Page 84 of Cruelly Fated
I’d been a fool.
Kyon had moved on.
A bulky arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“Let’s get some air,” Torian whispered.
I nodded numbly.
“Allie!” Valor caught up with us at the front door. “I just saw. I’m sure there’s an explanation.”
I dabbed at the moisture on my cheeks, shaking my head. History had a way of repeating itself; at least, that’s what people said. I never understood what that truly meant until now. My mother, left behind by a prince from another land. And now me, blindsided by a prince of Avari.
“Let’s go talk to him now,” Valor urged.
“No! Even if we did feel something for each other, he has obligations…as a prince,” I said, voice cracking. It was over. Mom’s words rang true:you can’t trust men; they’ll only hurt you.
She had stepped aside when her prince chose his crown over her. At least I wasn’t with a child. I’d get over him. The thought physically ached, and I began hyperventilating.
“She needs fresh air. I’ll take her to the gardens,” Torian said.
Valor hesitated. But when another shallow wheeze escaped me, he gave a reluctant nod. “I’ll find you.”
Torian’s sure hands settled around my waist as he gently guided me down the steps, across the driveway, and into a side garden lit by shimmering lights woven into tree branches. He sat me on a stone bench by a gurgling fountain. The steady rush of water filled the silence.
“If you’re better, I’ll rejoin the party. Valor will follow your scent.” Torian’s voice sounded distant. When I glanced up, he was gone. The sky above had darkened. My mind must have skipped several minutes.
Bushes rustled behind me.
“Valor?” I called, rising from the bench. I was ready to leave and erase this horrid night from memory.
A hand clamped over my mouth, pressing a cloth tightly against my lips. I screamed into it and caught a whiff of something sour. The gas scorched its way down my throat, numbing everything it touched. My legs buckled, no longer able to support me.No!My eyelids drooped, heavy as dragonsteel, and the world went black.
Thirty-Seven
ALLIE
Plink…plink…plink…
The sound of heavy drops hitting a hard surface echoed through the cavern, filling the eerie silence. I heaved myself upright, shaking off the cotton-thick haze wrapped around my skull. Cold from the slick surface beneath me bit into my palms. Shadows pulsed at the edges of my vision, a single, swaying bulb the only source of light. It cast a sickly yellow glowagainst the damp, moss-veined stone walls and the steel bars surrounding me.
I gripped the steel—cold like an icicle—and pulled myself to standing. Beyond the cage, the cave stretched outward—floor, ceiling, and walls all blurring into the same oppressive gray. The chamber soared at least five stories high, with tunnels veining out in every direction.
I brushed my fingers against the heavy chain looped through a rusted padlock. I wasn’t getting out. Not unless someone wanted me to.
I closed my eyes and tried to remember. I’d left the ball…stumbled on the steps…the gardens… Someone came. His face shimmered at the edges of my memory, frustratingly out of reach. Who was it?
Footsteps reverberated against the stone floor. I stilled, heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird.
Torian’s signature curls caught the light. The bulb’s glow carved hard lines into his face as he stepped into view. I let go of the bars and backed deeper into the cage. Every instinct in me screamed danger. Kyon’s brother had brought me here. It was his face I’d glimpsed last when he lifted me up. But why?
Torian leaned against the wall, ankles crossed, hands tucked into his pockets. He looked like he had all the time. He was waiting for something.
“Why are you doing this?” My voice trembled.
He checked his gold watch, then raised his disdainful eyes at me.
“There can only be one king,” he said.
