Page 37 of Sands of Atonement

“Oh, yeah? How so?” I crossed my arms.

“It depends on how you cooperate, of course,” Ezra said softly. He was playing with me.

My nails dug into my palms. How did this turn around so quickly?

I was foolish in my planning. I had expected one, maybe both of them, to recognize me during the dance and had readied myself for the moment they chased me down. It all went according to plan. If it were not for Ezra’s otherworldly perseverance and eyesight in the dark, I would have been celebrating this moment with Norrah, who wouldn’t have had a clue I had just murdered her Qahl.

I knew there was a chance that things wouldn’t go exactly how I wanted, but I planned for that. I trained for it, but what I hadn’t known was that Ezra’s skills far exceeded my own. Why had I underestimated him? I assumed he would have been the typical prince, like Casimir, enjoying the finer things of the palace, living among his harem with women draped over his arms, with no care in the world?

Casimir shook his head with a smile. “You were always an adventurous girl. I admired that about you.”

I scoffed and shook my head, though my heart was still racing. Always a flirt, Casimir. Always making my heart skip a beat with his words.

“Look where that’s gotten you. Reconsidering some things?” Ezra murmured.

“Oh, fuck off, Ezra,” I warned him, knowing where his head was at.

“My brother is being too kind, adventurous? No. Careless and deviant? Yes. Something a woman should never be.” He shrugged casually. “Only trying to help you find your way.”

Heat filled past my neck and into my cheeks. I trembled underneath his burning gaze, and I wanted nothing more than to strangle him for it.

But not now.

Now was no longer the moment I had the upper hand. It was no longer the moment I had been living for over the past eight years. I had to wait a little bit longer. They weren’t going to kill me, or else they would have already done so.

New plan.

“If you had nothing to do with my family’s deaths, then why are you keeping me here like I’m your prisoner?”

“You tried to kill me, woman.” Ezra’s jaw tightened. “I don’t take that lightly.”

I took a strong stance and placed my fists on my hips.

“If what Casimir says is the truth, then it was clearly a misunderstanding.” Not likely. They had something to do with it. I knew it in my heart. I forced the next words out of my lips, “Let me go.”

“Not a chance, love.” Casimir laughed.

“Am I even allowed to come and go from this room?” My eyes darted around. I could feel the walls of this chamber start to reshape and float closer to me.

Casimir shifted on his feet, already falling for my trap, but it was Ezra who answered, “No. I think it’ll do you good to have some structure and discipline. Too much freedom isn’t wise. It gets into your head. Your father never learned that lesson. He always spoiled you. You’d do well to learn from this.” Ezra turned on his heel and strutted toward the door.

My heart thundered against my throat.

I needed to get out of here.

At the last moment, I sprinted across the room, dodged Casimir’s reach, swerved around Ezra’s⁠—

His arm snaked around my waist and hoisted me into the air. I kicked my legs at him, but a cold, hard blade appeared below my jaw, and I froze.

“You’re like a rabid dog. You don’t know what’s good for you, Eshe,” Ezra spat. He dropped me back to the ground, blade positioned toward me. I looked up at Casimir, but he just shook his head slightly and followed his brother out.

This was so much worse than I had expected. I was prepared to die, but not to be a prisoner.

This was my worst nightmare.

I heard the sliding bar of metal on the other side of that door echo across the chamber.

Then I heard their hushed voices float through the cracks. I tiptoed closer.