Page 69 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
The suffering was reserved for the Undone alone. Caldrius had looked... haunted when he described them. And if a man whose legacy was infamous could look that way, what kind of creatures could inspire such a reaction? The thought clawed at the edges of my mind, refusing to let go.
And then there was how we ended things—his warning about Clay.
Caldrius had been certain Clay wouldn’t accept my relationship with him, whatever that relationship even was. But there was also the insinuation that had lingered under his words. He wasn’t just warning me that Clay wouldn’t accept my friendship with him; he was warning me that Clay wouldn’t be able to acceptme.
But that didn’t make any sense.
Clay already knew my powers were far greater than anyone else realized. He knew I’d survived the power-stripping ritual unscathed. He knew I could kill an entire room with a thought. He knew and accepted all those things without hesitation, without fear.
Clay knew I wasn’t a monster.
I trusted him completely.
A sound jolted me from my thoughts. Footsteps. Slow, measured, deliberate. Purposefully quiet. My hand flew to the dagger stashed under my pillow, and I pulled magic to my fingertips instinctively. Whoever was in the hall didn’t want to be overheard.
Which wasn’t a good sign.
My pulse quickened as I rose silently from my bed, gripping the dagger tightly. Anxiety coiled through me, tightening my muscles and sending my heart racing, but I moved anyway, tiptoeing to the door.
The steps stopped just outside. A latch clicked softly, followed by the faint creak of a door swinging open.
“You’re late,” I heard Clay whisper.
Chapter Nineteen
Without daring to breathe, I pressed my palm against the door handle, twisting it slowly and pulling it open just enough to peer into the hallway.
I had only a second to glimpse the stranger before he slipped past Clay and into my prince’s suite. Clay looked down both ends of the corridor to check if his guest was followed, and then he shut the door behind them with a hollow click.
But that second that I had watched them had been enough. Enough to notice the finely tailored clothes, so distinct from Athenian styles. Enough to recognize the tall stature, tanned skin, and dark hair of the Imperial Prince of Tenebris.
What was Prince Damon doing sneaking into Clay’s room in the middle of the night?
Was this the mysterious business that had led Clay to join me on this trip?
My heart thundered as I crept into the hallway, each step deliberate and soundless. The floor beneath me seemed louder than ever, creaking faintly as I moved. I reached Clay’s door, breath catching in my throat, and pressed my ear against the wood.
“Have you any updates on what I proposed?” Clay’s voice was low but insistent.
“What you proposed is impossible,” Damon replied, his voice taut with restrained frustration. “My father will never go against his current alliance with the Athenian Dragon.”
“Your father is currently opening his borders to Promissa. That seems like going against Athenia to me.”
A heavy pause followed.
“They could arrest me for treason for even having this conversation.”
“Which is why I ensured my rooms were far from prying ears,” Clay countered, his tone sharp despite the hush.
In the guest hall. Seperate from the Royal Wing.
He hadn’t stayed here to be close to me, he’d stayed here to have this meeting in private.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. In his effort to avoid spies, he had unwittingly placed himself right next to me—the very person whowasspying on him.
"Yes, well this conversation is unavoidable. We’re no longer boys, Damon.”
Damon sighed, and for a moment, silence filled the space between them.
