Page 68 of When the Wicked Sing
“What do you plan on doing with the amulet?” Mariana asked, though she knew the answer was simple. It was all about power. Something it seemed Halia had always wanted.
Halia smiled down at her. “Don’t worry about that. For now, get some rest. I’ll have some food delivered, and feel free torequest anything you desire. Once you find the amulet’s location, we’ll find your sister.” The way Halia said the last part had Mariana grinding her teeth.
Conniving snake.
Halia exited the desolate chambers shrouded in secrets and sorrow with her guards close behind her. The only one who remained was Dax. He hesitated as if there was more he wanted to say.
“Did you know?” Mariana asked in a low tone. She knew the answer but needed to hear him say it.
Dax sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging, and rubbed his forehead. “Yes.” Dropping his hand, he met her stare and held it steady. “I had to do everything I could to get you here alive and well.”
Mariana scoffed and gave him a closed-lip smile with a shake of her head. “Mission accomplished.” Then she clocked him right in the jaw.
Dax grunted and held his face before working his jaw.
“Get out,” she muttered.
He met her eyes, and something within her snapped.
“GET OUT!” she screamed.
Dax took a startled step back.
Mariana’s eyes flooded with tears. She shook with rage and quickly turned, refusing to let him see her cry. She wrapped her arms around herself, listening as his hesitant footsteps faded.
As the door shut and the deadbolt locked her into her mother’s abandoned chambers, Mariana dropped to her knees and screamed. The sun’s pale light shimmered from behind retreating clouds, casting ghostly shadows around her broken soul.
Chapter 37
DaxlistenedtoMariana’srage from outside the door. Bangs and crashes soon followed as he listened to the pain he caused her. When her screams turned to sobs, he stayed until he couldn’t take it anymore and quickly walked away.
He headed for his living quarters on the other side of the palace, where all the palace servants stayed.
As soon as the door shut behind him, he looked around the space he hadn’t seen for weeks and sighed heavily. All he wanted to do was go back to Mari and explain himself, but nothing he could say would do any good.
Dax gripped his neck and walked toward the modest leather couch on the far side of the room before sitting down.
Big windows let in the sunshine that couldn’t mask the lifeless feeling in the brick-walled, tidy living room. Dax had all the basics he could need: a desk stacked with paperwork, a bookshelf sparsely filled with books, a small kitchenette he never used, and a sitting area he hardly relaxed in. Dax’s eyes traveled to the two doors on the other side of the room. One led to his bedroom with a small attached bathroom. And the other … He eyed the padlock still attached to the door handle. He didn’t have an inkling of desire to open that one. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d entered that room.
Though it was nice to be back in his own space, nothing about his residence made him feel at home. It was a place to escape and sleep. That was it.
Gripping his hands together, he leaned his elbows on his knees and thought of Kythera. He missed it already. The peaceful, serene forest. The calm silence—
His door flew open.
“I heard you were back! About time!” Kosta shouted as he walked in with an outrageous swagger that everyone loved. Dax shook his head and stood up, one side of his mouth lifting at his obnoxious friend.
Kosta’s informality was reserved for only when the aristocrats were absent. Otherwise, he was a stern Lieutenant of the Royal Guard. By the look of the steel helmet in his hand, his short, dark brown hair dripping sweat at the curling ends, and the smear of dirt on his tan face, Dax knew he’d just come from training.
Kosta was as dedicated as they came. He always worked hard to ensure the palace stayed safe. He was an excellent fighter and had the intuition of a thousand-year-old monk. Honestly, Kosta would’ve made a fine captain if he wasn’t so fiercely protective of his younger sister, Ophelia, who also lived in the palace. Unfortunately, Dax knew what his friend would do if it came down to either saving her life or the royal family’s. Thankfully, wherever Halia went, Ophelia seemed to be close behind.
Dax clapped Kosta’s outstretched hand and gripped it tightly before slumping back on the couch. Kosta took the opposite seat with a smug grin on his face. Dax lifted an eyebrow.
“So,” Kosta drawled. “What’s the siren like? You took longer to get back than I expected.”
Dax snorted. “You lost a bet, didn’t you?”
“Hell yeah, I did!”
