Page 43 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

Wilde didn’t give me a specific phrase to activate the spell, so I altered the one I used to call the old man. “I call on thee, Apprentice Wilde, as your … accomplice?”

The mirror only reflected my own face back at me, marred by the words.

“Fuck, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, Wilde. Just answer the damn summons.”

The message disappeared, replaced by a hooded face. “You could call me ‘master’, pledge yourself to me.”

By now, I was used to his ridiculous commands and had a comeback already prepared. “Hold your breath.”

The hood’s shadow couldn’t quite hide his confused frown. “The phrase is ‘don’t hold your breath.’”

“No, I want you to suffocate on your own arrogance.”

“Treasure,” he said, half-exasperated, half-warning.

“Wilde,” I mocked. The frown deepened, and a little thrill hummed in my chest at his annoyance. “Why did you ask me to call you?”

“To see if you would follow directions for once. And here you are.”

Heat flushed my cheeks at his subtle approval. In an instant, he’d snatched the small victory right out of my hands. I clenched my free hand at my side, out of sight of the mirror. “Do you know how hard it is to find some privacy when I’m traveling with four other people? Don’t order me around as some test.”

“I wouldn’t need to if you behaved properly.”

“I’m behaving just fine.”

“You’re being a brat.”

“Better than an asshole!”

Someone knocked on the door. “Are you alright, Trey?” Maximus asked.

“Yes! Uh, just a minute …” Lowering my voice, I hissed at Wilde, “Don’t test me again, or I won’t respond to your messages anymore. Then what will you do when youactuallyneed to talk to me?”

“I’ll find you.”

And what will you do to me when you find me?I batted the inappropriate thought away. “That’s another thing. Stop with all the subtle dominating jibes. I can’t tell if this is your weird ass way of flirting, or if you’rethatmuch of an egomaniac.”

“I’ll be more explicit in the future.”

“What?” I frowned at the mirror, only to see my own reflection staring back at me.What kind of bastard ends a conversation that way?

I shoved the compact back into my pocket, took care of business as fast as possible, and flung the door open.

Both Fitz and Maximus were on the other side, whispering to each other. When they saw me, they stopped.

“Oh good,” Fitz said with clear relief, “Maximus said you might have a stomachache and suggested we delay travel.”

“Nope, all good.”

“Then move out of the way. There’s only one toilet and I need it too.”

Once everyone finished with business, we climbed back into the carriage for the last semi-comfortable leg of the journey.

As we drove closer to the boundary, tensions in the carriage rose. I’d managed to claim an outside seat for once, only for Delilah to climb over me to press her face against the window.

Fitz was trying to read one of the books he brought with him, but he kept sneaking peeks out the window, too distracted to focus on the text.

Angelica shifted forward, then back, then forward again, as if she wanted to watch us cross the boundary but didn’t want everyone toknowshe wanted to watch it.