Page 14

Like synchronized swimmers, five heads whipped toward the direction of Ashor’s silky voice. Before my gaze even landed on him, the sound of that ancient dialect poured into my veins like liquid darkness, sending a chill through my body. I raked my gaze over him, searching for injuries, but he stood as arrogant as ever, leaning a shoulder against the other side of the gate. His midnight hair hung over the side of his face as shadows draped over his form. He kicked the gate open and raised a brow as if to say, are you coming in, or are you just going to stare at me all night?

I darted through the gate and was in Ashor’s face, my repressed anger and hurt bubbling to the surface. “Don’t ‘Hello, luv’ me!” I shrieked, poking him in his firm chest. My finger more or less bounced off. “Really? That’s the first thing you say to me after leaving me. You selfish, arrogant, prince of asshole prick.”

The stupid grin on his lips only widened. “I missed you too.”

“God. You are so frustrating. Why do I even bother? I don’t know if I want to hit you or…”

“Or what?” he prompted, his hands curving around my hips and pulling me closer.

He didn’t play fair. “Kick you in the dick,” I said with smug satisfaction, crossing my hands over my chest before I got any funny ideas about touching him. Nope. Not going to happen, regardless of how relieved I was to see him.

His chuckle was like a winter night against my face, fluttering over my lashes. Cool tingles bloomed at my cheeks, my pulse quickening. The mark at my nape burned like the brightest star in the sky. Without saying another word, he crashed his lips to mine, and the fracture on my soul I didn’t realize was there mended.

The kiss was possessive and frantic in a way that made the world disappear. It was just the prince and me. His lips were skilled, coaxing mine to open up to him in utter surrender. My arms wound around his neck, and I pressed myself into his comforting coolness as his fingers roamed over the curves of my body.

This was everything I’d been missing the last few months, this sense of completion I’d never really felt before. My heart was bursting out of my chest, and the world around me lost all meaning, all purpose.

My mate, my soul sighed in sweet delight, but there was another, more persistent and powerful voice inside me. Claim him, the demon within purred like a siren’s song. Claim him, before it”s too late.

Why shouldn’t I? He was my mate? Denying it would get me nowhere, and I no longer wanted to resist him, couldn’t remember why I’d ever wanted to.

I nipped at his lower lip, running my tongue along it. His growl vibrated over my mouth, and I wanted to be anywhere other than in Hell with an audience. In truth, I’d forgotten about my family and that we weren’t alone. Ashor had the power to make me lose myself completely.

My fingers longed to trace his demon marks and stare at his face for hours. “You’re okay,” I whispered, taking in every inch of him, every angle.

Darkness dispersed from Ashor like oil in water. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He was here in front of me, and now I didn’t know what to do. “I saw her take you.” My voice trembled over the memories: seeing him surrender, Soren shackling him, him chained to the dungeon walls and walking up to the Court of Envy.

His hand moved to the side of my face, brushing aside a stray piece of loose hair. “What else did you see, Lexi luv?”

I averted my eyes, afraid he could see inside my head, which might have been pointless because if Ashor really wanted inside my mind, I couldn’t stop him. My gaze lingered on his lips, entranced by the curve of them. “It doesn’t matter. You’re here.”

He hooked a finger under my chin, tilting my face upward until I looked at him again. The color in his eyes was flecked with gold. “I am. But the real question is, why are you here?”

The realization of his words echoed inside me, bouncing around in an unattainable thing I couldn’t catch. I never considered that he might not want to be released from his oath to his mother or rescued from the underworld. He had sacrificed so that I could escape, and yet, here I was, back in Hell, back in the line of danger.

Would he be angry with me?

Disappointed?

But only amusement and something darker sparkled in his violet eyes.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I said blandly. “I’m here for you.”

His voice was a tad hoarse as he replied, “This isn’t your fight. You should have stayed where it was safe.”

“Safe.” I laughed sarcastically. “As long as you’re in danger, so am I. We’ll never be safe while your mother reigns. And I”m still upset with you.”

His head angled to the side. “You made it very clear that you’re pissed.”

“How dare you shove me out? You left me.” That was the root of my anger. He had left me.

His fingers were drawing lazy circles along my lower back. “Is that what this is about? You can’t possibly still be pissed at me for saving your life, for getting you out of the underworld?”

“Yes! I can be.” But the truth was, I no longer was angry with him. I should be. But I wasn’t. “Ashor,” I murmured, my fingers resting on either side of his neck. I said his name again, just needing to hear it on my lips and watch the way his pupils darkened at the sound. His forehead came to rest against mine, the hood of his cloak encompassing part of my face. “Don’t let me go,” I whispered against his cool skin.

Why was it that every time we were apart, whether it was for hours, days, or months, it felt like years since I’d seen him last? I blamed our connection for my irrational behavior. “Ashor, you make me so mad, I could scream.”

Shadows flickered in his eyes. “I didn’t leave you, luv. Not voluntarily.”

“Am I supposed to believe you?”

“You can feel the truth,” he whispered.

He was right. He wasn’t lying, which still didn’t explain the situation. This wasn’t the Court of Darkness. “What happened then? Why didn’t you fight back? Why did you let them take you? Why didn’t you come with me? And what are you doing here in Gardeness?” I hurtled question after question, my cheeks flushed by the time I was done.

His eyes flickered off my face for a second as I sensed my family moving to stand behind me. “I see you came with backup.” When I said nothing, he continued. “Apparently, everyone wants a piece of me. Can I help it if I am a popular guy?”

I snorted. “You’re so not helping your situation here.”

“Queen Verena and I have business, just boring court business,” he said, brushing off his presence in Gardeness.

He was fooling no one. “Is that so?” I demanded, stepping out of his embrace. My family kept to the background, giving Ashor and me space to work through some shit, but I sensed their restlessness. They were eager to grab Ashor and split.

A long sigh left the prince’s lips. “You still haven’t told me how you managed to find me.”

“I guess it pays to know demons in high places,” I said, evading the question. He wasn’t the only one who could be sneaky.

“Is that so?” He brushed the back of his knuckles along my cheek. “You shouldn’t be here. Go now, before it’s too late. You can still get home.”

All the elation at seeing him vanished, replaced by panic seizing my chest. He wanted me to leave? “What the fuck, Ashor.” I shoved at his chest, but the demon didn’t budge. “I can’t believe you. Do you know what I went through to get here?”

He took my wrist into his grasp and flipped it over. “I have a good idea.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not the only one making deals with demons,” I snapped back in return, my eyes glaring on the blood oath on his own arm. I wasn’t the only one with secrets. Why not just lay all the cards out on the table?

His face was hard like stone and unamused. “She didn’t give me a choice in the matter.”

“When does a prince ever have a choice?” said a raspy female voice that oozed sensuality in a way that had the hairs on my arms standing up.

Squinting against the sun that shone bright through an opening in the trees, I sought out the face that belonged to the voice. Unlike the Court of Darkness, this fracture of Hell was balmy, almost uncomfortably so, but not enough to roast my skin off. No breeze frolicked through the trees, leaving the air stagnant.

A woman broke through a cluster of unusual trees. The woman herself was unusual. Decked out in a gown of sage with a plunging vee that revealed too much of her bronze breasts, the Queen of Envy was the epitome of sex. It exuded off her in tumbling waves. Her strawberry-colored hair fell around her heart-shaped face in a disarray of curls, giving her that after-sex tousled appeal. Her wine-colored eyes smoldered, a speck of white dotted the center of her sultry irises. Being in her presence had such a different effect from seeing her through Ashor’s eyes. Hell, even I was attracted to her, but I also hated her for it, because those feelings weren’t real, but demon pheromones meant to seduce. None of us were immune… except for Ashor, it seemed. Through our bond, he had no reaction to Verena other than mild irritation.

Ashor stepped to my side, a protective hand going to the small of my back. “Lexi, let me introduce you to Verena, the Queen of Envy.” He leaned down to whisper just for my ears only, “Good thing I’m not the jealous type.”

My elbow dug into his gut. I kept my face neutral, regardless of how I was feeling inside. Whatever her ploy was here, I wanted no part of it other than to stop my mate from entrapping this demon queen. I didn’t have the faintest idea of how I was going to break the oath between mother and son, but I had to find a way.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” Verena said. “The Prince of Darkness and his mate on my doorstep.” Her emerald eyes did another sweep over me from head to toe, landing back on my face with a viperous grin. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

What was with the royal courts of Hell? Were they all bred from the same bitchy cloth?

“I’m just as surprised,” Ashor mumbled, pinning me with dark eyes. He was angry.

The queen continued to look me over, a forced smile on her lips. “I know your mother. You are very much like her.”

The mention of Kira had my muscles locking up, and I sensed Travis behind me have a similar reaction. “I’m not sure what you mean. Kira and I are nothing alike.”

A rich chuckle glided from her lips. “That is where you are wrong, halfling. Kira is one of my most trusted and faithful subjects. Yet she does have a rebellious streak about her. I can sense that in you.”

Kira had told me her queen could see into my soul. Just how deep and how much could Verena see?

“I’m delighted to finally meet the children who were taken from me,” she added, her eyes shifting over my shoulder. I could only assume her gaze fell upon my brother.

I highly doubted that. Travis echoed my sentiment, but with a vocal grunt of he-didn’t-give-two-fucks.

It was at that moment, when the queen turned her focus to my brother, that I concluded it was time my family went on their merry way back home before Queen Verena realized who else she had lingering at her doorstop. I wanted her attention back on Ashor and me, and I intended to keep it there. I wasn’t going anywhere without Ashor, and I could see now that I’d been stupid. The queen had no intention of letting the prince leave. A fact that made itself abundantly known when Ashor and I were surrounded by a horde of demons.

FML.

They came out of the trees, dropping down to the ground soundlessly, so light on their feet it was as if they floated instead of fell. As I looked closer, I in fact saw they did have wings. Nothing like Ashor’s bold and dominating black wings; these were iridescent and tiny in comparison, like a fairy might have if there was such a thing. Their eyes were enormous and round, with not an ounce of white, but wholly black, giving them a creepy demonic factor.

“Is this part of your plan?” I whispered to him.

“My plan went to shit the second you appeared,” he murmured.

I clenched my jaw. “So this is my fault?”

“If I recall, just minutes ago you were blaming me.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“We find a loophole,”his voice said in my head.

I gave him a sidelong glance. “And you’re exceptional at creating loopholes,” I shot back with a thought.

Eyes of crushed amethyst twinkled as Ashor replied, “Everyone excels at something, luv.”

I snorted.

Verena adjusted the crown on her head. “As entertaining as your little internal love banter might be, I’m growing bored.” A queenly dismissal. “Escort my guests to the citadel,” she instructed, and at first, I wasn’t sure who she was speaking to, because none of the demons surrounding us moved. But then the bushes behind her rustled, and two pocket-size demons darted out. They looked like little fairy demons with pointed ears, wicked teeth, and fluttering wings. “The prince too,” she added. “He can’t be trusted.”

Ashor chuckled.

Was it wise to enter Verena’s city?

My cousin moved to stand beside me, catching my gaze. Chase looked as if he was thinking the same thing. He gave me that look, the one that said there was no way he was letting the queen take us anywhere. I knew what would happen next.

Well, shit.

Here we go.

My fingers twitched, ready to reach for the dagger tucked into my boot. As soon as Chase made his move, I’d be right beside him, fighting to get us through the gate. I’d found what I was looking for. It was time to leave with the prince in tow.

Travis was eyeing the pair of demons zooming around the queen, sizing them up. I could almost read my brother’s mind. He was trying to figure out if these fluttering assholes were an actual threat or a joke.

Instincts kicked in at the first punch. Chase hit one of Verena’s demon guards in the nose, sending him tumbling backward, but the asshole recovered with a flutter of his wings. Unsheathing my dagger, I caught sight of Travis and Emma each squaring off with a demon of their own. The hunter had her bow drawn and an arrow locked into place.

A cool hand landed on my arm, preventing me from lunging into the fight. Ashor was insane if he thought I would sit on the sidelines while my family fought for their freedom. It was clear Verena had no desire to let us go. Like every demon I’d ever encountered, she had an agenda.

The question was, what did she want from us?

I’d have to wait for the answer until after I kicked some demon ass.

The first and even the second kill were no sweat; my demon, my body, and my magic all seemed to align with one purpose. Kill. I spun around, arcing my blade through the air. The tip caught the demon closest to me on the cheek, slicing him from jaw to ear.

The bastard spat at me, which didn’t sit well with the prince. As I was wiping off the grotesque demon saliva with the back of my hand, Ashor tore into the demon with an icy wall of darkness. It wove into his throat, devouring the demon from the inside out.

I gave Ashor a pointed look right after the beast crumbled to ash at my feet. “I had it under control.”

He grinned at me. “Of course you did, luv, but I’m the only one who can swap bodily fluids with my mate.”

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the fight. My family was working its way through the demons blocking the gate, taking them down one by one. I swung toward the queen, who was leaning against a tree trunk, watching with amused glee. Her demons were dying and yet she didn’t seem to care. Not even a fraction.

Ashor’s main objective remained keeping Verena’s guards off me, taking away a chunk of my fun. He didn’t kill most of them like the rest of us did, but knocked them out so they were no longer a threat for the time being—the spitting demon being the exception.

My eyes landed on Angel, and her hate-bright eyes burned. I followed her gaze just in time to see Chase take a hit on the side of his jaw. My cousin grinned, spitting blood from his mouth. “Wrong move, asshole.”

With her feet planted solidly, Angel summoned the power granted to her. Tiny sparks of red flicked into the center of her irises and then those embers ignited into flames. Not just in her eyes, but on her fingers. The fire danced, eager to play. Chase, realizing what Angel was about to do, dashed to his wife’s side, but he wasn’t fast enough to stop her. Seconds later, Hellfire encompassed the gate. “I don’t think so,” Angel said dryly to the demons, shaking her finger at them.

The winged demons snarled to a halt or risked getting burned to a crisp. The fire Angel produced incinerated a demon’s soul, ending their existence permanently. More than half of Verena’s guards were now dead, and the queen decided she’d had enough.

Verena flung out a hand, scowling at the flames threatening to climb into her kingdom. Clang. The gate slammed shut, but unlike the last time, I was on the other side, trapped with Ashor, looking at my family through the iron bars. “You need to go,” I said to them.

Travis shook his head, gripping the gate as if he was going to rip it away. “Not a chance in hell are we leaving you alone.”

Ashor was at my side, watching my back. “I see stubbornness runs in the family,” he said.

Ignoring the prince, I focused on my brother, offering him an encouraging half smile. “I’ll find my way home. I always do.”

The queen sauntered through the clearing with sexy grace, the train of her dress dragging over the ground behind her. Verena approached the fence, running a nail along the iron rods. She tsked as her catlike eyes slithered to Angel. “You and I will meet again, mortal queen. And when we do, you better hope that you are standing on the right side of the fence. Demons aren’t forgiving creatures, especially for one that was made…” Her gaze moved to Angel’s belly. “And with child.”

Chase did not like that. Not. At. All.

The muscle along his jawline pulsed, silver eyes bursting with gold flecks. His desire to rip through the barrier and slit Verena’s throat was oozing off him in violent ripples that were almost visible to the eye. “My wife is no concern of yours.”

Verena raised a slim reddish brow. “Isn’t she?”

Chase ignored the queen and faced me. “You’d better come home.”

I nodded, passing him a silent promise.

Then my cousin tucked Angel against him, guiding her away from the gate and into Hell’s Mist. Emma grabbed Travis’s hand, tugging him away. My brother didn’t go willingly, but when Emma spoke his name, he relented, following her into the mist. He glanced over his shoulder to catch my eye. “I’ll be waiting” was all he said before the fog ate him up, taking away my last thread to home.

My hand tightened in Ashor’s. I didn’t know when he’d laced our fingers together, but I was grateful for his support. I returned my gaze to the queen, worried about what was to come next. Flogging. Imprisonment. Some other horrible punishment for our attack on her court.

But the queen surprised me. “Perhaps it is time we move this conversation somewhere more private,” she suggested to Ashor.

When he didn’t object, the Queen of Envy nodded to her hovering little guards, who had remained at her side during the fight. They circled around behind Ashor and me as the queen strolled toward an opening in the trees, not waiting to see if we would follow. Ashor kept his hand secured with mine, leading me after the queen. I ducked under a tree branch and entered into the woods of Gardeness, peering into the great unknown.

As we walked, I took in our surroundings to keep my mind off my family. Adrenaline still pumped through my veins from the fight, keeping me on edge, not trusting anything.

This place, regardless of its breathtaking beauty, was as dangerous as the demons who dwelled within it. Vines draped over low-hanging branches and slithered along the bark like serpents among the trees as we walked by. Everything in the woods was alive and deadly. If given the word, I had no doubt that the vines would rope around our necks and strangle us. I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched by little eyes hidden among the shrubs and in the hollows of the tree trunks.

Verena’s sage-colored gown trailed behind her over the ground, the gold stitching catching bits of sunlight as it streamed through the canopy of leaves. The queen noticed my wandering gaze and mixed expression of fascination and wariness. “This would have been your home, had your brother and you been raised in my court as you were meant to be,” she informed high-handedly.

“I like where I grew up very much,” I snapped.

Her lips twisted. “Did you?” Her retort implied she knew very well what my life growing up in Spring Valley had been like, all the trials, hardships, and pain; but what she didn’t see was all the love, happiness, and unity I could have never gotten in her court.

“It had its ups and downs,” I admitted. “But they all stem from this place, so in retrospect, the underworld is the root of all my problems.”

Wine-colored eyes twinkled as the queen regarded me, but I wasn’t foolish enough to mistake the sharp cunning behind the humor. “I can see why the fates choose you as his mate. Although, there were many of us here who thought the prince would never fulfill his duty. So when can we expect little demons? The mortal queen already seems to be fulfilling hers. She should be careful. If word got out… well, let’s just say not all of Hell’s monarchy would be pleased.”

Angel was on the slender side for being five months pregnant, and unless she wore a formfitting outfit, it was still difficult to tell. She had a little bump, yet it was easily hidden with a loose shirt or jacket like she’d worn today. So how did Verena know about Angel’s little bundle of joy?

“If you harm her, I’ll kill you.” I was becoming quite good at threatening queens. One of these days, I was going to follow through with the threats and actually take one of their heads. Preferably Kali’s, but if Verena meant Angel harm, she could easily get herself to the top of my kill list.

“Who said anything about harming the mortal queen?”

Cresting a hill, we stood on the peak overlooking a city nestled into a valley that spread for miles. From all angles, Gardeness was surrounded by lush trees and vibrant foliage. Trailing down the center of the city was the River Styx, glimmering aqua under the sun. The five rivers were said to all converge at the center of Hell.

All of the buildings were crafted of white stone and situated on different levels of the earth, reminding me of Mykonos, Greece. Even the streets were gleaming white, gray stones embedded into the pathways. Such stunning beauty should not be present in Hell. It seemed unfair, but this was the Court of Envy, and its name said it all.

“Whatever you do, stay out of the water. It’s poisonous,” Ashor whispered near my ear, his breath a welcome chill over my warm skin.

Of course something so beautiful would be lethal. This was the underworld.

My stomach twisted as we approached the castle, passing through the heart of the city. The castle itself was nestled on the far south side, higher up the valley so the queen overlooked her faithful subjects. Dozens of pristine white steps steered us to the arched front doors. Columns flanked either side in rows down the long corridor that looked to wrap around the entire perimeter of the castle.

Ashor nodded to two demons on either side of the doors. They looked human and bowed their heads in return to the prince, keeping their gazes lowered for a brief moment.

“Welcome to Gardeness,” Verena purred, sweeping open both doors. The balmy air blew, fluttering the white curtains throughout the grand entryway.

Ashor slipped a hand into his pocket. “Your hospitality is appreciated.”

Had he been hit in the head? Why was he acting as if we were her guests instead of the prisoners we were? Was he hoping to kill her with kindness? Because I had it on good faith that shit didn’t work down here. But if you thought about it, kindness would make one hell of a weapon against demons.

Verena laughed, a cruel sound. “We have much to discuss, Prince. Why don’t we get comfortable first?” She gestured to a room on her left.

Countless open windows overlooked the city and the river below, carrying traces of sea and salt into the air. In the center of the room was a gurgling fountain of a naked woman spilling a pot of water into the pool. Without Verena saying a word, human servants breezed into the room, laying out trays of food and pitchers of spirits.

“You always do know how to make a guest feel welcome,” Ashor drawled, but I sensed the lie rolling off his tongue. He might look like the epitome of a relaxed demon male, but the prince was poised to strike on a second”s notice.

“I can’t get over how different it is than the Fortress,” I muttered, still taking in the simplicity yet beauty of Verena’s castle. How unfair that a demon should live in such refinement.

The queen made herself comfortable in an oversize chair made of rich and plush fabric. “Gardeness does have a flair the Court of Darkness could never pull off.”

Still alert and distrustful, the prince reached for a decanter of wine situated on top of a glass serving cart and poured a glass, taking a long pull. “You got me here, Verena, so tell me, what it is you want from me?” he boldly asked, refilling his glass before reclining in a seat.

“Is it true your mother is readying for war between the courts?” she inquired, all pleasantries out of the way.

Ashor lifted his glass at her, a twisted smirk on his lips. “Direct, as always. You know that my mother doesn’t consult me in such decisions. If you wanted that information, you should have requested one of her commanders.”

I ran my fingers along the table, too on edge to sit, but Ashor, sensing my restlessness, pulled me down into his lap. “Have a seat, luv,” he murmured into my ear.

A vein at her temple throbbed. “Cut the bullshit, Ashor. We both know your mother has long coveted the position of Supreme.”

He laid a hand over the top of my thigh, coolness seeping through the material of my pants. “Supreme hasn’t been a position in Hell since long before I was born,” he said.

“You are not that old, Prince. Not compared to the years I’ve seen.”

My back relaxed against him, comforted by the lazy strokes his fingers traced on my legs. I craved his touch and wanted to be anywhere but here; ideally somewhere alone with a bed.

He offered me a sip of his drink, which I gladly took. “True, but you have aged gracefully,” he told the queen.

“Perhaps the mortal queen has something to say on the matter? It’s a shame she couldn’t stay.” The queen gave me a pointed look, but I didn’t shy away.

In fact, I stared right back, hanging tightly onto the glass. “Angel doesn’t want anything to do with the Court of Inferno. She doesn’t care about your demon politics.” Angel might hold the title, but she didn’t consider herself a part of the underworld and had renounced her claim to the Court of Inferno. Not formally, of course, because none of us knew if that was possible.

Verena raised a single brow. “Is it not true that the Queen of Darkness just months ago tried to steal her crown?” Her eyes shifted to the top of my head where Ashor’s crown glittered. “I couldn’t help notice that the mortal doesn’t wear the Crown of Inferno,” the queen mused with curiosity and a touch of disfavor.

Careful, luv.

My chin lifted, and I sat straighter in my seat. “No. She doesn’t. It’s a position she never wanted, but something she couldn’t avoid.”

“That must really burn Kali’s ass.” A slow curl of her lips. “Good.”

“I take you aren’t BFFs?” I asked, intrigued by the pleasure that lit her eyes.

A seductive laugh trickled from Verena, making my skin tingle. “You really don’t have any clue about the workings of Hell. It’s almost comical. The Queen of Darkness and I can hardly stand to be in the same world as one another. Given the chance, she would drown my soul in darkness. But it is the same among all the royals, isn’t it, Ashor?”

My mate neither denied nor confirmed Verena’s insight into the courts. He simply took the glass from my fingers and downed the remaining wine.

“It’s no secret. Demons aren’t wired for feelings of the mushy kind. It’s interesting that your mate wears your crown,” she said to Ashor.

“Is it?” he replied, sounding bored.

Verena smiled.

I shot her a shrewd expression. “What do you want with Ashor?”

She regarded me before responding. I was no one to her. I was someone she deemed beneath her, and yet, it was my status to the prince that allowed me to be here. Without him, I would be considered lower than the lowest demon. I probably wouldn’t have been invited into her home, that’s for sure. “To end a war before it begins,” she finally said.

“Hasn’t it already begun?” I countered, not caring two shits what she thought about me. I wasn’t one of her subjects or of this world, so damn their rules.

Verena’s grew dark and turbulent. “Perhaps, but if there is a way to save my court from destruction, then I will do everything in my power to prevent their suffering. I’ll save the torment for the Court of Misery.”

“And how does Ashor’s presence here accomplish that?” I challenged. I respected her conviction to protect her court and position, but that was where my respect ended.

“Verena plans to use me as leverage,” my mate supplied. “But she should know that I am not that important to my mother. She will not give you what you seek.”

The queen laid a hand on the table, nails tapping against the wood. “We shall see. In the meantime, you are free to enjoy the pleasures of Gardeness, but you cannot leave.”

Ashor remained gloriously uninterested. “I know the rules.”

Verena smiled. “Good.”

I fidgeted on Ashor’s lap, ignoring the sudden leap of my pulse. Lexi, sit still, I scolded myself. “Do those same rules apply to me?” I asked the queen as one of Ashor’s hands slid under the side of my shirt.

A ripple of the queen’s power trembled in the air. “You are the daughter of one of mine, so yes, the same rules apply to you. I’ll let Ashor handle the dos and don’ts of court.”

Ashor’s fingers traveled higher up my back, dancing lightly over my skin. I used all my willpower not to lean back into him and sigh, but concentrate on the queen’s words. “So we’re prisoners?” I concluded.

“Your label, not mine. It is really for your own protection,” she insisted, continuing her little delusional skit. “Jesset will show you to your room for the duration of your stay.” Verena snapped her fingers, and a female appeared in the doorway. “I assume you’ll want to share a room,” she said with a scandalized twist of her lips.