41

My organza gown was beginning to itch at my skin, sweat building under my arms in the stuffy warmth. The knife my pocket felt as heavy as a brick.

His green eyes narrowed. “Eat.”

This time it wasn’t a request. It was a threat.

I swallowed and reached for the pile of rustic rolls stacked near me. I tore one in half then took a small bite of the dry, stale bread. I halfway expected something to happen, some sort of entrapment like the rumors I’d heard about Fae food, but nothing happened. It was just stale bread in a stuffy room, with an asshole sitting across from me.

He grinned, pleased. “Good wolf.”

Internally, my wolf bared her fangs. The only thing worse than being Draunar’s wife was being his pet.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked.

“You’re smarter than that,” he said. “I think you can figure it out.”

“Just be forthright with me,” I said. “What do you want?”

He laughed, low and pleased, like I was a child who’d asked a particularly endearing question. “Come on, now, Reyna,” he said. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“It’s not,” I said. “You said you wanted me as your wife.”

“I never said anything of the sort,” he said with a demure smile. “I believe things worked out just fine. You’ve served your nation well, and now you don’t need to worry your pretty head about the details.”

I resisted the urge to bare my teeth in my human form, too. He reminded me of my father—keeping me in the dark about what was happening. Expecting me to remain quiet and pretty, a decoration of the court instead of an active member. I’d tried to develop in my role as queen—and I’d done a good job—and here I was again, relegated to powerlessness.

But I’d chosen this. I’d done it myself.

It was worth it to ensure that Frasia was safe.

But now, I wouldn’t even know if that was the case. I wasn’t a part of the Shiangan Court at all.

“When will we be returning to the palace?” I asked.

Draunar didn’t answer. He continued working his way through the dishes.

“King Draunar,” I said, a little louder, “when will we be returning to the castle?”

He took a massive gulp of wine, then heaved himself to his feet. “This way, wolf,” he said. “I’ll show you to your quarters.”

“My quarters?”

“This way!” he shouted. It was almost a roar. His eyes gleamed rich emerald, and scales danced down his shoulders, appearing on his skin like armor.

I clambered to my feet. I didn’t want to make him angry, not yet—not until I had a plan for what I was going to do to next. I swallowed my anger down and followed him away from the table, through a stone door, then impossibly deeper into the mountain. The walkway opened to the right, but the blackness was so dense in the empty space that my skin crawled. We continued past the dark opening, deeper into the narrow hallway, where two doors were set into the same side of the rough stone walls. Draunar passed the first, then opened the second, and ushered me across the threshold.

“Rest well,” he said. “I must attend to some business, but I will return soon.”

The door clicked closed behind him, and then the lock turned too.

“Wait!” I called. “King Draunar, wait!”

There was no response. He was already gone.

The stillness of the room was suffocating. I turned to the door and went to try the handle—but there was none on this side. I was well and truly locked in. I smoothed my hand down the obsidian door, looking for any gaps or secret latches, but there was nothing. Just smooth, polished stone, so shiny my own devastated expression was reflected right back at me.

I sighed and turned my face away from the door, leaning against it heavily. At least I was alone, without Draunar’s creepy presence looming over me.

Small blessings.

I surveyed the room. It wasn’t nearly as fine as the guest quarters in the Shiangan palace. This was more like a den. The stone floors were covered in sheepskins, and the bed was a low platform with a straw-filled mattress covered in furs. There was no fireplace, but dim sconces lit the room. A small restroom was built into an alcove.

There was nothing else in the room. No books, no clothes, no food—nothing.

Terror rushed into my throat like bile. I had no idea when Draunar would be back. No idea when I would be released from this room—from this cell.

At least I could get out of this dress. I shucked off the fine organza gown the girls had ordered for me, folded it as best I could, and placed it in a corner on one of the sheepskins. In just my silk underclothes, I stretched my arms overhead and tried to release some of the tension from my tight muscles.

Would I ever see Fina and Adora again?

I pushed the thought from my mind. Of course I would. This was just temporary. Draunar would return and we’d go back to the palace.

And if we didn’t, I’d figure something out. I always did. That was why Elias had chosen me to be the Queen of Frasia—I could hold my own. I figured things out. And though I was frightened and alone in this stuffy cave, without a single other soul, and without anyone in Shianga knowing where I was—I’d made this choice. I’d done it for the wolves. And I was going to fix this.

Fix it or bear it.

I crawled onto the mattress and sprawled out on the soft furs. Sleep first. I had no idea what time it was. No idea if it was the depths of night or if the sun had broken over the horizon. My wolf whined internally. I wondered if I would ever see the full moon rise ever again.