Page 77 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
I flinched instinctively, but the words that escaped my lips were bitter and defensive. “Icouldn’ttell you.”
Clay rolled his eyes, a low snarl escaping him. “You not onlycouldhave told me, youshouldhave. All this time, I knew it—I knew you were keeping something from me.”
A dark chuckle rose in my throat before I could stop it. How dare he. How dareClay, of all people, accuse me of withholding secrets?
“What exactly is funny, Miss Moore?”
“Frankly, you are, Mr. Vail,” I snapped. “As if you have any right to criticize me for keeping things from you.”
He scoffed, his eyes narrowing. “How long are you going to punish me for not telling you about Elaina? I’ve already told you she means nothing to me.”
I stiffened, surprised. “I was actually referencing your secret little plans with Prince Damon,” I shot back, my voice dripping with venom. “But thanks for reminding me it’s actuallytwiceyou’ve left me in the dark.”
“And both were for your best interest!” he countered, his tone rising.
“That’s not for you to decide, Clay! You should have trusted me.”
“Just like you should have trusted me enough to tell me about the Underworld! Damn it, I could have helped you, Thea. You didn’t have to carry this burden alone.”
“It isn’t your burden.”
“That isn’t the point,” he growled. “I have spent every day for months knowing that the person I care about most is hiding something from me. I watched you wither away. Watched you spend days without sleeping. Walked the palace halls looking for you, only to learn you’d been at Hyrax Manor for over a week. You fought an invisible battle by choice. I fought one you forced upon me.”
My mouth snapped shut, the audible click of my teeth echoing in the cell.
Damn him.
He was right.
We sat there in silence, both of us breathing heavily, until the tension in the air grew too thick to ignore. But this tension wasn’t just born of anger. It was something deeper, something far more complicated.
Clay broke the silence first, his voice quieter but no less intense. “Thea, what you’re saying... you’re suggesting that you have the ability to travel across the Veil.”
I stared at him, studying every detail of his face. The way his blonde hair fell messily over his brow, the tight line of his jaw, the flicker of something behind his golden eyes. I memorized it all because I knew this might be the last time I saw him as my friend.
I think we both knew the significance of what I was suggesting.
Clay studied me, his brow pinched as his mind turned with thoughts he wasn’t willing to say aloud.
“I didn’t tell you because I was afraid.” I finally admitted, the words ripping out of me like shrapnel. “Terrified that you’d look at me like some kind of monster. Like I was just another pawn in Hyrax’s game, because yes, I do understand what I’m suggesting.”
His golden eyes softened, but the tension in his jaw didn’t fade. “Thea, I could never—” He stopped himself, shaking his head. “This isn’t just about you, though. You may be the most powerful person in this realm, but if my father finds out about that prophecy, if anyone else finds out—”
“I know the risk,” I whispered. “Do you think I haven’t lived with it every day?”
A tense silence settled between us, heavy and suffocating. Clay’s eyes flicked to the cell door, his head tilting slightly as if he’d heard something.
“Do you hear that?” he murmured.
I strained to listen, but the pounding of my heart drowned out everything else. Then the sound of heavy boots echoed in the hallway, and my breath hitched. Torchlight flickered, and the faces of several Tennebrisian guards appeared beyond the bars.
Ashburn stood at the front, his face downcast, his shoulders tight with tension. He wore the same armor he had donned to welcome us into his country, but now it carried the weight of betrayal.
“The paralyzation should wear off soon,” he said, his tone formal but edged with unease.
Clay’s glare was sharp enough to wither stone. “Do you understand that drugging and imprisoning the Crown Prince of Athenia is an act of war?”
Ashburn flinched, his bravado slipping for just a moment. He bowed his head respectfully, but his voice wavered as he said, “We were attacked, Your Grace. Actions needed to be taken to ensure the kingdom was safe from enemies.”
