Page 10 of Prince of Never

‘Until I figure this out, you’ll be my guest,’ he said evenly, which didn’t exactly answer my question.

‘Can I leave?’I asked, knowing the answer.He wasn’t about to abduct me from my apartment, shove me through some kind of portal, bring me to his castle and then tell me I could go home.What the hell did he want with me?How was I supposed to know the motives behind a living, breathing fae prince?Assuming that he was, in fact, what he claimed to be.

‘No.’The single word came with no hesitation, no emotion.There was no seeing into his mind, no clues as to what he was thinking.

I was someone’s victim again.And it pissed me off.I was just a damsel in distress in a literal fucking tower.

‘Then I’m not a guest, I’m your prisoner.I’ll not let you relieve your guilt by calling it anything other.’

‘If you’d prefer to be treated like a prisoner, that can be arranged.’

‘A gilded cage is still a cage,’ I spat.‘What’s the point of keeping me locked up?I have nothing of value to someone like you.’

‘True.’There was no emotion in the word, no sympathy in those cold eyes.He looked at me with the detachment of someone examining a piece of furniture.‘And yet the predicament remains the same.Until I can determine what magic you’ve used and undo it, you’ll stay right here.If there’s anything you’d like to confess, now would be the time.’

‘What magic?I haven’t done anything!I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but magic isn’t exactly floating around where I’m from.’

‘It is for those who know how to access it,’ he said.

Memories flashed again, fangs and blood and fear.I shuddered.If fae were real and vampires were real, what else could exist in the human world without anyone knowing about them?How many realms lived side by side with ours?I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around myself.Normally I’d chantit’s not realto myself until I calmed down.But I was no longer certain of those words.

‘And what happens to me when you’ve figured it out?’I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question burning in my mind because I was afraid of the answer.Are you going to kill me?Of course he was going to kill me.I thought of the way he’d attacked me in my apartment, the belt he’d held strung between his hands.He wasn’t going to let me go back to the human world and spill my crazy story to whoever would listen to me until they locked me up in an asylum.

‘That depends on how you behave,’ he said.

That wasn’t exactly a comforting answer.It was vague and open to many possibilities.Would he let me go if I was a good little prisoner or would he kill me painlessly?If he thought I was going to just sit quietly and do as I was told while I waited for my death, he was very wrong.

‘You can’t just keep me here!’

‘I think you’ll find I can.’The cool confidence with which he said those words worried me.He had all the control here, and I had none.If I was going to have any chance at escaping, I needed him to leave so I could assess my situation and my options.I’d escaped a locked room or two in my rebellious teenage years.I doubted this would be so easy, but that didn’t mean I was going to give up without trying.

Once I got out, there would be a whole slew of obstacles, but there had to be someone around who could tell me how to get back.Even if there wasn’t, taking my chances out there sure seemed like a better bet than hanging around here waiting to die.

‘Well, are you going to lock me up or stare at me all day?’I asked petulantly, offering a glare for good measure.The way it felt to have his eyes on me, the way my body tingled beneath his gaze, was disturbing.What the hell was that drug he used on me?

He scowled at me.If looks could kill, pal, I thought with a hint of satisfaction.‘Enjoy your stay,’ he said coldly, the corner of his lip curling at the barb before he shut the door with more force than necessary, as if accentuating his point.Then the loud click of the lock echoed through the room.

I stood perfectly still, holding my breath as I listened to his footsteps retreating down the staircase.

When I couldn’t hear him anymore, I let out the breath I was holding and turned my attention to the room.There wasn’t much in it.It was simple, sparse even, with cream-coloured sheets on the bed and undecorated walls.I opened the side table drawer first, then the wardrobe, which had only a surprisingly modern night dress hanging in it.I ran my fingers over the silk.It was nicer than any pyjamas I owned—mostly because I chose to sleep in baggy men’s shirts with stupid quotes on them.I shut the wardrobe again and let out a frustrated sigh.Tying the bedsheets together seemed horribly cliché and unsafe, but it looked like my only option.Provided there were enough bed sheets to actually reach safety.I stuck my head out the window.Probably not.My stomach lurched at the distance between me and the ground.

But there was a vine growing happily from the ground all the way to the roof, from what I could see.The branches looked thick enough to hold me.The leaves were a beautiful colour, a green and orange combination.No thorns, which was nice.I gripped and gave it a shake to test it.My skin burned, and I yanked my hand back, holding it to my chest.

‘What the hell?’I said as I examined the skin.Where the leaves had touched me, there was an angry red welt.I looked around the room once more.There was no other way, no gloves or socks in the wardrobe.I let out a sigh and stuck my head out the window again.It was a long way down.

And it was going to hurt.

I slipped off my shoes, not exactly thrilled at the idea of exposing more of my skin, but it was better than falling to my death in heels.Burns would heal, but a broken neck?Not so much.I took a deep breath to steady my nerves before climbing onto the windowsill.A chill breeze swept into my clothes, ruffling my hair.I looked down, unable to help myself, and swallowed hard.It was too dark now to see the ground, which meant it was a long way down.

‘Of all the idiotic ideas you’ve ever had, Imogen, this one takes the fucking cake,’ I muttered as I began to lower myself down onto the vine.The leaves burned as they touched my skin and I gritted my teeth through the pain.I could only hope I made it to the ground before the pain made me do something stupid, like cry out or fall.If I alerted Tarian to my escape, then it would all be for nothing.

I wasnotgoing to be his victim.If he wanted to kill me, he was going to have to work for it.With that thought it mind, I began my descent as fast as my pencil skirt and bare feet would allow.

Chapter 6

Tarian

Thefireinthelibrary was already lit.I slumped into the armchair before it and scrubbed my hands over my face.I was worn out.But bed was still a distant possibility with the questions ricocheting around inside my head.

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