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I gasped, glancing toward the brawl. “Is that—”

“Drazen and Thorne.” Victor bowed to the king. “Please excuse us, your highness. There’s a matter that requires our attention.”

Guards rushed to protect the royal couple, preventing Idris from asking further questions.

Victor towed me along with him, leading me away from theking. Across the room, a soldier dragged Thorne to his feet. The mysterious shifter met my panicked stare with a flirtatious wink.

My alarm turned to admiration, a smile playing at my lips. It was his timely diversion that freed us from Idris’s crosshairs.

Well played.

Noting my appreciation, Victor snorted a disgruntled huff. “Anyone can pick a fight.”

“Yes, but there are few who do it with such style.” I raised my drink to the shifter. I prayed he’d show the same consideration while helping us to open that hidden door tomorrow.

Chapter Twenty-Two

RUNA

Despite my exhaustionfrom both the trials and the party, sleep eluded me. The uncomfortable floor I slept on didn’t help.

Something large thudded against my bedroom door, and I jolted.

“You’ll keep walking if you know what’s good for you,” I shouted, clenching the vase that rested beside me. Locks tripped, and sloppy footsteps stumbled through the doorway of my quarters. Holding my breath, I peered beneath the bed frame. From my position at the backside of the bed where I lie between the bed and the wall, I made out a pair of linen-clad legs and bare feet.

Men’s feet.

I braced for battle. Flarking guards. I knew I couldn’t trust them. No way I was letting anyone catch me unaware again.

After the party ended, we’d been escorted back to our rooms. Milani had helped me undress, twittering on about how exciting it was to serve not one but two finalists in the trials. While her status among the brownies might have been elevated,mine hadn’t improved. I was still a prisoner in Idris’s castle, subject to both the king’s and my sister’s whims. Honestly, I trusted the guards not to stab me in my sleep more than my sister.

Wait a minute.

If my intruder was one of the guards, he’d still be in uniform. Fates save me if this was Idris invading my room.

I clutched the vase tighter. It was a pathetic weapon but all I could find in this useless space.

“Runa?” My name was a slurred, rasping whisper.

I struggled to place the voice. Idris wouldn’t whisper in his own castle.

“Runa, are you awake?”

Is that…?

Again, I eyed the pale, dare I say, elegant feet.

Feet that haven’t walked through the hillsides barefoot in quite some time. If ever.

My would-be attacker wobbled a step, then shuffled toward the bed. Earlier, I had placed pillows down the center so it would look as if I was asleep and unaware. While it was an amateur move, all I needed was a moment or two to prepare.

“Bloody hell. The chit sleeps like the dead,” the intruder grumbled to himself, standing over fake Runa. “What if some deviant were to sneak into her room while she slept?”

What if?

“And yet she’s shown zero appreciation for my protection. What would she have done without me?”

Custodis. It was definitely Custodis.