These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows, #1)(55)



I sit up in bed. This doesn’t have to be complicated. I still have the mirror, so I can test it.

“Show me Sebastian.”

My reflection fades away, and I’m looking at the golden prince. He’s sitting at his desk in his chambers, his expression serious as he focuses on the book before him.

I jump off the bed and swap the mirror for the fake before rushing across the palace.

Halfway there, I second-guess myself. What if he moves before I make it to him? What if he recognizes the mirror I’m returning as a fake? With each doubt, I move faster, and by the time I get to his door, I’m out of breath.

When the sentry posted outside Sebastian’s chambers spots me, he smiles and bows his head. “Lady Abriella.”

“He’s here?”

The sentry nods. “Yes, milady. I can show you right in. He said you’re always welcome.” He opens the door for me, and I step inside. I haven’t been here since the night I was attacked by the Barghest. I’m more accustomed to the castle’s opulence now, but even so, I never had the chance to fully appreciate the beauty of his room that night—the dark wood furniture, the sitting area as large as Madame Vivias’s entire main floor, the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the far wall.

I find Sebastian at his desk, looking just as he did in the mirror, and I nearly melt with relief. It works. Jas is okay.

Sebastian looks up from his books and smiles at me. “Hey, you.”

I don’t bother trying to hide my grin. Knowing that Jas is well cared for is a massive weight off my shoulders. I want to dance. “Hey.”

He closes the book he was reading and pushes out of his chair. “The servants said you were ill and canceled with your tutor today. Are you okay?”

I nod, giddy. “I was just tired.”

He tucks the shorter lock of hair from my face behind my ear. It won’t stay, but I don’t think he minds the excuse to touch me. “I kept you out too late. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” I extend the replica mirror toward him. “I forgot to give this back to you last night.”

“Right. I was . . . distracted.” He smiles and takes it from me, his fingers brushing mine. “I hate to cut this short when I have you to myself again, but I have a meeting I need to get to.”

I step back. “Of course. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you.”

“I have a lead on Jas.” He puts the mirror in a drawer. “I need to meet with one of my sources.”

“What will you do if you figure out where she is?”

His sea-green eyes turn icy. “Whatever I have to do.”

My heart squeezes. I’ll keep doing what I must to free Jas, but if Sebastian can somehow free her before I’ve retrieved all three items, all the better. “Be careful,” I whisper. “I’ve heard that the king is cunning and can turn your own people against you. Watch your back.”

“Careful?” He cups my face in one big hand and smiles down on me. “Could Abriella Kincaid possibly care about the fate of a wicked faerie?”

“You’re not wicked,” I say. Then I back out of the room quickly because I do care. I care too much.



* * *



I wish I knew how to contact the king. I’ve spent most of the day alone in my room, and his goblin hasn’t shown up to take the mirror. Thinking that maybe the goblin can’t come into the castle, I tell my maids I want to take a walk.

Heading out to the castle grounds and through the gardens, I wander to the area where Mordeus’s goblin left me before.

I search. I pace. I lie on the grass and stare at the clouds, letting the setting sun warm my face.

He doesn’t come.





Chapter Sixteen


“WHO TAUGHT YOU TO HOLD a sword like that?” Jalek asks with a sneer.

“No one.” No matter how many times I adjust my grip on the bamboo training stick, I can’t mirror the way the Seelie rebel grasps his sword.

After three days of waiting around the Golden Palace for Mordeus’s goblin, Pretha insisted that I leave with her today. The goblin, she promised, would find me when he wanted to and not a moment sooner.

When I arrived at Finn’s house this morning, I was given a change of clothes—pants for once, thank the gods—brought to a training room in the basement, and told that I was going to learn how to physically defend myself. “I have never held a sword before today.”

Jalek’s face is grim as he surveys me. “We should have started with her physical training on her first day here,” he says, speaking to Pretha without taking his eyes off me. “Look at those arms. They’re little more than twigs. She couldn’t defend herself against a sprite.”

“I can hear you,” I snap.

“If she masters her power, she won’t need swords,” Pretha says, folding her arms across her chest.

“I have no intention of getting into a sword fight anyway,” I mutter.

Jalek studies my stance. “Shoulders back, chin up. Feet shoulder-width apart.” He taps my training stick with his sword, and I wobble to the side. “Keep your knees soft.”

“Pretha!”

We all spin toward the sound of her gasped name to see Finn and Tynan on the stairs. Finn’s face is pale and contorted with pain. He’s slouched sideways as Tynan holds him up with one arm.

Lexi Ryan's Books