Page 57 of Tarnished Crown

“If the prisoner is quite finished.” He looked pointedly at Evander, stopping just shy of issuing an order.

Evander clenched his jaw, gesturing sharply toward the horse with his chin. I clung tighter to Theo’s hand before forcing myself to step away, severing all contact. Suddenly, it felt far colder than the wintry day accounted for.

As I passed him, Arès placed a hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Take care of yourself, Princess.” I took the words for how they were meant: a warning.But, from what, exactly?

Each step was filled with lead as I made my way toward Evander. He took off without a word, just expecting me to follow him like the pet I was. And what choice did I have?

He stopped abruptly at his horse, lifting me on top of it and mounting behind me.

As soon as the other men were on their horses, we took off at a breakneck speed. I couldn’t look back.

I couldn’t watch Davin and Theo fade away.

Not when I didn’t know if I would ever see either of them again.

CHAPTER39

The ride to the cabin was nothing at all like the one here had been. There was no conversation, no joking between the men. Silence fell over us like a thick, oppressive blanket.

Evander sat at my back emanating the most tension of all, at least some of which was clearly still directed at me. Which was fine, since I had plenty of anger to spare for him as well.

I couldn’t quite make sense of what had happened, and I couldn’t very well ask him about this in front of the men. But I damned well planned to get some answers when we stopped.

We finally arrived at the cabin, long enough to collect our things and retrieve the men who had stayed. Evander escorted me in stony silence to my rooms, declining to follow me inside.

So I followed him instead.

He turned irritably just in time for me to shut the door behind me, standing against it. Though he raised his eyebrows, there was nothing playful about the expression in his furious gray eyes.

Suddenly, I wasn’t quite sure how to begin. I looked around his room to stall, long enough to register that it was surprisingly cozy, all warm fabrics and rich brown wood to complement the black-and-white tartan theme.

Then Evander solved the problem of how to begin for me.

“Bold move, shutting yourself in with a wanton murderer of innocent women and children.” He didn’t look at me while he spoke, busying himself with neatly folding his clothes for his pack.

I shook my head slightly, my voice quiet when I responded. “What did you expect me to think?”

There was a stilted pause while he placed the pile in his bag. “Honestly, Princess, there are few things in this world I care less about than what you think.”

“And why would you, when I’m just your pet?” I said bitterly.

“Why, indeed,” he muttered, finally turning to me. “What exactly did you need?”

“I want to know what the hell just happened back there,” I gestured vaguely behind me. “Was that what you meant when you said you had to entertain their negotiations, that you would orchestrate this?”

His fingers went to massage the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t orchestrate any of this. My father--”

I held out my hand to stop him. “For all that you talk about other people manipulating me, that lie rolls off your tongue pretty easily, doesn’t it? We both know your father likely doesn’t even remember I’m here.”

Evander’s eyes widened and his lips parted. I had thought it wasn’t possible for him to look any angrier, but he was proving me very wrong.

“What do you know about my father?” His words dripped with scorn, giving me a moment’s pause.

But not enough to still my tongue. “I know that he didn’t send that letter.”

“You don’t know anything,” he corrected. It was an order, a threat, every bit as much as it was an argument.