Chapter 196. Finding Answers
Maisie
Picking my way back to the stone castle wasn’t difficult. It was foreboding and tall enough that so long as I walked in the direction, I could find my way back.
The worst thing was the fear in my chest. And the cold cutting through my thin nightdress. I didn’t know if they were both intertwined, but I hadn’t stopped shivering.
The soles of my feet were cut open now and left muddy and bloodied prints behind me as I walked the stone path, several thoughts ravaging my mind.
I was losing it. I was officially losing my damned mind.
I reached for my Lycan and felt close to nothing. There was a stir there that told me the blockers were wearing off, but it wasn’t enough to speak with her. If I couldn’t understand what was happening to me, surely, she would.
She had answers for everything, but I couldn’t wait around for her. I didn’t know how long it would take to get through to her or hear back from her.
I needed answers. And I needed them now.
When the guards at the side entrance saw me, they both frowned, straightening immediately. From their outfits and the little crests on their uniform, I recognized them as Soren’s guards.
They exchanged looks between each other and one of them stepped forward.
I was too lost in my thoughts to remember his name, but he lowered his head in a respectful bow. "Princess... we didn’t see you leave. Should I alert—"
"No," I exhaled. "No need to wake them. I-I stepped out for air. Through the other entrance."
I didn’t know if there was some other entrance.
The guard stared at my bare, bleeding foot and I knew he could tell something was off, but he only bowed and returned to his post.
I clutched the front of my nightdress tighter to my chest and kept walking, teeth chattering. The castle was extremely silent, the only people moving about were the servants cleaning up after the banquet, and there were only a few of them.
They didn’t pay me any heed and I was grateful for it.
By the time I reached the main hall, I was shivering so hard my bones ached. I needed to find Kisten. He had looked terrified when he warned me. He knew about the dreams. Whatever he knew, I needed to hear it from him directly.
As much as I wanted nothing more than to go tell my mates, I didn’t want them to worry. Or maybe I didn’t want them to know I was losing my mind. Not until I had to. Not until I was sure any of this was even real and I didn’t need a psychiatrist.
I didn’t know where Kisten’s bedroom was, but Kara had said during her tour that the royals here stayed in the largest wing. The east wing. While the others took up residence around the house.
In a sense, the stone castle was like a pack house.
It took several minutes and redirections to get my bearings right, and my feet were cold and hurting when I finally made it to the top floor.
Just as I rounded the corner, I was nearly knocked out of the way by three barely clad women I recognized from the party, of whom Kisten had been dancing and flirting with when he got drunk.
They were covered in bruises and bite marks, their expressions glassy and their pupils dilated with pleasure.
There was a crash not too far away and glassware shattered from an open door. A snarl tore down the hallway and I recognized Kisten’s voice. It was harsh and vicious enough to cause all three of the women to jump and scurry down the stairs, one of them whispering, "She’s in a terrible mood."
The door slammed shut in the distance.
I guessed that solved the mystery of where Kisten’s bedroom was.
Undeterred, I crossed the hallway, noting the lack of guards. They probably didn’t need any on this floor with the princes present.
I reached the tall oak door, eyeing the shattered glass by my feet. I raised my fist to the door when I heard the slam of something hard against furniture and a pained male groan.
A feminine hiss followed and my heart stopped in my chest when I heard Margaret’s cold voice. "If you ruin this for me, boy, I will have your head. I have given way too much for you to throw it away because of that thing hanging between your legs. You do not understand the things at play, the sacrifices I have made for this."
"And if it kills her, too?" Kisten asked. "Is her life worth nothing?"
A cruel laugh echoed in the bedroom. "Her life is worth everything, fool. And if she cannot handle the cost of opening it, you and your brothers will mate with her. Why do you think I accepted the truce in the first place?"
My fingers began to tremble as her cold voice curled around my heart, ripping it to shreds. "Being mated to four of them should be more than enough to keep the gate open for long enough. When they die, she will be far too weak to refuse the bond. You will keep her alive, and she will learn to thank you for it in time."
My hand flew to my mouth, stopping the whimper from escaping.
"I can’t—" Kisten started, but groaned in pain.
"You can, and you will. I chose you because you are the stronger of my sons. If you cannot do something as simple as seducing her, then you are useless to me. As are your brothers—"
She stopped talking.
And I knew. I knew she knew I was there. I didn’t know how.
But I barely heard her footsteps swiftly approaching the door when a hand closed over my mouth, silencing me, and yanking hard, away from the doorway.
I flailed, thrashing against the hard body behind me as it dragged me down and into the door of a different bedroom, my eyes watering from the harshness in that grip.
I found my back against a shut door and I found Bastian peering down at me with irritation. "Don’t make a sound," he whispered, his hand still covering my mouth as a door slammed opened in the distance.