Page 57 of Prince of Never

‘Oh, don’t worryYour Majesty, I’ll be out of here just as soon as the opportunity presents itself,’ I said, my anger finally getting the better of me, filing my words to needle-sharp points.

‘Ibegyour pardon?’she snarled, turning her glare on me.

‘You’re excused, of course.But if you weren’t such a raging bitch, you wouldn’t have to beg anyone’s pardon,’ I said.Briyala stifled a snort, and I flourished the most dramatic mock curtsey I could muster before marching out of the room.I headed for the gardens, for the place where I’d found Ethan before, hoping to any god who was listening that he would be there now.

‘Ethan?Ethan, please tell me you’re there,’ I said, feeling ridiculous as I called out to nothing.

‘Of course I am,’ Ethan said, appearing at the top of the wall again.I nearly cried at the sight of him.‘Hey now, what’s this?’

‘Tell me you have a way to get me out of here,’ I said.

‘I’m working on it.But these things take time when you’re not wearing prince pants.’

‘But you said you could,’ I hissed, despair beginning to creep in.Was I stuck here?I couldn’t be stuck here.I needed to get out.I needed to get back.

‘Calm down, Immy.Icanget you out.We can go right now if you want, but we’d need to make a slight… stop over, that’s all.’

‘A stop over?You lied to me.’

‘That’s not fair, and not true.’

‘I can’t stay here, Ethan.I need to go home.I need to go back to where things make sense because this place—’ God, nothing made sense here, nothing worked the way I expected it to, and everything hurt.

With far more agility than I’d expected, he slipped over the wall and scampered down, landing lightly on his feet beside me.‘Is this about last night?’he asked, clearly not willing to let me keep my secrets.I couldn’t be mad at him for it.He had always been there for me when I was hurting.

‘I took your advice.It was a mistake.I can’t—’ My heart raced, my breathing quickened, panic rising as I sucked in air like I couldn’t get enough of it.I never should have asked that of Tarian, I never should have expected myself to keep feelings out of it.God, it was such a mess.

‘Oh shit,’ he said, his face falling.‘You’re not in love with him, are you?’

‘No.Yes?I don’t know.I hardly know him and it’s all too confusing.And none of it matters because he will never feel anything for me past what the mate bond makes him feel.’Saying the words out loud hurt, like someone kicking me in the stomach.‘And I just called the queen a bitch, so if there was ever a time to get me out of here...’

‘You did what?’Ethan spluttered, his eyes going wide.

‘Well, she was being a bitch,’ I said like a pouting child being scolded for saying what everyone else was thinking.I’d tried really hard to hold my tongue but when it was clear that Tarian was never going to defend me, I couldn’t take it anymore.I hated that I’d given him that opportunity, that I’d hoped for anything more.

‘Yeah, but you can’tsaythat to her.What did her face look like?I bet a vein popped in her forehead.’

A laugh bubbled from my throat despite the sadness that felt like it was crushing me.

‘Look, stop overs are definitely out of the question now.It’s too dangerous,’ Ethan said, his face settling back into a serious expression.

And as much as I wanted to argue, I couldn’t.I couldn’t put anyone else in danger because I’d pissed off the Queen of Darkness, or whatever she called herself.I’d seen enough movies to know how that ended.‘I don’t suppose you can spring me for a few hours at least?Probably best if I’m not here while the queen is.’

‘That’s true, but if I’m caught stealing the Unseelie Prince’s mate...I am rather fond of having my head attached to my body.I’m too pretty to be headless.’

‘Well, I doubt he’ll even notice I’m gone, but if he does, then it’ll be a good lesson for him to learn.I’m not going to be his punching bag.He might not have been the one insulting me, but he may as well have been.’

‘Fine.But you’d better defend me if he comes looking for you,’ Ethan said, wagging a finger at me.

I smiled, a sense of relief washing through me.‘With my life, naturally.’

Chapter 26

Tarian

Thequeenwatchedmecarefully.Waiting.Measuring.Across the table, Briyala was studying her plate like it was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.The silence Imogen’s words had left behind her was like the gaping echo after an avalanche.

‘Are you going to call her back in here, or shall I?’she said finally, and the tone of her words turned me cold.

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