When Darkness Ends (Guardians of Eternity #12)(104)

“Wait for me,” she whispered softly, brushing her fingers over the smooth wood of the bowl. “I’m going to find a way to get to you. I swear.”

Sensing the approach of her father, Fallon hastily rose to her feet and hurried out of the room, sliding shut the hidden door behind her.

Then, smoothing her hands down her white satin robe that shimmered with priceless diamonds that were sewn along the plunging neckline and hem, she moved to the center of the room.

A second later there was a tap on the outer door and her father made his grand appearance, filling the air with the scent of a rich, full-bodied wine.

Wearing a heavy robe that was heavily embroidered with dozens of precious jewels, he had his golden hair pulled into a dozen complicated braids and his silver crown firmly settled on top of his head.

He looked every inch the King of Chatri.

Moving with a slow elegance, he circled the room, pretending to study the delicate tapestries that covered the walls and the thickly cushioned furniture that had been personally chosen by Fallon. She’d also created the cascade of water that spilled through a wide crack in the flagstone floor, lined by flowers with vivid blooms in shades from crimson to brilliant sapphire.

She loved the sensation that a tiny meadow had just appeared in the center of her room.

Her father, however, wasn’t admiring her skill at decorating. Instead he was constantly attempting to discover where she kept her scrying bowls.

“Good morning, daughter,” he at last murmured.

She gave a stiff nod of her head. Time moved differently within the palace.

“Father,” she murmured.

“How are you feeling?”

She shrugged. It had taken her a full day and night to recover from the blast of magic that had hit her even as she was destroying the amulet.

Which was how her father had managed to trap her before she could escape.

“As I’ve told you several times, I’m fully recovered,” she said, her voice cold.

“Hmm.” Sariel ran a slender finger down the length of his jaw. “That is for the healer to decide.”

She narrowed her gaze, not fooled for a minute. “Why don’t you just admit the truth?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You aren’t keeping me confined to my rooms because you’re concerned for my health,” she said between gritted teeth. “You merely wish to keep me from leaving.”

He tilted his chin to an arrogant angle, folding his arms over his chest.

“A princess belongs in her father’s palace.”

Her lips twisted with a wry humor. Just a few days ago she’d been sick with the thought of being shunned by her father. Now she was furious that he had not only refused to shun her, but he was insisting that she choose another fiancé and start planning her wedding.

“You allowed Magnus to return to the human world,” she pointed out, having used her scrying bowl to watch her former fiancé announce he was leaving to marry the imp, Tonya, who’d captured his heart.

The reaction had been . . . epic.

Not only had the elder members of his House walked out of the public meeting, but Sariel had openly threatened to have him banned from the palace.

Nothing had swayed Magnus, however, who had proudly stalked out of the throne room and back into the arms of his beautiful imp.

“Magnus.” Sariel curled his lips in disgust. “A most unsuitable prince. I am deeply relieved that he is not to be a member of our family.”

Her heart twisted with envy. “He fell in love.”

“Nonsense.”

“Why do you call it nonsense?” Fallon gave a slow shake of her head. Like many kings, her father had chosen to keep an extensive harem. Clearly not one of the females he’d taken to his bed had managed to capture his heart. She might have felt sorry for him if he wasn’t so determined to steal her own chance for love. “What could be more important than spending your life with the person who fate intended to be your mate?”

Expecting anger, Fallon was caught off guard when something that might have been distress flared through her father’s eyes.

“Fallon, this is your home,” he said softly, reaching to grasp her hand. “This is where you belong.”

“But it isn’t.” She grimaced. “It never has been.”

Sariel’s lips flattened at her refusal to play the role of obedient princess.

“I blame that vampire for your discontent,” he said. “He stole you from your family—”

“It was the Oracle who took me from this palace, not Cyn,” she interrupted. “He’s the one who kept me alive.”

“Yes, I saw how well he was protecting you when I arrived in the caves,” her father snapped.

She rolled her eyes. The second she’d destroyed the amulet the spell had been broken, allowing Sariel the opportunity to use his portal to trace her.

He would, of course, choose the moment that she was being injured.

“I don’t want a protector. I want a partner,” she informed him. “A man who sees me as more than just a means to improve the status of his family.” She squeezed his fingers, willing him to understand just how important this was to her. “I want to be loved.”

Sariel pulled his hand free, squaring his shoulders. “Clearly you are still not fully recovered from your ordeal.”