Page 146 of The Witch in the Dead of Night

I stiffened.

“That doesn’t mean that it was right.”

I stared into the deep pools of his eyes.

“Forgive me, my love.”

Love. The word came so easily to him, but there was no love here. Perhaps there never had been. Only lust, and an overwhelming desire for control.

I had been foolish to believe that the King of Valen had any room for anything in his heart other than his own kingdom. That he wanted me for me, not as a tool to use for his own gain. Of everything he’d done to me since I returned to Valnar, that hurt most of all. My chest ached as I mourned what I’d thought we had.

Vesper and Enhart had warned me time and again of the perils of court. It wasn’t just the King and his council. The palace was saturated with conniving courtiers, their plots and schemes masked by opulence. Now, I finally understood. If I ever wanted to be free, I would have to play by their rules.

And so, my next words came easily. “I forgive you.”

When he kissed me, I fought the urge to recoil. His lips were surprisingly gentle. As if he thought I might shatter. He slipped his fingers around to tangle in my hair, his tongue gliding across my bottom lip. But I felt nothing. The fire between us was stamped out, the illusion he had created crumbled into ash.

After we parted, he held me to him for what felt like hours, his arms wrapped tight around me.

“I’m frightened,” I whispered into his shirt. It wasn’t a lie, although it pained me to admit it.

“I’m not.”

I pulled away from him to see that he was grinning. My brow creased. He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, my skin pebbling in the tread of his fingers. “I’m not frightened,” he continued. “Because you’ll be with Enhart.”

I balked. “What do you mean?”

“When my advisers proposed this plan to me, I agreed to it only on the condition that you remain in Prince Enhart’s care.”

“Gods above,” I murmured. “He can’t be happy about that.”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

The sound of his laughter brought heat rushing into my cheeks.

He nodded. “I know everything that happened that night wasn’t real, wasn’t you, and I don’t hold it against you. Besides, far more scandalous things have transpired in the court of Valnar than a king’s consort kissing his brother.”

I untangled myself from him, avoiding his gaze. For now, it was better if he believed that.

“No matter what’s happened, Prince Enhart will do for you what I cannot from the confines of this place. He is the only person I trust to keep you safe,” he insisted, pulling me back to him.

“And I will see you again,” he whispered, sending a chill down my spine. “I swear it.”

The king’s advisers, in their benevolence, had allowed me an hour to prepare to leave Valnar. I stood before the open wardrobe in my quarters, empty save for the simple, cream-colored dress and a few specks of lint. Sighing resignedly, I pulled the dress over my head. I grimaced at the circlet hanging from my wrist as I tied the laces of the bodice.

The aftermath of Geraint’s onslaught showed itself in the purple shadows sitting above my cheekbones and the tangled rivulets of red around my irises. I raked a comb through my hair, my thoughts occupied with fears about the journey ahead. At least I’d finally be rid of this cage, I thought, even though it meant being cast out to some distant corner of the kingdom.

Two guests awaited me in the drawing chamber. The human and vampiress made an odd pair, I thought. Niamh, her hands curled neatly in her lap, and Vesper, who was draped over the settee like a sliver of starlight. I was grateful to Mordric for sending them. It could be ages before I saw them again.

“Finn!” exclaimed Niamh, jumping to her feet. “You look well.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Hardly.”

“Well, that dress is beautiful on you,” she continued, undeterred.

“I’m delighted to see you again,” Vesper said, rising to clasp my hand. “Although I had hoped that we would be reunited under more fortuitous circumstances. And perhaps not in such an odd locale.” She glanced pointedly at the doors. The iron bars stood open, as I was no longer a threat, though a handful of soldiers lingered with swords in hand.

I sighed, dropping into the armchair opposite her. “So had I. Thank you both for coming.”