Page 29 of Broken Hearted
She handed them off to me without a second glance. “See that this and the rest in the closet make it down the laundry chute.” She jerked her head to a giant rectangular trapdoor on the wall a little way down the hall, and a wild idea came to me.
Dropping the linens the moment she turned the corner, I rushed over to the trapdoor, opening it and peering down. A smile lifted the corners of my mouth because when I looked down, I could see that there was a large pile of linens and towels only about ten feet below us. Thank the stars we were only one floor up from the laundry room because that made the fall somewhat safe.
I ran back to the closet and maneuvered Adrien’s body until I could grab him under the armpits. Once I had a good grip, I dragged him across the hall to the trapdoor.
I huffed and puffed, and somehow wrangled part of him into the chute, feet first because that felt safer even though he was landing in a pile of sheets and towels. The man was heavier than a load of bricks, so I had to use some of my magic to help prop him up on a sheet of ice. When he was mostly in, he pitched downward and then dropped into the center of the pile. His body flopped and then rolled to the side.
I winced, hoping he was okay.
It was a small miracle I managed the task, let alone got away with it without anyone seeing us. My heart was racing the entire time, terrified that Elisana or even one of the castle staff would come around the corner any minute and see me struggling to stuff him in the chute.
I didn’t waste time climbing in after Adrien. I leaped into the chute, and although I landed upright, my knees buckled on impact and I tipped over, falling onto Adrien’s hard body. My face planted right in his chest.
Mmmm.He smells good, I thought and glanced up at his handsome face.
His full lips caught my attention and my head went a little fuzzy. Without even intending to, I reached up and ran a finger over his bottom lip. A delicious shiver ran through me at the contact. It was so soft.
Elisana’s shrill voice sounded above me. “What do you mean, you don’t know where he is?” she screeched, shocking me back to my senses.
We had to get as far away from this place as possible. And fast.
I jumped to my feet and scanned the room. It was filled with large water basins for washing and was blessedly empty.
I was searching for something, anything, that could help me sneak a muscular six-foot fae out of the castle undetected when my gaze landed on a laundry cart.
Yes, that would work.
Grabbing the cart, I rolled it over to Adrien. I was half worried, half thankful that he remained unconscious while I fought to hoist his considerable form up and into it. Sweat ran down my face and back when I finally got him in and then I covered him with a sheet, taking care not to smother him. Sucking in a deep breath, I schooled my features and pushed the cart with Adrien hidden in it, out of the room.
Most of the activity for the wedding seemed to be going on above us, and so I managed to get us outside the castle without much notice. Fae were nearly frantic as they raced to complete the set up, so anyone who passed us didn’t bother to question why there was a girl pushing a laundry cart down the halls or out of the castle.
I had no idea how long Adrien would remain unconscious, but I knew that I had to get him as far away from that witch as possible.And that meant I needed to find a horse or a carriage quickly. The more distance between Elisana and Adrien, the better.
Panic nipped at my heels, but I shoved it down through willpower alone.
I was Princess Isolde of the Winter Court. I could do this. I could steal a prince and convince him to help me.
I rounded a corner of the castle and spotted my escape in the form of a covered wagon. Wine sellers were just rolling their last barrel off the ramp attached to the wooden bed when someone came running from the other direction, yelling at them to hurry. They rushed off to deliver their goods, leaving the ramp attached to the back of the bed unattended.
Ignoring the guilt that wanted to rise up in me for what I was about to do to the poor wine sellers, I ran toward the covered wagon, building up as much speed as possible. I would need the momentum to get the laundry cart with Adrien up the steep ramp and into the bed of the wagon. I used all my physical strength, and managed to push it into the wagon with a grunt.
With Adrien still stowed in the laundry cart, but now hidden under the wagon’s covering, I sprinted to the front of the wagon and jumped into the seat.
Grabbing the reins, I flicked them, and the two horses tethered to the wagon started forward. I wanted to sigh in relief, but we weren’t safe yet.
It was slow going as we left the castle grounds, dodging both wedding attendees and merchants. At any moment I expected to either hear the outraged shouts of the poor fae whom I’d stolen the wagon from, or the shrill screams of Adrien’s fiancée.
My heartbeat didn’t calm its furious cadence until I’d cleared the wedding congestion and was on the outskirts of Soleum. Only then did I let myself dwell on the truth.
I’d just kidnapped a lord of Ethereum, and I had no idea what to do with him.
Chapter Ten
Itraveled two hours outside of Soleum before stopping at an inn in a small village. When we’d arrived, I’d told the innkeeper Adrien was my husband and that he’d drunk too much, and so I needed help getting him inside. The innkeeper had given me a look that said he absolutely didn’t believe me when I led him to the bed of the wagon where Adrien was sprawled out. And I hadn’t blamed him.
Worried that someone would recognize their lord, I’d stopped on the side of the road before then and smeared mud on his face to conceal his features. I’d taken Adrien’s fancy jacket off earlier, and dirtied his pants and clothes as well. There was no way the innkeeper had believed my story, but when I’d offered him extra coin, he’d only shrugged before hefting Adrien on his shoulder and carrying him up to our room for me.
Now I chewed on my bottom lip as I stared at Adrien’s prone form, worried I’d hit him too hard because it’d been hours since I smuggled him out of Soleum, and he was still unconscious. Maybe it was something in the concoction that Elisana had been forcing down his throat for so long that slowed his natural healing or madeit hard for him to wake? I didn’t know. If his chest hadn’t been steadily rising and falling I’d have thought he was dead.
