Page 43 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“ Y ou’re angry with me,” Daegel says the moment I step foot into his home library.
Fuck yeah, I’m angry with you. So many things are on the line. With the upcoming mission that will determine my future, there’s so much tension weighing on me that I can barely hold it all together.
And Daegel pretends as if everything is fucking golden. As if Kata fucking Nightingale hasn’t been tormenting me for months now, swinging like a bladed pendulum inches away from my neck.
He says he’s handling it.
Yet I don’t see him handling anything. And the worst part? He’s keeping things from me. I’m too fucking tired for this shit.
“No, I’m not,” I say, voice level. “What makes you say that?”
Our gazes lock.
He arches an eyebrow.
I say nothing.
He says nothing, too.
After a couple of long heartbeats, he clicks his tongue and says, “We’ll train outside. My back gardens will be our drill field for the evening.”
With a curt nod, I follow him out.
The cool night air wraps me in its soothing embrace, the salty breeze caresses my cheeks. I inhale my lungs full and try to ignore the ache forming inside my chest now that the anger has receded.
“You sure you don’t want to talk about whatever is weighing on your shoulders?”
His voice is soft against my ear, warm breath tickling my neck. I press my lips into a thin line, step forwards, and whirl on my heel. With my chin high, I tell him, “Let’s not waste precious time. Tell me what we’re doing today.”
There’s a light frown between his eyebrows, but Daegel doesn’t push any further. He gestures at the gardens behind me.
“I’ve put up targets all over. There are ten in total, scattered. I want you to practice your skill with a bow at the same time as your combat skills. You need to be able to focus and strike true, while also managing to fight if you’re attacked at your station.”
“Sounds good.”
I remove the bow from its place across my back and test the string. For weeks now, my bow has been calm. It feels…right, when it rests in my palm. As if the bow is part of me.
Yet I’m still hesitant to celebrate my victory. I haven’t figured out its name. Until then, I need to be cautious.
Daegel draws a dagger and tosses it in the air before catching it. The blade glints in the moonlight, and then it’s flying at me.
Arching my back, I lean backwards. The knife whizzes inches away from my face, then lands in one of the plum trees a few feet away.
I arch an eyebrow at Daegel.
“Nice reflexes,” he says.
With a scoff, I charge forwards and away from him.
It’s dark, and there are no sources of light except for the moon hanging above our heads and the lanterns scattered all over the gardens.
Ten targets. As I run, I keep an eye over my shoulder to make sure I know where Daegel is at all ti?—
He’s already gone. Gods damn it.
I whip my head forwards and run into something hard. Hands grip my arms to keep me steady. Without even looking up at Daegel, I twist my arms and push him off me.
“You’re distracted,” he says. “Focus on finding the targets.”
“That’s what I’m doing!”
I whirl around and take a pathway on the right. A few feet away, a muted flash of red catches the corner of my eye. A round target hangs from one of the branches of the plum tree.
Without pausing, I lift my bow and aim an arrow at the target. Don’t betray me now.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Let go.
The arrow lands true. One target down. Nine more to go.
Crunching gravel reaches my ears. I risk a glance over my shoulder, expecting to find Daegel catching up with me.
But it’s a different Ezkai springing after me.
Who the fuck is that?
My heart dips, and I pick up my pace, dashing into a pathway on the left. The Ezkai follows suit.
I focus on keeping my breathing steady as I turn forwards and scout the area for more targets. There’s another ahead of me, propped against one of the low bushes lining the pathway.
I lift my bow and aim.
When the arrow lands true, my chest heaves. Fuck yeah.
The stranger is still following me, steadily closing the distance between us. I don’t think I can outrun a fae Decarios. No way.
Ahead of me, the path breaks into four different directions. I may not outrun him, but I can try to lose him…
Before I can finish the plan in my mind, another Ezkai steps in my way. I don’t know this fae either.
I’m stuck between two strangers slowly closing in on me two both sides.
Fuck the pathways.
Twisting sideways, I hop over the row of low bushes and dart through the grass, passing plum trees. I spot another target hanging from a branch on my left.
I don’t think as I lift the bow and aim the arrow.
My lungs burn from all the running without a break. My feet ache, and I can feel the muscles tensing. Just one fucking second, that’s all I need. But the two damn Ezkai are behind me, not giving me a moment to fucking breathe.
Where the fuck is Daegel?
I ignore the pain and discomfort, pushing forwards.
Just as I reach the edge of the property and a tall stone fence emerges in front of me, an idea pops into my mind.
I can’t outrun them.
But I can scale the wall and fucking shoot them.
Once I reach the fence, I glance around for any sort of leverage. Of course, there’s none. Not unless I want to climb a tree and jump from it onto the fence.
Not a bad idea.
I run to the tree closest to the wall and quickly climb to the highest branch that can keep my weight without breaking. Plum trees are not very tall, but they are wide. The branches are not very thick, but rather abundant.
I get very intimate with all the different small branches as they scrape my face and neck while I prepare for the jump. With an exhale, I charge and throw myself off the tree into the fence.
I hit the wall flat, my ribs rattling from the impact.
There’s no air in my lungs, and for a moment, I can’t breathe in. But my fingers have a grip on the edge, and with trembling arms, I pull myself up.
The two Ezkai arrive at the fence right as I manage to scramble onto my knees.
Is this part of the training, or should I be fucking worried about someone sending mercenaries after me?
No. These are Ezkai. They must be Daegel’s personal guards.
I roll my shoulders and lift my bow, aiming at the first Ezkai. They both stare at me with curious eyes.
As if they don’t believe I would actually shoot them.
“Assholes,” I murmur and let go of the arrow.
It lands right in the middle of Ezkai’s thigh.
He hisses from pain, grabbing his thigh. The second Ezkai doesn’t react quickly enough.
I send an arrow straight to his shoulder.
He backs away a few steps, eyes wide.
“Enough, Phoenix. My men are not the enemy.” Daegel’s voice reaches my ears.
A moment later, he steps out from the shadow of the trees. He looks up at where I’m perched, eyes sparkling.
“That was beautiful, though,” he says with a smirk.
Panting, I flip him off.
He gestures for the men to go. The two Ezkai limp away from us. Once they’re out of earshot, Daegel cocks his head to the side with a sigh. “Come on, princess. If I don’t know what’s wrong, I can’t make it right.”
I huff and secure my bow on my back. Thank you , I whisper to it in my mind, then jump off the wall.
Our gazes lock. Slowly, I approach him. Daegel remains calm. He’s always so fucking calm, and collected, and confident, and self-assured, as if he has everything under his fucking control.
Usually, I find it hot.
Tonight, though, it makes me furious.
“What are we doing about the Kata situation? She enjoys having a secret this big on me, but I can tell she’s reaching her limit. Besides, there are rumors circulating about us . I bet she’s the one behind them. I can’t fucking do this any longer.”
“You’re doing nothing but focusing on the approaching mission and your graduation day. I’m handling the problem.”
He just keeps adding fuel to the fire.
I shake my head. “No. This doesn’t work for me.” I stab a finger in the middle of his chest. “You said you want us . Well, if we’re together, Daegel, it means we have to be a team. This, you handling a situation and keeping things away from me, is not how a team plays.”
“Phoenix, I’ll explain everything when the time is right,” he says, as he has before. “Nightingales are part of an old, influential Ezkai family. I need to be very careful about how I handle this.”
“Fine, be careful. I’m not suggesting you be reckless. But tell me, how are you going to solve this issue? Are you going to speak with her family to get her to back off and mind her own business? Do you have friends in high places who will ensure she keeps her mouth shut?”
He presses his lips into a thin line.
I wait.
No words come out of his mouth.
My shoulders slump. “I see.”
Shaking my head, I turn my back to him and walk away.
“All I ask of you is that you trust me,” he says, pleading. “I won’t let anything happen to you, and I will not let Nightingale ruin your future. I’m doing all this for us.”
Whirling on my heel, I raise my voice. “What is it exactly that you’re doing for us?!”
He’s silent once again.
A sarcastic laugh bubbles out of my chest. “It’s like I’m speaking to a wall.”
He closes the distance between us in a few steps. I want to push him away, but the moment his hands are on me and he presses his hard body against mine, the anger fizzles out.
I’m desperately trying to hold onto it. This ends tonight. He either starts telling me the truth, or?—
Or I’m walking away from this. Us.
Daegel cups my cheek. “I’m crazy about you, Phoenix. And I’ll do anything to make sure you’re safe, and thriving, and mine .”
From the way he looks at me, I can feel in my gut he means every word.
“You ask me to trust you, but you don’t trust me enough to be honest.” My words are a whisper.
Daegel presses his lips to my forehead. The backs of my eyes burn, so I close them.
“It’s not as simple as that, princess. Many things in my life are more complicated than I’d like, and I’ll need time to explain them to you the right way. Just give me that time.”
Saying the next words hurts me more than I want to admit. “I can’t be yours until you do.”
My future is not the only thing on the line here.
My heart is, too.
Daegel doesn’t try to stop me as I peel my body away from his and walk away.