Page 83 of Decoy

“Why would you go to such lengths for her? You must have had a motive to initially seek my life. Am I to believe you’ll simply disregard it for her sake?”

Because I love her. But that was a secret only between me and Blair. The tender sentiments softened me, but I forced myself to smirk.

“You shall see shortly, won’t you?” And with that, I withdrew my dagger, leapt into the branches of the nearest tree…and melted back into the shadows to allow them to take me back to the palace where Blair awaited me.

We were now one step closer to securing her freedom…but the game wasn’t over yet. Even with the princess’s reluctant cooperation, we were only just getting started.

CHAPTER24

BLAIR

Iwarily eyed Malik from his guarding position a short distance away, close enough to protect me but far enough to grant me some peace of mind from his unnerving presence. I fidgeted with the dagger Luke had left me, but it did little to quell my restlessness from waiting uselessly on the roof while Luke went galavanting on a mission without me. As grateful as I was for his help,Iwanted to be the one to take charge of my future.

My gaze drifted across the grounds bathed in a sheen of amber gold from the approaching dusk. During his absence, I’d pondered the puzzle of who was after the princess and how to go about proving it once night’s approach made it safe to investigate. We’d found very little by way of clues, so no matter how I approached the riddle, I repeatedly returned to the unsettling hunch that had been nagging me ever since last night.

I sensed Luke’s return before I spotted him expertly slinking along the roof. Before I had time to greet him, he appeared beside me and gathered me in his arms. I held him tightly, not realizing how much solace I found in his presence until he was with me once more.

“I never imagined the Shadow would employ his supernatural powers just to greet me all the sooner.”

He chuckled. “They have to be useful for something…settle down, shadows; I’m only teasing.” After reassuring his suddenly restless comrades, he drew back just enough to press a tender kiss on my forehead. “I’m so relieved to find you alive.”

I lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you left while doubting my safety.”

“Certainly not, but it’s still reassuring to have you safe in my arms.” He gave me an affectionate squeeze before reluctantly releasing me save for our entwined hands.

“Did you succeed in your mission?”

His eyes widened in mock offense. “Don’t tell meyoudoubted me.”

“Of course I didn’t, else I’d have fulfilled it myself.”

I expected my teasing to earn me a smile, but instead he grew serious. “I succeeded in obtaining the princess’s promise to pardon you.”

I caressed the worried crease between his eyes. “Then where is your usual gloating I secretly love?”

He hesitated a moment before glancing at Malik. “The shadows showed no interest in the princess, so eithersheis a decoy, or…”

“…or the princess was never the intended target.”

Puzzlement furrowed Luke’s brow as he nodded.

“They could be simply biding their time,” Malik offered.

“Perhaps…” But Luke still appeared uneasy. “Regardless of my concern, that’s a problem for after we secure Blair’s freedom. We need to focus on obtaining implicating evidence.”

“Which will likely be found within Sir Rupert’s study.”

He didn’t seem the least bit surprised by the name I offered; he’d clearly already drawn the same conclusion, providing much-needed confidence in a suspicion that currently had inadequate backing.

“Why would the advisor in charge of the princess’s protection be the one after her life?” Malik asked.

Luke frowned. “That is what we must discover if we have any hope of convincing Their Majesties one of their closest confidants is a traitor. The sooner we begin our search, the less chance he has of destroying the very evidence that might condemn him.”

We were likely to find the necessary proof within his study or his personal quarters…assuming there was anything left to find; the man seemed too crafty to leave anything incriminating lying conveniently around when he knew I was actively searching for the threat against the princess.

Perhaps he had little reason to worry—the king and queen putting him in charge of the investigation allowed him to control it as he saw fit. With my frequent updates and his constant watching my every move, he’d been able to track my suspicions to know they hadn’t been towards him until my untimely arrest.

My time masquerading as the princess had made me familiar with the habits of the court. Sir Rupert never missed a formal meal with Their Majesties—either in a charade of loyalty or to keep a close watch on me. The palace ran on a rigid schedule that I doubted they’d deviate from even with the decoy’s escape from the dungeon, granting us a small window when we knew he’d be absent.

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