Unseelie can get behind.”

My mouth went dry, and I took hold of my water. Even though I wasn’t hungry, I couldn’t risk dehydration.

The conversation turned to a prisoner dispute from earlier, and I got lost in my thoughts, trying to think of a good way out.

Dinner had been awful.I ate a few bites of some sort of barely edible sulfuric fish and two small mushrooms with a slightly sweet flavor. I had to keep my strength up to get out of here. From what I’d seen, there was only one set of large doors to the castle, which meant I’d have to climb out a window to escape.

The entire way back to Tavish’s room, I took in every corner and crevice, trying to remembereverything: where people tended to collect, the guards who flew along the hallways, and even which areas appeared darker than others, which I’d need to avoid since the fae here could blend in with the shadows.

In fact, light would be my best friend because a dark, shadowy blob flitting around would reveal that Tavish or his cousin was nearby.

Unlike on the way down, Tavish walked briskly, clutching my arm. My right toes throbbed as I walked quickly to keep up with him, and I began limping. His hand tightened on my arm, but he slowed slightly.

His touch still created that frustrating buzz, and despite the way he’d been walking, his fingers were firm but light, as though he couldn’t make himself be more brutal. But I chose to focus on the pain and not on what his touch did to my body.

The two guards stood watch at the double doors to his room. I hadn’t gotten a good look at them earlier, but now I took in every inch to determine what I’d be up against when I tried to leave.

One was female. I’d assumed that Tavish’s most trusted would all be men, but once again, I’d been wrong. Her deep-set dark eyes focused on me, and she lifted a brow as she scanned me. A candle in a sconce burning over her head cast a warm glow on her light tan skin and reflected off her dark armor and long, thin, black hair.

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