RUAROK

It is morning again, and I am appreciating waking up and not being in that damned cage.

After ten years of only having the cold, hard floor of the cage to lie upon, sleeping in a real bed is the kind of luxury too many take for granted. As was standing beneath a hot shower for as long as I wanted.

Princess Taelyn is on my mind. She is a fucking prick tease, but I know I can wear her down.

She might believe it’s my magic that’s making her want me, but it isn’t.

I haven’t had the need to use it on her, and, even if I had, it’s still too weak.

Being with her, if only for those few minutes during the night, has helped to sustain me, but not with the sort of strength I was used to before I was imprisoned.

I tell myself that my magic being weakened is also the reason I don’t see any kind of sexual aura around her when we’re together.

But then I remember I never saw it at the dance, either.

Is there something different about Princess Taelyn?

I’d always believed she was full Fae, but maybe there is something else in her bloodline, from generations before, that makes her immune to my magic.

Taelyn wasn’t the only person to have to deal with nightmares last night.

The reason I’d been awake to hear her scream was because I’d had some of my own.

I’d dreamed my father had come back to life, and he’d sent his guards for me once more.

I’d been too weak to fight them, and they’d dragged me, kicking and screaming, back to the cage.

Except the cage wasn’t located in the dungeons this time.

Instead, it was in the city, and the guards had hauled me, naked, through the streets, while all the inhabitants of the city lined the sides, jeering and throwing things at me.

This time, the cage had been suspended above one of the huge holes created by the rot, and I would be visible for everyone to witness my torture.

Going to Taelyn, like I did, hadn’t only been about making her feel better—it had been for my own comfort, too. Touching her, kissing her, had reminded me that I was no longer in that fucking cage.

I am free now.

It isn’t until sometime after breakfast that I see her again.

It surprises me that all my thoughts have been solely around her.

Of course, she is important, in that she’s the person who is in the way of my rightful place on the throne, but it hasn’t been my plot of rid myself of her that’s been on my mind.

Instead, it’s been how soft her mouth is, how firm and high her breasts, how, I wish, I could have pushed my fingers inside her.

“Princess,” I greet her.

She looks tired, dark smudges beneath her eyes. Of course, I already know her sleep was disturbed.

“Good morning, Prince Ruarok. ”

Her cheeks flush pink at the sight of me. Dear gods, she’s so incredibly sweet, it almost feels wrong of me to want to destroy her. But this is my kingdom. It’s my birthright, and she is the one standing in my way.

“I wondered how I could be of service today.”

I don’t give a fuck about being of service.

I just want to be around her, to make her squirm.

People are bound to start talking soon; rumors will fly.

I will destroy her reputation just by being associated with her.

It’s a cruel world where women are judged so much harsher than men, but that works in my favor.

“We need to arrange a memorial service for the king and queen. I know we can’t have a burial since?—”

She cuts herself off, but I know what she’d been about to say. We can’t have a burial because both their bodies have been swallowed into the ground.

She must see something in my face as she pauses and narrows her eyes. “Is that going to be difficult for you? I mean, because of your father…”

She means because I hated the man.

I swallow my feelings and force a soothing smile.

“I can put my feelings about my father aside for something so important. I won’t let you down, Princess.”

“Thank you, Ruarok.” She lets out a sigh.

“I admit it feels good to have someone I can trust with these things. We are family, after all. It didn’t feel right to just hand it over to one of the staff, and I have so much to think about with the city in such a mess.

I need to figure out how to stop this rot from spreading. ”

I stare at her. “You think it can be stopped?”

“There must be a way. We can’t just accept that this is our future. That we’re going to end up with nothing. Otherwise, what’s the point in it all? What are we fighting for?”

Tears tremble in her blue eyes, and it takes every ounce of self-control not to step into her personal space and pull her into my arms. I want to hold her against me and stroke her hair, like I did last night, and comfort her.

I shake the thought from my head. My plan is to ruin her, not to give her comfort. I shouldn’t care about how she’s feeling.

“I’ve asked the greatest scholars of our kingdom to research what we know about the rot,” she continues. “There has to be something we can do.”

I huff air from my nose. “What do scholars know? All they do is read about what other people have already learned. They’re not going to tell us anything new.”

Her mouth pinches, her nostrils flaring. “What do you suggest?”

“The rot is dark magic, so the only answer will also be magic.”

“You think we need a sorcerer?”

I nod. “A powerful one, at that.”

She places her index finger against her lips as she thinks. “The only sorcerer I know of is the Mage who lives beyond the borders of Askos, in the wildlands.”

“Those lands are dangerous, Princess.”

She shoots me a look. “I’m fully aware of that. But you’re right. We need someone with great magic, not just a bunch of men with books. They say the Mage knows everything, and if that’s true, then they must know a way to stop the rot, if there is one.”

I wonder what can of worms I’ve opened .

“You’re not thinking of going yourself?” I check. “The kingdom needs you. If you die, what then?”

It occurs to me that this is a great plan. I may have stumbled into it accidentally, but it could work out perfectly.

She glances at someplace over my shoulder, her gaze misting. “If I don’t do this, there won’t be a kingdom left to rule.”

So she is planning to go herself. My stomach knots. I wish I could take back my suggestion of finding a sorcerer.

“Let me go in your place,” I blurt.

I don’t know where the offer comes from.

Why am I putting my life on the line, when I’m trying to get my kingdom back?

I should let her go beyond the borders of Askos, into the wildlands.

If she’s killed—which she most likely will be—I’ll automatically become king.

There is no one else to challenge my right to the throne.

She gives a small laugh. “I appreciate the offer, Prince Ruarok, but your reputation precedes you. Why would the Mage listen to you, or want to help you?”

“But you think they’ll listen to you?”

She lifts her chin and puts back her shoulders. “As the ruler of Askos, of course they’ll listen to me.”

The Mage is neither male nor female. They’ve lived in the wildlands for a thousand years, outliving even the Fae.

I grind my teeth. “If you go, I will go with you.”

“I’ll take my guards. I will be fine.”

Sudden jealousy flashes through me. “And that man, Balthorne, will he go with you, too?”

“Of course. He’s head of my guard.”

“No, Cirrus Planetree is head of your guard. ”

She shakes her head, her waist length white-blonde hair shimmering. “He was the head of the king’s guard, and the king is no more. Balthorne has always been the man who protects me. He’s been there for me ever since I was young.”

I hate to think of another man being so important in her life.

That this Balthorne looks the way he does also does nothing to help my jealousy.

If I were pale blond, with wings, would she have still pushed me away last night?

Or would she be proud to have me on her arm, to stand beside her in court, to be her equal?

I stoke the fire burning inside me. I need to let her go.

There is one problem. If she does go, while I stay here, and she returns to the kingdom having found a way to stop the rot, she’ll be able to do no wrong in the eyes of her subjects.

In the meanwhile, I’ll have hidden here, at the castle, looking like a coward.