Page 22 of Prince of Shadows
“Eh, don’t bother, Seg,” Bolg said in his nasally voice. “Let him storm off. You have better things to do than mollify my son.”
Lorcan stepped out into the shadowy corridor and slammed the doors behind him. Segonax wouldn’t follow him now, he knew. Even as kind as he had been to Lorcan all those years ago, he was nothing if not loyal to his king. Segonax would never dare go against Bolg Rothach, even for the good of the realm.
It didn’t matter. There was only one person he needed to see. He retraced his steps, counting the winding corridors that split from the main path until he found the tower where Reyna was being held. Two warriors in grey scale armor stood outside her door, both with shadow-kissed hair and eyes. But he recognized neither of them.
“I would like to see the princess,” he said as he approached. “Stand aside.”
They did not even flinch. “I’m afraid we cannot allow that.”
Lorcan scowled, a low growl rumbling in his throat. “I am your prince, and this is a command. Stand aside.”
One of the warriors cut his eyes toward Lorcan. “The princess does not wish to see you. She’s requested that we prevent you from entering her chambers.”
Lorcan opened his mouth to argue, but the warrior held up his hand. “Your father agrees that it is best if the two of you do not come into contact just yet, not when she has made it clear she doesn’t want to see you. The princess is angry. There has been a lot of shouting. He does not wish to antagonize her any further.”
Lies, he thought.Every single word of that is a lie.He had forgotten what it felt like to be surrounded by falsehoods.
The king did not care one lick about Reyna’s wishes. He was only doing this to torment his son.
“I don’t know why you’re so angry,” the warrior said frankly. “You were the one who brought her here. Surely you didn’t believe that she would forgive you that easily.”
Narrowing his eyes, Lorcan shoved the guard to the side and pounded on the door. “Reyna! Please, talk to me. I’m sorry for what I’ve done. I—”
The guards gripped his arms and yanked him away from the door. Lorcan trembled with rage, shaking them off and reaching for his sword. He would kill them if they didn’t get the hell away from Reyna’s door.
His mark flared with fresh torment. It felt as though his entire body was being ripped apart, piece by piece. Grimacing, he dropped his sword to the ground, backing away but refusing to leave the corridor.
The warrior gave him a frank look. “All right. There’s no need for this. How about I ask her what she wants?”
“Do it,” Lorcan growled.
The guard sighed and turned toward the door. “Princess Reyna, it’s Bevan. I suppose you’ve heard who’s here.” He cleared his throat and glared at Lorcan. “Would you like for us to let him inside?”
“Absolutely not! If he does, tell him I’ll throw in him the damn fire pits outside my window!” Her clear, strong voice was like magic to his ears, even if it was dripping with hate. It had been so long since he had heard it. He wanted to draw the sound within himself and hear nothing else for the rest of his miserable life.
Bevan turned to Lorcan with raised brows. “You see? The princess said—”
“I heard her.”
As desperate as he was to see her and make her understand why he’d betrayed her so terribly, this was enough. For now. She was alive. She was safe. No harm had come to her.
She would likely never forgive him. He might never gaze upon her beautiful face again, with her wild hair cascading down her back. He did not know what was in store for them, if even anything.
But there was one thing he did know.
His father had finally pushed Lorcan too far. Somethingsnappedinside of him as he stood outside Reyna Darragh’s door, understanding at once that he had lost her forever. His father had taken so much from him. He would not take any more. Lorcan fisted his hands.
One day, the High King of the Shadow Court will pay for everything he’s destroyed. And I will not rest until he does.
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