Page 92 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
Oh.
Clay’s gaze snapped to mine, and for a moment, we just stared at each other. I expected him to argue, to push back, but he gestured toward the door with a sharp tilt of his head, silently ordering me to lead the way. He lingered for just a moment longer, watching me, before following me out into the dim halls.
The air outside the room was cooler, but it did little to soothe the tension coiling in my chest. I led him through the twisting corridors of Hyrax Manor, the familiar stone walls pressing in on all sides. Thefaint light of dawn seeped through arched windows, casting the halls in a muted glow. The shadows seemed longer here, heavier.
I led him to the room I’d claimed as my own during the nights I’d spent here, away from the castle. Shadows cloaked the space, even in the early morning light. Tall, arched windows lined one wall, casting twisted patterns onto the stone floor as thin beams of light slipped through the ironwork. Heavy velvet drapes in deep crimson and navy hung beside them, thick enough to keep most of the daylight out, leaving the room in a cool, muted glow.
At the center of the room stood a four-poster bed, its dark wood carved with twisting vines and mythical creatures. Layers of heavy fabrics draped from the canopy over plush pillows and blankets, left in a careless mess from sleepless nights.
I barely had time to close the door before Clay’s voice cut through the silence like a blade.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
So, we were jumping straight to the argument. No pleasantries, no easing into it.
I sank onto the edge of the bed, curling my legs beneath me as I forced myself to meet his gaze. “I know I should have talked to you first—”
“Talked to me?” His voice was sharp, slicing through the space between us as he spun away, running a hand through his already messy hair. He paced to the far side of the room, his movements agitated, restless. “Thea, you think your only mistake was not mentioning this reckless little plan to me?”
Frustration bubbled up, and I gritted my teeth. Magic crackled at my fingertips, slipping free and knocking over a candlestick on the nearby desk. The clang echoed sharply, cutting through the charged silence. Clay’s jaw tightened, his eyes darting to the fallen candlestick before locking back on me.
“I was doing what I thought was right,” I said, my voice low but steady. “Camilla might be the only one who understands what’s happening to the Veil—what’s happening to me.”
“Right.” He let out a harsh laugh, turning to face me, his expression twisted with anger. “And the Gods know you want an explanation for that more than you care about anything else. So you thought it was a brilliant idea to sneak behind my back, into the dungeons, and free a prisoner—a woman who has tried to kill you multiple times.”
“I’m aware of what she’s done.”
“She’s the reason Lorelai is dead!” His voice rose, raw with anger, and the words hit me like a blow.
“I know that!” I snapped, the words harsher than I intended. Of course I knew that.
He scoffed, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Do you ever stop to think what your actions mean—not just for you, but for the rest of us who actually have to deal with the consequences?”
“Look,” I said, forcing my tone to soften as I stood. “Once she tells us what we need to know, we’ll put her back in her cell.”
“Put her back in her cell,” he repeated, his tone dripping with disbelief. “You really think it’s that simple?”
I threw up my hands, exasperated. “Well, it was easy enough to get her out—”
“That’s not the point!” He walked to me until he was towering over me, his heat pressing in like a physical force. “You think you can just do whatever you want, like the rules don’t apply to you. You’ve always thought that and you’vealwaysfailed to see the world around you! She’s been missing for hours, Thea. I guarantee someone has already noticed her absence so it’s only a matter of time before they realize you were the last person to see her.”
“And what would you have had me do, Clay?” I demanded. “Let her die?”
“Not lie to me!” he roared, his voice cracking under the weight of his fury. “You looked me in the eye and told me you were going to bed.”
“I couldn’t just let her die,” I argued, my voice quieter now, trembling.
“And is her life worth yours?” he shot back, his tone raw. He took a deep breath, jaw working as the veins in his neck momentarily darkened. “Do you have any idea what my father will do when he finds out? He’ll kill you, Thea. He’ll kill you, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him this time.”
The words cut deeper than I expected, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I needed space, needed air between us.
“He can try,” I snarled, turning my back to him as I walked towards the window and stared out.
There would be consequences for this. I knew that. I couldn’t deny it even if I wanted to. After all this time, though, after everything I’d been through and done, the Dragon didn’t scare me anymore. He shouldn’t scare Clay, either.
We could fight him. Together.
Clay’s voice dropped to a low growl. “You’ll start a war.”
