“I understand,” was all she replied.
Her silence was killing me. Couldn’t she be angry? Couldn’t she come up with some snarky comment or bash my father for such a dumb idea?
Jade sat up, supporting herself on her elbow as she finally looked me in the eyes. “I want to go home,” she said.
“Okay,” I said carefully. “Once we get to Fearford it should be easy to–”
“No,” she interrupted. “Tonight. I want you to take me home tonight.”
“Tonight?” I repeated. The sun was already down. Leaving Rewyth and crossing into the human lands would take weeks of planning, maybe more. Especially without my father knowing. “That’s impossible, Jade. We can’t just leave.”
She stared at me, not even blinking. Not a flicker of emotion crossed her features. Had her cheekbones gotten sharper since she had been here? “Tonight,” she demanded. “Or I won’t go to Fearford with you.”
I didn’t stop myself from laughing that time. “You think you have a choice, princess? Do you think either of us have a choice?”
She dropped herself from her elbows and fell back on the bed. I stayed where I was with my back against the wall.
“I’m not trying to be an ass,” I said as I attempted to quiet my voice.
“Could have fooled me,” she mumbled. Whatever fiery spirit she had keeping her emotions locked in was slowly deteriorating. Melancholy began swimming in her features, leaking into her voice.
Saints. I couldn’t believe I was actually considering this.
“We can attempt it,” I said. “But a single ounce of trouble, and we turn around.”
She sat up, head snapping in my direction. “Really?” She asked. I couldn’t help but smile at the childlike excitement. How long had it been since I felt that?
I tossed my hands up in defeat. “I guess we all have death wishes.”
She crawled off the bed and crossed the room within seconds, throwing her arms around my neck. “Thank you thank you thank you!” she squeaked. “I’ll be very good, I’ll listen to everything you say I promise!”
I lightly wrapped my arms around her, trying not to notice how perfectly her body fit against mine. “You might want to change out of this dress. I’ll run it by Serefin. We have a long journey ahead of us tonight if we want to pull this off.”
She pulled away too soon. “It’ll be worth it,” she said as she walked to the bathroom.
I really hoped she was right.
CHAPTER 20
Jade
My dark hair blended in with my all black clothing.
Good. The more we blended into the dark night around us, the better.
My clothes were casual and clung tight to my body. I strapped my dagger on the outside of my thigh, a perfect position in case I would need it.
I didn’t think about Malachi. I didn’t think about the power that rumbled from him in that room. I didn’t think about how afraid everyone was as they stared at him.
Okay, maybe my mind had wandered in that direction a little bit.
And maybe I was confused because I wasn’t afraid of him. Malachi, the Prince of Shadows and the killer of hundreds, did not scare me.
Malachi and Serefin were whispering to each other when I emerged from the bathroom, but both eyes landed on me as soon as I stepped into sight.
“What?” I asked.
They both responded in unison, “Nothing,” before turning back to their hushed conversation.
“You sure you want to do this?” Serefin asked me. Even in the darkness of the room, I could see the genuine concern in his eyes.
Or perhaps he was concerned for himself. Because we were about to directly disobey the King.
“I have to see Tessa,” I explained. “I’ll be the princess, I’ll move to Fearford, I’ll do anything you want. I just have to tell Tessa I’m okay.”
He gritted his teeth and passed a look of understanding to Malachi, who just shrugged.
“Don’t look at me,” he said. “It was her idea.”
I knew Malachi was sticking his neck out for me, but it couldn’t be that hard to sneak into the human lands.
He had done it before, after all.
I shook the memory of seeing him in the forest before our wedding and I walked toward them. “Okay, so what’s the plan? You have to drug me again so I don’t expose all of the mysterious fae secrets?”
Serefin laughed. “Unfortunately for you, we need you conscious this time. We don’t have a carriage and we won’t be traveling on main roads. The passageways through the wall can be dangerous. We need you on high alert.”