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“Wildcat,” the vampire prince crowed, approaching with the preternatural grace only his kind possessed. “I was hoping I’d run into you here.”

“How?” I choked out.

“You had to go somewhere, didn’t you? And seeing as you made it past the city gates, I realized you were far more determined and resourceful than most of your kind.” He glared but kept a distance from me that would be appropriate for a lord and lady in polite conversation. “We found no fae remains in the woods and, as you know, we can search quite fast.”

I didn’t reply, largely because I was trying not to visibly shake. Fae still milled about, my only saving grace.

“Your trajectory led straight to this kingdom, and it didn’t take long for me to find someone who’d seen you. A lumberjack slighted by this duplicitous lord. He willingly gave up information on a bedraggled fae female.”

Frode. That son of a harpy! Then, the other part of what he’d said struck me. Given what I’d just learned of Roar’s escape, it struck a chord with me.

“Why do you call Lord Roar duplicitous?”

Prince Gervais blinked, appeared shocked, and then a slow smile spread across his face. “You really don’t know the fae you’re engaged to very well at all, do you?”

“I . . .”

I trailed off because the answer was no. I’d thought I knew a little about Roar. I’d thought that even if he wanted more from me, we could weather the storm of court and come out as friends. But he’d left me here, high and dry. And I could find no excuse for that.

It turned out that I didn’t know him at all.

“He’s a powerful fae,” I shot back, grasping for something to say. Something to protect myself with. “You’d do best to leave me alone.”

“Is he?” Prince Gervais looked amused. “True power doesn’t flee.”

Bleeding skies, I hated that vampire. To make sure he knew it, I scowled.

Gervais chuckled, clearly enjoying my torment. “I’ll admit, he might not be the power you believe him to be, but he is a good actor, good at hiding his deeds. But because I like games, I’ll give you a hint. The Lisika’s mines have given gold for centuries, but isn’t that odd? One would think that they’d need to diversify. Or find other valuable investments. Can you think of nothing as valuable as gold, wildcat?”

I swallowed and opened my mouth to reply, to demand that he stop these stupid games and tell me what he knew, when none other than Queen Inga waltzed into the foyer. My eyes latched on to her, and my heart began fluttering wildly. If I could only get her attention, perhaps I’d be safe.

“Before you run to hide behind her royal skirts,” Prince Gervais tone dipped dangerously as he leaned even closer, so close that I could smell the tang of blood on his lips, “understand this, wildcat. If you flee the castle, your friend dies. And if you think I will leave this frigid kingdom before I have you in my grasp, you are seriously mistaken.”

“Have you hurt her?” I rasped, forgetting all about Roar.

“I’ve taken what is mine, but her blood is a mere snack and I’m ready for a meal.” He eyed my jugular, leaving no doubt as to what he meant. “Think on that, and on how you might save her life.”

With that, Prince Gervais walked past me, leaving me trembling in his wake.

Chapter 36

By the grace of the Fates, I made it back to the Lisika suite where I promptly collapsed onto the settee. Tears I’d been holding back made a fast appearance, and by the time Clemencia returned from the kitchen with a breakfast basket in hand, I was a sniffling, snotty, teary mess.

“My lady! What happened?” She set the basket down and approached on light, fast feet. “Is it something to do with the warden? Is he injured?”

Of course, she would think that I cried over my missing fiancé.

What could I say to her? I couldn’t tell her the truth, or at least, not all of it. That would be dangerous, and if by some slim chance Clemencia stayed loyal to me, it still put her at risk.

My oldest and dearest friend was already in danger. Clemencia could not suffer the same fate.

“My lady Neve?” Clemencia perched next to me. “Please, tell me.”

The lump in my throat grew until I swallowed it down. I took a deep breath and forced the tears to stop.

“Roar left last night, Clem.” Her mouth fell open, and I rushed on to avoid questions that might trip up my story. “I don’t know why and neither does the king, but he took offense to it and dissolved our union.”

“Not your betrothal,” my lady-in-waiting whispered as her own eyes filled with tears. “But that’s cruel! You two are so in love.”