Page 9 of Turret

“Our sisters have become nothing more than a drain on my kingdom.”

Briar’s words and the menacing way he spoke them were the last things I saw before the vision faded, but they echoed throughout the room, confirming what I’d always feared: despite being gone for years, I wasn’t at all missed.

Our sisters have become nothing more than a drain on my kingdom.

Overwhelmed by these painful and suffocating emotions, I collapsed onto the cold floor.

Chapter 4

Iremained kneeling on the hard floor fighting for breath, my limbs becoming stiff and coldness from the stones seeping through my dress causing me to shiver…and yet I didn’t move. I wasn’t sure how long I remained as the visions from the mirrors whirled through my mind.

I didn’t even stir at the sound of the door opening and Quinn’s familiar heavy footsteps, but I did sigh. I knew he’d find me eventually. Part of me never wanted to leave this dark world currently entrapping me while the other part was fiercely relieved for the timely rescue.

My guard paused beside me and rested a heavy hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture that sent warmth through my frozen limbs. I expected a reprimand for having snuck off by myself, but instead he only said a single word.

“Princess?” Worry filled Quinn’s tone. When I didn’t answer, he crouched beside me and hooked his fingers beneath my chin to lift my gaze. His eyes widened at my tear-streaked cheeks. “Gemma?” My name came out soft and filled with fierce concern. “Are you well?”

I knew he desired an explanation, but that was the last thing I wanted to give him. How could I relive the horrible visions still haunting my thoughts? But nor was I up for his persistent interrogation until I satisfied his worries.

I motioned to the mirrors surrounding me, the cold and the intense emotions making my movements stiff and jerky. “This is a new room where the tower’s previous visions are stored as if within a library.” I took a shaky breath. “It’s shown them all to me again…along with a new one.”

His eyes widened. He’d witnessed enough of the effects that the tower’s visions had on me to know exactly how traumatic they often were. “All at the same time?”

I nodded weakly. Quinn glared at each mirror, clearly angry, but it wasn’t fair of him to be upset. The tower was my friend; it had tried to shelter me from the mirrors, and whatever extent of its magic was in control over them had undoubtedly only shown me what they contained for good reason.

I ached to defend the tower, but with the disapproval hardening Quinn’s expression I knew it was a losing argument, and I was too weakened from my ordeal to argue with him.

Quinn muttered something dark beneath his breath that I had no doubt were threats towards the tower before he gently helped me to my feet. Pinpricks prickled my legs, which had stiffened from kneeling too long. I lost my footing and stumbled, but he caught me before I could fall.

His arms wound tightly around me to hold me rather close, allowing me to feel every muscle of his firm chest. My heart beat wildly at our proximity and the smoldering look he gave me, one that was rather…new. But I’d no sooner noticed it or contemplated just how cozy it was to be held in his comforting embrace than he released me, so hastily I nearly lost my balance again.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Are you well, Princess?”

I managed a nod, not surprised when he didn’t immediately believe me. He analyzed my expression before resting the back of his hand along my forehead. I bit my lip to suppress a sigh. As much as I appreciated his concern, a worried Quinn was a rather exhausting man to put up with.

Concern puckered his brow. “You’re a bit warm.”

How could that be when I felt so cold? The icy air filling the tower seeped through the thick fabric of my dress, causing me to shiver, which naturally wasn’t lost on my guard. He immediately offered his arm to escort me from the room. It was a relief to leave, and I hoped the suffocating images that had smothered me while within would remain behind.

Yet they didn’t. Instead they followed me, continuing to work on my thoughts despite my attempts to push them away. Several pressed against my mind at once—Father’s death, Reve’s wanderings, and especially Briar’s cruel abandonment of all attempts to find me. That one was the most haunting. If my own family didn’t want me, then there was little point in ever seeing them again.

I felt Quinn’s concerned gaze, compelling me to look up. “You don’t look well. Are you sure you’re alright?”

There was no point in lying. “I can’t stop thinking about what the tower showed me.”

“Whatdidit show you?” His tone had hardened once more, and when I stole another peek I found him casting several accusing looks towards the tower walls as we strolled past.

There were far too many to recollect, none of which I wanted to revisit…but I couldn’t hold back the one that haunted me the most. “My brother is no longer looking for me,” I said hollowly.

Quinn stiffened in shock. “But…that can’t be. He’s devoted to finding you.”

I weakly shook my head. “The tower showed him talking to Drake and he…wasn’t the same. He was so hardened. I believe becoming king has changed him.”

The horror I’d felt at witnessing this change in him returned to encase my heart. He’d been more than hardened…he’d been outrightbeastly. I’d never seen my brother that way, and nothing terrified me more than returning home and living under such a man’s roof.

Quinn frowned. “But I’ve known His Majesty for many years. He’s a good and kind man devoted to his family.”

Those were the memories I also had of him, yet the mirror’s vision had been entirely different. “Perhaps the crown has corrupted him.” Or perhaps his cursed connection to the enchanted gardens had grown worse. Whatever the reason, I wanted no part in it. “Even if we could escape the tower, I could never go home now.”

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