A Court This Cruel & Lovely (Kingdom of Lies, #1) (84)

He cast me an affronted look over his shoulder. “You believe I would lie?”

I waved a hand, taking in his princely wardrobe. His eyes lit with amusement, and he turned, placing his hands on his hips.

“I vow it,” he said solemnly. “I will have the medicine for you by midnight tomorrow.”

We stared at each other. Footsteps sounded on the stone. “I suggest you use your power,” Lorian said.

I hoped he was right about how much I had left. I pulled the thread to me, my skin heating as I froze everyone except us.

“Good,” he murmured. “Now, move.”

We ran. Well, Lorian sprinted, dragging me along with him. Within minutes, we were standing outside the king’s chambers, the guards frozen in front of us. I attempted to swallow, but my throat wasn’t working properly. My breath was coming too fast, and I couldn’t seem to slow it.

“What if the king is in there?”

“He’s not. I made sure of it. But I suggest you take a firm grasp on your power.”

I glowered at him, but he was already pushing the door open and hauling me inside with him.

Thankfully, no one was inside the huge entry area. The room had been decorated in maroon and gold. The king was nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the room was a blur, my eyes darting too quickly for me to take in the details.

“Which way?” I whispered.

“In the next room.”

I followed him into a lavish sitting room, also dripping gold. “Hold tight to your power,” he said.

“I am.” Tight enough that my head was beginning to ache.

Lorian was searching the walls for the entrance to the chamber, running his hand along each smooth surface, his eyes intent. I scanned the room for anything out of place.

One wall contained shelves that held ancient-looking weapons, scrolls, even a jeweled crown, which looked to have been tossed absently onto a shelf.

Just a few of those jewels could feed my village for months.

I took a step closer, peering at it.

“You help me find what I’m looking for, and I’ll give you jewels of your very own,” Lorian said, starting on the next wall.

I surveyed the shelves. They weren’t completely flush against the wall. One side jutted out slightly, drawing my attention.

I squinted into the gap.

“Those jewels better be big,” I muttered. “Because I’ve found it.”

Lorian’s hard body was caging mine before I finished my sentence. I went still, but he merely shifted me aside, then leaned against the shelves. Blood dripped from my nose, and I wiped at it. Panic returned with a vengeance. If my power slipped in front of a guard, we were both dead.

“I’m almost out.”

He sent me an unconcerned look. “No, you’re not. Work harder.”

He was facing the wall. I could pick up that decorative knife and stab him straight in the back.

“An attack from behind isn’t your style, wildcat,” Lorian murmured, still pushing the shelves aside.

“You know nothing about me.”

He just snorted at that, stepping back to survey the door. With a glance at me, he tore the bottom of his shirt, handing the material to me. “Let’s go.”

“If someone walks into this room, they’ll know we’re in here.” I could picture it. The guards drawing their weapons and either killing us immediately or hauling us down to the dungeon. They’d torture us down there. They’d need to know just how we’d gotten this close to the king. Iron would be shoved into my body, and they’d likely execute me the next day—just like Wila.

“Then you better ensure no one walks in here.”

Bastard. Smug, glib bastard.

He was already grabbing my hand and pulling me after him. “I can wait here,” I insisted, pressing his shirt to my nose to stanch the bleeding. Now I was breathing in his wild scent. For some inexplicable reason, my heart rate slowed and I could take a full breath. I scowled.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

Grinding my teeth, I stepped into the space. The stone was clean and dry, although the air smelled stale.

It wasn’t a room. Lorian was walking down a set of stairs. The walls were so narrow, if I held out my arms, I couldn’t straighten them. My breath came faster. The walls seemed to press in on me, the roof inches from my head. My power slipped, and I caught it once more, a metallic taste flooding my mouth.

“I’m not doing this.”

“Oh yes, you are.”

“I, uh, don’t do well in small spaces.”

“It will be over soon.”

“Did no one ever teach you empathy?”

He chuckled. “Empathy is useless in this world. Besides, my empathy won’t make you strong.”

Was that why he was like this with me? Because he wanted to make me strong?

My heart was already galloping in my chest. I stumbled on a step, hitting Lorian in the back, and he sent me an exasperated look over his shoulder.

“Almost there.”

He was right. The stairs expanded, and so did my lungs as I could finally take a full breath. We were in a tunnel. Torches were positioned every few foot-spans, and while it was still far too narrow, I focused on holding time. This was much longer than I’d ever attempted to hold it, and blood dripped freely from my nose. The scrap of Lorian’s shirt was soaked.