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He bowed his head down, his children and wife doing the same. Something about the gesture was familiar to me, and it brought forth a sense of pride.

But my mind raced with everything Leer was telling me. Hopefulness for my situation bloomed in my chest. I now knew that my mind wasn’t broken. I wasn’t crazy; my friends were real. But that meant my father didn’t want me to find them. Why?

My darkness swarmed around me, making my skin glow brightly with red and orange swirls. Betrayal pumped through me, but doubt still gnawed at me. I wasn’t sure if I could take Leer for his word. This could still be a trick.

“I will go to Exile myself and look,” I whispered. I kneeled to Leer’s level so I could look him in the eyes as I spoke next. My darkness waited to feel his fear as I said, “If this is a trick or you have lied to me, I will come back and kill you, Leer.”

Leer’s blue eyes stared into mine, and not an ounce of fear came from him.

“I would expect nothing less.” He nodded. “I swear on my family and the gods; I am not lying to you.”

I nodded as I stood.

“You are excused from guard duty for the rest of the week to spend it with your wife.” I smiled at her when she gave me a look of sadness, then turned just as Larissa spoke.

“You made a mistake coming to Cerithia. Your father is not a kind man.”

I spoke without turning to look at them.

“I am learning that he is the king and not my father.”

Then I left.

Chapter 7

Cerithian guards were constantly present in the hallways. The way they watched my every move made me feel like a prisoner, even though I had chosen to come here. It didn’t matter where I was; there was guaranteed to be a guard or two lingering. At first, I thought it was normal, but after talking with Leer, I wondered if they only followedmearound like this.

I had awoken this morning to my own screams as I dreamt of something I couldn’t remember, my head pounding and my body aching with exhaustion. I had tossed and turned most of the night, replaying both my conversation with Leer and how my family had treated me at the disastrous meeting. At points, I would convince myself Leer was lying, but then I always wondered... what if he wasn’t?

My darkness had never relented last night. My eyes had remained black, and my swirls stayed bright on my skin. I felt rage, but not rage like I did when I thought of Cassius. No,this rage felt familiar to me, almost as if I had felt this betrayal before.

That was why I decided to see if Leer’s story checked out.

The sun beamed through the tall windows of the castle, warming the air so it felt sticky against my skin as I walked through the corridors. My eyes darted to the family portrait in the hallway, making my feet halt immediately. This wasn’t my first time seeing it, but it made me feel like shit the more I stared at it.

My father and the queen stood in the back as Tally and Mae sat in front of them. No one smiled in the portrait. Perhaps that was a traditional pose for royalty. I was obviously missing. I wondered if my father would order a new one now that the family was back together, but deep inside, I was sure I already knew that answer.

My father’s laughter caught my attention. Tearing my eyes away from the portrait, I headed toward the sound.

This was the first laughter I had heard from my father, and I was intrigued. I walked through the open wooden door to my left, where I had heard him. He sat at a long dining table with my family and Jesper, eating breakfast. I frowned as I took in the sight of them together because I had not been invited. Every interaction I had with them now would make me question their intentions.

“Thea.” Jesper was the one to notice me. His handsome face broke into a smile at the sight of me, and he stood to greet me politely. My insides churned at how he could pretend like he wasn’t a complete prick.

“I didn’t realize we ate together as afamily,” I said as I stepped toward them. The queen’s look of irritation stopped me from continuing but made my darkness happy. It loved to cause her discomfort. “Or should I leave?” I glanced at my father for his permission.

He looked around the table, but his green eyes lingered on Jesper, who gave him a subtle nod.

“Please, sit.” He gestured to a chair across from Jesper. The tension around the table made my chest tight. I rubbed the blood bond on my arm as I fidgeted in my seat. “You took off last night?” my father broke the silence.

“I didn’t want to hear my family keep the truth from the fae that I am supposed to be fighting for.” I glared at him as a servant placed a plate of food in front of me. Something about my family and this kingdom hasn’t seemed to make sense ever since I came here.

“We do not need to explain ourselves to you,” Gwyn hissed.

“I’m just trying to fathom why my family would not tell the kingdom that I was cursed and not living in Crimson,” I spoke with a firm voice as I stared her down.

“Do not start an argument that you know nothing about,” my father warned. “We will not explain every decision to you. It is for the best; trust us.”

I scoffed. Jeb walked in, glaring at me as he headed for my father and whispered something in his ear. My father’s eyes snapped to mine, and I leaned back in my chair, sneering at Jeb. I had a sneaking suspicion that Jeb had just told my father what I did yesterday while in town.