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Lila
MY EYES WERE CLOSED. I’d been pretending to be asleep so that Sean wouldn’t ask me any more questions that I wouldn’t be able to explain the answers to. I wasn’t sure how long had passed since the last time we’d spoken, but it must have been a few hours.
“Lila, wake up,” I heard Sebastian’s voice whisper.
My eyes flew open, and I saw him standing in front of my cell. Zoe was standing alongside him, a slight look of discomfort in her eyes.
I shot Sebastian a questioning look.
He must’ve recognized it, because he quickly explained, “It’s important for us to keep your identity a secret, but I had to ask Zoe for help. We really need her magic right now.”
“Help with what?” I asked.
“I’ve finally figured out what to do with you,” he told me as he unlocked my cell. “I need you to come with me.”
I glanced over at Sean, who appeared to actually be sleeping soundly in his cell. “What about him?”
“He can stay here for now,” Sebastian replied quietly.
I swallowed hard and met the prince’s eyes. “What are you planning to do with him?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Now come.”
I stepped out of the cell and followed after him. Once we reached the stairwell, Sebastian turned to me. “I brought Zoe with me because she’s going to cast an invisibility spell to prevent the risk of you running into anyone in the palace halls.”
“Okay.” I wanted to point out that I couldn’t remain invisible forever, but I decided to keep my mouth closed.
“You two need to be quiet. I really need to concentrate,” Zoe informed us.
I nodded as Sebastian pursed his lips together.
The witch fixed her gaze on me. She stared at me for a few long moments, seemingly deep in her own thoughts.
A few moments later, I watched as my arms began to fade away. When they settled, I could still see them, but they were somewhat translucent in appearance.
“You’re invisible. I’m the only one who will be able to see you now,” Zoe explained.
“Make sure you stay close to us. And don’t talk,” Sebastian added.
“Actually, I also added a silencing mask as well,” Zoe informed him, though her eyes still seemed to be locked on mine. “No one will be able to hear her move, speak or breathe. No one will even hear her heart beat until I lift the spell.”
“We’d better hurry then. I’d hate to waste any more of your time,” Sebastian said, his eyes sliding over to her.
She still didn’t look at him. “It’s fine.”
I couldn’t help but notice that there was a slightly bitter edge to her voice. Of course, it made questions begin to swirl around in my mind.
Did Zoe think that my life just wasn’t worth saving? Did she feel like her magic was being wasted on me?
That didn’t seem like her, though. She had given me and each of Sebastian’s slaves a sun pendant for our protection, making each of us promise not to remove it. I didn’t know what the pendants did exactly, but I doubted that she would have gone through the effort of making them if human lives meant nothing to her.
Without saying another word, Sebastian began to head up the steps. Zoe followed after him, and I stayed close behind her.
Once we reached the top of the stairs, I saw the figure that loomed before us in the hallway.
Princess Alessandra.
Her dark hair was swept back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a short black dress. Her light olive skin had a vibrant glow to it, but there was a look of surprise in her dark brown eyes.
“Sebastian. What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to make sure that things were being handled properly,” he lied. “I’ve put auctions on hiatus for the time being.”
“Oh? You don’t want to add more slaves to your harem?” Alessandra asked with raised eyebrows.
For some reason, it had never occurred to me that Sebastian would add more slaves to his harem. It was probably a naïve assumption of me to make, but for some reason, I’d just thought I was the only slave he’d needed...
“No. Not right now, at least,” Sebastian replied. “I’m not even sure what to do with the slaves I already have if we go to war or evacuate the island.”
“Hmm.” Alessandra stared at him for a long moment before glancing over at where I was standing. Even though I knew it wasn’t necessary, I couldn’t help but hold my breath, out of fear that she would still somehow hear me. As it was, it felt like her eyes were on me, almost as though she somehow knew I was there. Then her gaze flicked over to Zoe.
“Miss Blackwood,” Alessandra murmured.
“Please call me Zoe.”
“Zoe, then. How lovely it is to see you again. I’m surprised to see the two of you... together.” The princess glanced from Zoe to Sebastian, an almost accusing look in her eyes. It was clear to me that she was waiting for them to give her some sort of explanation.
To my surprise, Sebastian didn’t give her one. Instead, he turned the accusations around on her. “What are you doing down here, near my coven’s Chambers?”
“You mean our coven,” Alessandra corrected.
“Need I remind you that we aren’t married yet?” Sebastian didn’t need to say what he really meant by his words, because his tone revealed his threat: there was still a chance that they might not have gotten married.
Of course, it made me smile.
Anger flashed through Alessandra’s eyes. “Need I remind you that this union is for your coven’s wellbeing? Would you rather fight off the Craven and Dezerea covens on your own?”
Sebastian’s jaw muscles tightened, but he shook his head. “No.”
“That’s exactly what I thought,” she murmured. “Also, I just want to remind you that you still need to put a ring on my finger.” She held up her hand to reveal her bare finger. “I think your mom’s engagement ring would be an appropriate choice, don’t you?”
“I will not give you my mother’s ring,” Sebastian said firmly.
“But what would all of the other covens think? It’s tradition to pass down Royal gemstones whenever possible. They may find it suspicious if you’re unwilling to give me the ring your mother wore.” She met his eyes. “They might think there are ulterior motives behind our decision to wed.”
“I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks.”
“Well, you should. Besides, what’s so wrong with giving your wife your mother’s ring?”
“I’m not going to have this discussion with you right now. And you’re deflecting,” Sebastian pointed out. “You neglected to answer my question. What are you doing near the Chambers?”
“I just wanted to check out the holding cells. You know, make sure they’re secure enough for prisoners. One of my slaves has been a bit... naughty,” she replied, amusement swirling around in her eyes.
“Well, I can assure you that they are fine holding cells,” he replied. “And our guards aren’t too shabby, either.”
“I’d still feel better if I saw your dungeon with my own eyes,” Alessandra insisted. “Mind if I take a look?”
Sebastian stepped away from the door, allowing her to enter. “Go ahead.”
“Thank you.” A faint smile crossed the princess’s lips. “You and Zoe have fun. But not too much fun.”
As she descended the stairs, closing the door behind her, Sebastian glanced over at Zoe. I couldn’t help but notice that uncomfortable look in her eyes again.
Not that I could really blame her. Princess Alessandra made me feel uncomfortable, too.
“Let’s move on,” Sebastian suggested and began to continue his way down the hallway.
Meeting my gaze, Zoe motioned for me to follow after them.
As we rounded the corner, I realized where he was planning to hide me.
The secret passage.