Page 134 of Blackheart

“Why?”

Xavian shrugged. “He didn’t care for the fact that you came home without telling him or Jocelynn goodbye.”

My throat dried. “No…” I whispered, mostly to myself.

“Are you okay, Princess?” the cook asked, her dark eyes swelling with concern.

“No… yes. I just don’t understand.”

I ran to the front door and threw it open.

Riven was pacing outside.

He stopped, taking in my ragged hair and destroyed dress.

“Why did you leave me last night?” he asked. “Why would you walk home instead of telling me you were ready to go?”

My shoulders sagged. There was no hiding this. No way to sugarcoat it.

“I—I need you to come inside.”

Within ten minutes of me telling my brother and Riven the events that had unfolded, all hell broke loose. Members of the brotherhood were posted all along the outside of the Silver Circle, while hundreds were directed to search the capital for Sapphires.

I’d been ordered to sit down and stay put in my ragged dress, makeup halfway down my face. My tiara was gone, but Payn had left me with everything else. How he’d gotten me into my roomwithout being noticed, no one knew. Blood magic was the only logical answer.

Xavian was furious. He and Riven had checked for any sign of Payn, storming through and tearing the house apart, finding nothing but a pure white hair on my nightstand.

“I want every single person knowledgeable on creating wards and barriers to report here by sundown,” Xavian ordered Avan. “We will begin immediately. I don’t want blood magic able to be used on any of the council's homes, at minimum.”

Most of the council was already here. We only awaited Lord Draven.

“The barrier stuff is pretty new,” Lord Avan replied. “There’s not much known about their creation. Draven’s been looking into it. Only small rooms have been warded in places like the castle, to our knowledge.”

Xavian ignored him, moving on to the next order. “The guard rotations need to be more effective,Captain.”

Riven nodded, still silently boiling with rage. He couldn’t believe Payn had gotten to me again on his watch. He refused to meet my gaze, either from his own shame or anger at me for having left him.

Lady Jocelynn burst through the front door, shadows swirling up to her hips and hat clipped onto the side of her head. While her appearance said elegant, her demeanor said otherwise. She pointed a finger at me. “You!”

I winced, but did my best to maintain eye contact. “I didn’t plan to leave ear?—”

“I don’t care about you leaving early! I care about your piss-poor decision-making abilities! You are the princess of a fragile, newborn kingdom. We need you, and you aredeterminedto find an early grave! Who needs an enemy when you are actively destroying yourself and seeking danger? Open a book! Learnsomething! Just because you grew up in squalor doesn’t mean you need to act like a petulant, lowbrow, backward delinquent!”

The room fell quiet.

She didn’t understand. I was trying to help. To be something more than how I grew up. I wasn’t like Xavian, raised in a castle and schooled in decision-making.

“I’m trying my best…”

“Then stop trying! This isn’t the Waywards! If you want to act like an animal, then go back to your cage!”

“Jocelynn,” Riven warned.

“Don’t interrupt me,” she snapped.

“Enough,” Xavian cut in.

Jocelynn pressed her lips into a hard line. “If no one else will give her a reality check, then I will! Elora, look at yourself, covered in your own vomit. And we all know this isn’t the first time. Escorted home in the arms of the enemy? You’re lucky it was Payn and not his father. You are betrothed to the wealthiest heir in Castivian! Money that can change our fate in the battles to come! Why do you not realize that you are in a position that thousands of girls would kill to be in?”