Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1)(72)

“Enough of this,” he said aloud.

He pounced on her, grabbing her wrists and easily knocking the dagger away. He pushed her back, stretching her arms up over her head, keeping a tight hold of her wrists. He pressed his body down firmly on hers, pinning her in place against the wheel. She looked up at him with both alarm and fury.

“Get off me, you beast! You’re hurting me!”

“If you’re trying to appeal to my compassionate side, you’ll find that I don’t have one when it comes to you.” He adjusted so he had her wrists secured in one hand. The other came down to press against her throat. He stared into her eyes and finally saw a satisfying edge of fear there. She thought he would kill her, despite his earlier promises.

He increased the pressure on her throat and stared down into the face of the girl who’d stood by her fiancé’s side as his brother bled to death.

“Why are you in Paelsia?” he demanded. “Are you here to spy for your father?”

She looked up at him with wide eyes. “Spy? Are you mad?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“No, I’m not here to spy, you fool. That’s ridiculous.”

“Then why? What did you mean when you told your friend to search for a Watcher? Talk,” he growled, bringing his face down only an inch away from her own. Her quickening breath was hot and sweet against his skin. “Or you’ll be very sorry.”

“I’m here for my sister,” she finally said, not breaking eye contact. He couldn’t tell for sure if she was lying.

“Your sister,” he repeated.

“There’s a legend of an exiled Watcher in Paelsia who possesses grape seeds infused with earth magic that have healing powers.”

He rolled his eyes. “You want me to believe you’re literally searching for a Watcher. Do you chase after rainbows as well?”

His mocking earned him a withering look. “If I have to. My sister is horribly ill. She’s dying and no one can help her. So I came against the judgment of my father to find that Watcher and beg for her help.”

Jonas processed this ludicrous story, but one thing rang out above all else. “The heir to the Auranian throne is dying.”

“I’m sure you’re thrilled to hear it.”

“You think so, do you?”

“My pain is your glory. You hold me responsible for your brother’s death, and now you know my sister lies dying in the palace and I’m helpless to save her.” Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

He watched her carefully, waiting for a sign of deception.

“You don’t believe me,” she said, despair edging her words. “All you see when you look at me is something evil. But I’m not evil.” She drew in a ragged breath. “I’m not!”

At first glance, she appeared so small and fragile—but the princess possessed a fierce and fiery core that could burn anyone who got too close. Even Jonas felt its heat. It surprised him. She’d surprised him.

“Are you going to say something or are you just going to keep staring at me?” she asked, looking up at him with those wide blue-green eyes.

He got to his feet so fast he nearly retwisted his ankle. Then he yanked her up with him and he didn’t try to be gentle about it. She swayed on her feet, seemingly unable to find her balance for a moment. She was lucky she was only dealing with a bit of dizziness after knocking herself out. It could have been much worse.

Without a word, he grabbed the dagger, shoved it into the leather sheath on his belt. He began to drag the princess back out to the road.

“Where are you taking me?” she demanded, bringing their conversation around full circle.

“Somewhere quiet where I’ll make sure you don’t cause any more trouble. You know, you really should have used that knife on me when you had the chance, your highness. You won’t be getting away from me again.”

Cleo glared at him, the fire back in her eyes. “I won’t hesitate to kill you next time.”

He gave her a cold smile. “We’ll see about that.”

As soon as he got Cleo to the storm shed at the edge of Felicia and her husband’s property, he bound her hands in front of her and attached a chain to her ankle—a long one, for range of motion—to ensure she wouldn’t be able to leave. She cursed at him, fighting him every step of the way. It didn’t slow him down very much.

“I know you hate me.” Tears glistened in her eyes. She was fueled by anger now, so the fear came and went.

“Hate you?” he asked. “Don’t you think I have that right?”

“I hate myself for what happened to your brother. I’m truly sorry for what Aron did. Tomas didn’t deserve to die.”

“You’re only saying this to try to save yourself.”

“Not only,” she admitted.

He couldn’t help but laugh at her honesty. “You think I’m going to hurt you.”

“You already have.”

“Compared to your normal lifestyle, anything would be a hardship, your highness. But you’ll be safe here.”

“For how long?”

“A few days. A week at the most.”

She looked around the shed’s interior with horror. “Here?”

“My sister and her husband have agreed to watch over you. His friends will guard the door in case you think about trying to escape. You’ll be brought food and water daily.” He thrust his chin to her left. “There’s a freshly dug hole over there for her majesty to use when she requires. It’s not a golden bejeweled chamber pot, but it’ll suffice. These would be considered luxurious accommodations for a Paelsian, princess. You have no idea.”