Page 29 of Revert
I found myself caught between horror and some unnamed emotion at the thought of drawing even more of his attention. “I don’t know what you mean.” But my voice trembled, betraying me.
His mouth curved faintly, something between amusement and exasperation. “Still playing coy? You didn’t truly think it would truly be so easy when Halric used to bemyguard, did you?”
I clenched my teeth as his meaning settled over me.Halric. Of course. I should have known the same skill and competence that had earned him his post would circle back to haunt me.
Prince Castiel’s gaze sharpened, the edge unmistakable. “But in this case I didn’t need his assistance, not when I anticipated your next move. Your stubbornness seems to be eclipsing your usual sense. You’re so determined to rebel against every command, I’m tempted to begin telling you the opposite of what I want in hopes you’ll actually listen.” His voice dropped lower, threading between challenge and warning. “But if you want to beat me at this game, Princess…you’ll have to do better—be constantly vigilant and remain several steps ahead, and stop making rash decisions.”
Heat flared—frustration, humiliation, and fear tangled into one sharp knot.
“You think you’re so clever, that you’re so many steps ahead of me.” I fought to keep my voice low, but it trembled with my barely contained anger.
His eyes flicked over me, unblinking. “I’m afraid it’s not an assumption but a fact. There are far more pieces at play than you know.”
He didn’t need to remind me, not when the shifting details of this timeline were already pushing me dangerously close to the edge.
Don’t let him outmatch you here, not like this. I drew in a shaking breath. “Have you come to gloat?”Or had he come to murder me all over again?He’d done so the first time on much less evidence.
Instead of triumph, his expression shifted—a faint crease at his brow, a flicker of something quieter in his gaze. “No, I’ve come to show you this.”
He bridged the few steps to the orchid. With a fluid, deliberate motion, he reached behind the pot where I’d hidden the pouch. My breath caught as his fingers brushed the stone—and then from beneath the edge, he withdrew a worn and smudged folded scrap of paper, the message I’d hidden days ago.
My stomach lurched. “So you did take it.” I fought the temptation to snatch it from his hands; I curled my fingers at my sides to curb the reckless impulse.
“No, Iretrievedit from whoever came before you did.”
The ground seemed to shift under me. “What do you plan to do with it?”
A flicker too fast to catch passed through his expression. He looked down at the folded paper, turning it once between his gloved fingers, before glancing back at me. “If you promise to be more careful…then I’ll do nothing.”
I stared at him, not daring to believe his incomprehensible actions that no matter how much I studied, failed to make sense. “Why would you shield me? Not just now, but back in the throne room with your father, and again at the ball?” For as reluctant as I was to admit it, he’d undoubtedly been the reason I’d been able to meet with my contact last night.
At first nothing changed in his expression, but then for the first time, I detected the faintest falter at the edge assomething fractured beneath his mask—the flicker of hesitation, the unspoken warning, the questions he never quite answered.
He exhaled slowly, the torchlight carving harsh shadows across his face as he turned fully towards me. “Be careful, Princess. You don’t know what lies ahead if you continue on this path.”
I was well aware of which boundaries I was crossing, ones I hadn’t dared venture even close to in the first timeline. And yet I couldn’t seem to stop.
“Then explain it to me. Please, Castiel.” Too late I realized I had spoken his name without its title. I couldn’t remember ever saying it aloud before, nor explain why it slipped from my lips now…only the startling sense of rightness, as if it had always belonged there.
For a heartbeat, his eyes locked on mine, slow and searching. Something faint and fleeting cracked across his expression—a flicker of regret, as if he, too, was wary of the constant, brutal dance we had been forced to perform. “I don’t have the luxury to explain myself. Not here.” His quiet voice sounded oddly strained, the words drawn tight like something barely held together.
As if summoned by his words, muffled footsteps sounded from the corridor outside, penetrating the hush of the conservatory. His head snapped up, eyes narrowing. Instinctively, he reached for me, his hand hovering near my arm, fingers flexing as if fighting the urge to pull me close.
“It’s not safe for us to be seen talking,” he murmured, so low I barely caught the hushed words. “Come.”
He turned sharply and pulled me through a side door I hadn’t seen tucked behind a veil of vines, guiding me into a twisting passage that veered away from the main corridor. Despite his swift, measured stride, I could see the tension stiffening his shoulders, the flickers of strain in every step—like a man walkingthe edge of a blade. And for the first time, I wondered if he feared falling just as much as I did.
Footsteps and shouts echoed faintly behind us—the king’s men, searching. His hand tightened on mine, a silent command:move.
Panic surged in my chest as I struggled to keep pace. “Prince Castiel?—”
“Not now.” His low voice was barely audible, tight with urgency.
The torchlight faded behind us as he led me deeper into the shadows engulfing the hallway, his grip firm but not bruising. He frequently cast sharp, restless glances over his shoulder, as if calculating and recalculating our escape from whomever pursued us.
Our breaths came fast and shallow as we darted around a corner…only to freeze as the unmistakable gleam of armor flashed at the far end of the corridor.
My heart lurched.They’re here.
