Page 65 of To Bind a Dark Heart

“Tell me the truth, firefly.” His words were quiet. Pleading, almost.

Shutting her eyes, she fought tears. “I can’t…”

He kissed her forehead. “Very well. We shall talk again tomorrow. And every day after that until you do.”

“Is the interrogation method always going to be the same?” She fought for a smile. It almost stuck.

He chuckled but said nothing. He stroked the back of a claw down her cheek. Wordlessly, he scooped her up in his arms. She leaned her head against his broad shoulder and shut her eyes. To her surprise, he didn’t take her back to the cell. He brought her to her old room and set her down on the bed.

She looked up at him, curious and confused.

“You remain in chains. And you are not to leave this room unless you are escorted by me or one of my knights. Mark me, firefly—you are my prisoner. And do not mistake this for kindness.” He headed to the door. “It is a convenience for both of us if you do not freeze on a stone floor.”

His harsh words were somewhat deflated when he opened the door and Eod came charging in, barreling up onto the bed at a million miles an hour. He didn’t waste a second before he was licking Gwen’s face with the vibe ofI never thought I’d see you again!

Mordred let out a long sigh. “I suppose that was inevitable.”

She tried to shoo the dog away. “Wait, Mordred, I—”

He shut the door behind him and was gone.

Frowning, she accepted the dog’s affection. There wasn’t anything else she could do. “I missed you too, boy.” She hugged the animal, who draped his head over her shoulder, his tail thumping on the bed.

At least she wasn’t alone. At least she wasn’t freezing in a jail cell, chained to the wall. At least this room had a privy.

But she felt hollow inside, all the same. Lying down on the bed, she shut her eyes. Eod cuddled up next to her, his head on her hip.

It was two hours before sleep came for her, her thoughts troubled and conflicted. Mordred was soon to be the target of a massive war. She was bound to his sworn enemy. But there was one thing she couldn’t deny any longer.

Whether or not she should. Whether or not it would matter.

She loved him.

NINETEEN

Being trapped in a bedroom was at least a little less boring than being trapped in a cell, Gwen decided. But while she wasn’t chained to the wall, she was still chained to herself and that made certain things—like changing her clothes—entirely impossible. Or at least her top half.

And Eod was getting just as antsy, but for a very different reason. He was sitting by the door, whining. With a sigh, she went up to the door and knocked on it. “Excuse me? The dog needs to go out.”

Silence.

She rubbed a hand over her face and almost cracked herself in the teeth with the iron chain that connected the bracers on her wrists. “Look, I don’t need to go with him. But unless you want to be cleaning up dog shit from the carpet, the animal needsout.”

Another long moment of silence. Then the lock clicked, and the door swung open. Standing on the other side was that same, half-finished guard that had been standing in her cell.

She smiled. “Hi. Good morning.”

He just stared, unmoving.

The dog walked into the hallway, then turned to look back at her, wagging his tail.

“Sorry, boy. I have to stay here. Go and do your business.” Gwen smiled.

Eod’s ears drooped.

“I know. I know. It’s okay—you’re good. Go on out.”

His tail slowly stopped wagging. God damn it, dogs knew how to pull the heartstrings. Smiling, she knew what would work. “I bet there aresquirrelsoutside.”

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