Page 22 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
I scowled. “Don’t you dare lie to me! Again!”
His brows furrowed in anger, but he answered. “The fireguards guard their charges. If there were any near the girls, they would have risked their lives to protect them. You are all under the queen’s protection from outside forces.”
I snorted, unable to help it. “And who protects us from her?”
He ran a hand through his hair, clearly rattled. “That was … unfortunate. I’m sorry. She’s never done that before.”
Zion stood, pacing around the small room. I slowly sat up, noting the lavish bed and the stone walls. I balled the fabric of the sheets into my fists, trying to make sense of it all. A window across the room showed only empty sky.
Open sky.
“I need you to stay here while I take care of a few things. I will make excuses for you. I’ll say you’re injured and can’t move. I can’t explain anything, but you need to stay here.”
The intensity in Zion’s eyes was alarming, but I didn’t care for him or his warnings. My body shook as I realized he had trapped me in his personal tower, so high up that there wouldn’t be any protection if the dragon flamed the area near me. I’d be a crispy, charred bit of black ash like Ivy.
The plan was so obvious I started laughing. Hysterical loud guffaws left my mouth, even as tears ran down my face. I couldn’t control the tremors of my body.
Zion was leaving me here as dragon bait.
He was trying to talk to me. He was yelling, maybe. I didn’t hear any of it. I was so lost in my emotions nothing could touch me. I was out of control and—
Zion hovered over me and sat on my hips, pinning me to the bed. One large hand wrapped around my throat and simply held there, firm. That warm, fuzzy tingling feeling spread through my body again.
All the noise stopped. My thoughts focused. I could breathe. I could think.
“How do you feel?” he asked, his voice strangely detached and clinical.
I hesitated in answering, because I didn’t want to admit it. “Contained,” I managed. “Safe.”
He leaned down and nuzzled into my neck with a pleased growl. I bucked against him, remembering I was pissed at him.
“You lied to me! Get off!”
His hand left my neck, and I pushed away the odd sense of loss.
Zion refused to move, instead glaring down at me with narrowed eyes. “Lied to you? You practically threw yourself at me in the corridor that night! Besides, I didn’t hear you complaining.” He smirked, and my gaze drew to his mouth. I couldn’t help but remember how it taste when we’d kissed, or—
The room rattled and shook, but no roar or wave of heat was forthcoming. Zion sighed and rolled off the bed. “Stay here. I will return. Do not leave this tower. The guards at the bottom will forcibly bring you back if needed.”
And with that, Prince Zion abandoned me in his tower, shutting the iron door behind him.
I threw the covers off and dove out of bed, resisting the urge to scream. That scoundrel! That lying sack of—I paused, truly appreciating where I was for a moment.The prince’s private tower.My earlier thoughts of seeking knowledge and solving the curse popped back into my head, claiming that this was a wonderful opportunity tosnoop. It wasn’t like the prince had forbidden me from going through his things, and what did he expect me to do stuck here—potentially all day?I owed it to my own survival—and begrudgingly, the other girls’ survival—to find out what I could.
I started with a small table across the room that was serving as a desk. Paperwork scattered the top of it, and never had I felt as lacking as I did in that moment.
I bet Freesia could read. And Azalea, with her histories from the fireguards. Even frightened Heather and Hyacinthe probably knew their letters. The answer to the curse and the dragon could sit right in front of me, and I wouldn’t know it.
It was tempting to rip everything to shreds, but even I admitted that was petty. I turned from the desk and instead crossed to the large wooden cabinet.
Inside was a rainbow of fabrics. Long tunics hung in every shade imaginable, organized by color. Gold and silver tassels winked at me from the darkness, as well as jewels and gold that were inlaid into the fabric itself. The smell of smoke and ashes met my nose.
Then again, everything this high up smelled like the dragon. I shivered as I remembered the heat and the screams. I really hoped the other girls were alright. I wouldn’t be too upset if it had boiled the queen alive, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I shut the cabinet doors, not interested in clothes. Long tapered candles lined the walls, currently unlit since it was approaching midday. I spied an apple and a hunk of cheese on a small table in the middle of the room, and seized it eagerly.
I didn’t feel a smidge of guilt as I scarfed it down. They had yet to feed any of us since we came, after all.
I stopped chewing at a knock on the door, bits of apple sticking out of my cheek. I swallowed.
