Not a minute later, there was a knock at the door. I refused to answer it, rushing toward the bathroom when Kiran entered uninvited.

“Oh, no you don’t,” he commanded, watching me flee for the bathroom. “Get over here.”

I grunted, or whined, I wasn’t sure which and spun around to face him. I didn’t take a step toward him, but stayed put, realizing I needed to answer for my outrageous behavior, but irrationally deciding I didn’t need to be accommodating about it.

“Fine, I’ll come to you,” Kiran stalked across the room, seething with anger. “What was that about? How dare you accuse them of being so selfish!” He waited for my response, but when I stayed stubbornly silent he continued, “They are all perfectly aware of what is going on in this world, you don’t have to rub it in their faces just because they found happiness despite the tragedies they’re faced with! It is very unfair of you to judge their relationships when you know just how unfortunate this life can be, how quickly we can lose each other.” His eyes swept my length and I wanted to slap him, not because I felt offended by the way he looked at me, but because of his reference to the end of our relationship as unfair and misfortunate.

“Of course they do,” I conceded angrily, “And yet locked up behind these prison walls one wouldn’t think anything was wrong at all! Between all of the galas, and the feasts, oh, and school, and the other million things that we do that seem perfectly normal, it’s so easy to remember people are suffering!” I spat sarcastically.

Kiran flinched at my words and then growled back, “Not everyone is like you, Eden! Not everyone likes to be in a constant state of suffering just to be reminded that happiness is not available to them!”

“Oh, happiness is available to me,” I promised, narrowing my eyes at him. “Just as soon as I get out of this wretched prison!” I stomped my foot and crossed my arms, daring him to defy me.

“Because that will solve all of your problems?” Kiran’s eyes flashed deep blue, and he took a menacing step toward me.

“Yes, Your Majesty, it will,” I argued unreasonably, spitting his title venomously.

“Eden, let me remind you that you are not the only prisoner in this castle,” his voice dropped to an angry whisper and I realized he was talking about himself.

“Oh right,” I laughed, feeling a little beneath myself in the cruelty of my behavior, “because you’re so unhappy here! If only our conversation about walking away would have worked for you like it did Sebastian! Right? Because that would have taken your suffering to a whole new level!” I threw in the jab I overheard him whisper to Sebastian and his eyes flashed with fury. He reached out and grabbed my arm roughly, dragging me out of the room behind him.

I struggled against him, too embarrassed to use magic in front of all the people in the living room. He pulled me from the bedroom and down the staircase. I stumbled to keep up with him, fighting against his iron grip; his magic swirled around him angry and determined.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded at the bottom of the staircase, deciding whether to use magic against him or not.

“Out of this castle, just like you want,” he barked and I jumped at his tone.

Kiran led me to the dining room, where he threw the door open and tossed me roughly inside without softening his grasp. His fingers dug into my arm, refusing to let me go. His parents and Amelia were enjoying a pleasant dinner and the women jumped at the intrusion.

“We will not be in school the rest of the week,” Kiran explained gruffly to his father. “I’m taking Eden away for a few days,”

“I see,” Lucan mused, “and where are you taking her?”

“To my hunting lodge, if you need us you can look for us there, although I would appreciate complete privacy,” Kiran tightened his grip on my arm as the color drained from my face.

His hunting lodge?

“Ah, I see,” Lucan commented, more knowingly. “I’m sure we can do without you for a few days. Enjoy yourselves.”

Kiran didn’t respond but dragged me out of the dining room and out of the castle. I started to fight more frantically, desperate to stay at the castle, away from all of Kiran’s other trophies…. The conversation with Lucan in the library replayed in my mind over and over. I had pushed him too far, and now he planned to make me his trophy one way or the other….

“Enough,” he turned on me, grabbing my other hand in his clutch and pulling me roughly against his body. “You are determined to make me the bad guy, and I’m tired of fighting you. So, if you don’t come obediently with me now, we can go back inside and I can inform my father of your defiance. How would you like to do this?”

I flinched at his words, shocked that he would threaten me with that kind of brutality. And then I forced myself to remember who he was and what he did to me in the past. Lately, I had given him too much credit, too much of my trust.

“Don’t look so surprised, Love,” he mocked me. “I’m the villain remember? I’m supposed to say stuff like that. Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts already….”

I shook my head and softened my aggressive defiance. I slowed the building magic in my veins and let him lead me to an underground garage on the side of the castle. He found a fast, black sports car and opened the door for me, letting me crawl inside all by myself.

When he walked around to the other side of the car, I thought for a few short seconds about opening the door and making a run for it. But I remembered his words and his promise to talk to his father so I stayed still, only moving to buckle my seatbelt. There were too many prisoners for me to step out of line now, no matter what the cost to me.

He started the car and whipped it around, speeding out of the garage and through the narrow streets of the Citadel. I closed my eyes and held my breath. His driving didn’t scare me half as much as his destination.

The hunting lodge? What did he plan to do to me? What price would I have to pay for my reckless words this time?

Chapter Thirty-One

“What are you going to do with me?” I demanded after an hour of driving through the winding mountains in silence. When we first left the castle, Kiran flew around the hairpin turns and sped through the darkness like a bat out of hell for over an hour. My fingers ached from gripping the soft leather seat and a tension headache brewed at the base of my neck, but after a while he slowed down and simultaneously seemed to calm down. But as he grew more comfortable next to me, the panic growing like wildfire began to burn at my throat and claw at my sanity.

Kiran flinched at my words with that expression, the one I couldn’t define, the one that started to tug at my heart every time he made it. I expected anger, I expected rage, but that expression…. That expression made me feel guilty.

“I didn’t realize it…. We were still this bad,” he explained through a carefully controlled voice. “I thought, lately, we were making progress.” He stared straight ahead, one hand gripping the steering wheel tightly, the other thrusting the gear shift accordingly. “And because of my perception of our relationship, I might have been pushing you to trust me sooner than you were ready, and for that I apologize,” he finished cavalierly.

“You’re apologizing to me?” I questioned, confused.

“I’m explaining my behavior,” Kiran answered. “I lost my temper and you did not deserve to be dragged from the castle.”

“Thank you,” I huffed, feeling gratified.

“Oh, I take it back,” Kiran laughed in a strained, frustrated voice throwing me a scornful glance that made me shrink in my seat. “I take it back! You are spoiled, and stubborn and irrationally defiant. And I cannot believe I ever fell in love with you!”

My mouth dropped open from his accusations. “How can you say those things?” I shrieked, feeling the harsh sting to my pride. “I am anything but selfish.”

“What you need is discipline,” Kiran continued, and I wanted to smack the smug tone right out of him.

“Don’t even start with me! I live in the throes of oppression! My entire existence is scrutinized to the very letter! Discipline? Don’t make me laugh!” I spat, with all the righteous indignation I could collect.

“I wouldn’t dream of making you laugh,” Kiran retorted quickly. “I wouldn’t dream of reminding you there is more to life than your incessant suffering, or constant wallowing! How dare I even attempt to show you the good left in life…. Or the hope that you might have at a happy future! God forbid, that you, for even one second, don’t have to carry the entire bloody burden of your people by yourself!”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I demanded, folding my arms across my chest. Kiran turned off the highway and onto an unlit gravel road. I forgot our conversation, and I disregarded my anger, replacing it with gnawing fear. “Where are you going? Is this the road to your hunting lodge?”

“Eden, why are you so afraid of my hunting lodge?” Kiran asked casually. “It’s at least a getaway from the prison you detest so greatly. Although I distinctly remember you telling your parents just yesterday that you didn’t have it at all bad at the Citadel. In fact, I think your exact words were that we treated you like a princess and I-“

“Kiran, please, just tell me if this is your hunting lodge, I need to know,” I whined, shutting my eyes tightly and dropping my head into my hands.

“Eden, no!” He sighed exasperated. “Would you please just look up?”

I shook my head, too afraid that I would like the house he planned to keep me locked up in for the next couple days. I cowered, too frightened to acknowledge this moment was real, that he actually brought me here, that he actually planned to go through with his…. discipline.

He parked the car and shut off the engine. We sat in silence for a few minutes, my head in my hands. His knuckles brushed my fingers in a gentle urging to pull them from my face. He tugged at my hand sweetly, encouraging me to take a look.

“I know that you think the worst of me,” he whispered hoarsely, “but I really do not want to hurt you.”

At the softening of his tone, I swallowed bravely and looked up. Kiran parked in front of a two story stucco house. The darkness of the mountain night prevented me from making out any detail of the house except where the large picture windows, spaced out on both floors, lit up the siding and sent long shadows of light across the driveway.

The house, filled with people, had activity bustling about from every window. I sat stunned, the excitement growing inside of me as I started to recognize the people moving around inside. Silas. Ebanks. Angelica. Oscar. Avalon. Jericho….

“You brought me to the safe house?” I whispered, hardly able to reconcile what I thought was going to happen tonight and what actually happened. When I swallowed the fear, I could feel Avalon’s magic just inside the house.

“I think I underestimated how draining the castle can be on you. You are so strong, Eden, so…. invincible at times. And with the kidnapping, even seeing your parents…. anyone in your situation would have broken by now,” he turned to me, his turquoise eyes finding mine in the darkness. “This is for you. I want you to heal. I want you to breathe again. But you can’t stay here, we will have to go back in a few days,” Kiran finished apologetically.