Traded

Chapter 84

He looks down the hallway once more, taking hold of my arm, just above my elbow, as he forces me along. After a moment, the air grows cooler and my chest feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off of it. I inhale sharply, my eyes closing, relishing the fresh cool air that fills my lungs.

“What is she doing out of her cage?” someone asks and I snap my eyes open to see Jennifer standing in front of us, her hands on her hips, her eyes glowing like an ember in a waning campfire.

“Move,” the guard with me grunts out, taking an imposing step toward her. She rolls her eyes and shifts her hips before she glances at me and back up at him, a curious arch to her brow.

“No.” She insists. “Not a chance in hell. She shouldn’t be out of her cell, Tieran.”

“The king wanted to see her and when he was done, he demanded I take her back to her cell. Unless you think you are higher ranking than him, I

I suggest you step aside.” He bites out at her. She looks surprised, as her demeanor changes and she clears her throat, looking back down the way we came from.

“He is awake?” She asks, sounding a little worried.

“Of course he is.” He snorts.

“And he is down here? Why the hell is the king hiding in the depths of the mountain when he should be up-”

“The king goes and does as he pleases. He doesn’t owe you or anyone an explanation, so I suggest you stop questioning what he is doing and step aside.” He says, pushing me forward.

“It’s just that Giselle said…” she trails off for a moment and clears her throat. Her demeanor changes completely as she smooths her outfit out with her hands and steps to the side. “Carry on,”

Tieran frowns at her but ushers me along, looking over his shoulder before frowning as he turns me down a different hallway. He presses me into the wall, peeking around the corner for a second, and then he hums in thought.

Its obvious something is amiss, but with not knowing either of them well and having no desire to know them any better than I currently do, I keep my mouth shut.

“Does she not seem suspicious to you?” He asks, absentmindedly.

“Uh, yes?” I give him a confused look, and he blinks down at me like he forgot it was even squished between him and the wall. Tieran takes a step back and clears his throat before looking around the new hallway.

“I need to follow her.” He frowns, he looks at me and groans in frustration. “Shit.”

“I can find my way back,” I offer, and he chuckles under his breath.

“Yeah, and I’m a fucking fairy.” He teases as he walks me down the new hallway reluctantly.

“Why don’t you tell her you don’t trust the king?” I ask quietly, and he snorts. “She already expressed she doesn’t trust Giselle.”

I recall the last time I was being tortured, and she was told that she was wanted upstairs. She threw a fit, and it seemed like she didn’t like the chosen mate of the king. If anything, he should work with Jennifer, not me, to figure out what it wrong with his king. Though, admittedly, I already know what is wrong with his king.

He is under the spell of Lily, and Giselle is using him how she pleases. That’s what she does. She manipulates everything and everyone to her whim. For what? Well, that is the question I am still trying to work out. Yes, they want me because I am a hybrid, but why do they keep me alive?

“Simple.” He mutters, “I don’t trust Jennifer either.”

I scoff, shocked by the lack of trust in the kingdom where everyone still fights for what they are told, even if they don’t agree with it. Who the hell fights blindly for something they don’t believe in?

“Oh, and you think you can trust me?” I ask him, yanking my arm from his tight grip with a scowl.

“I trust your desperation.” He frowns, reaching out to give me a nudge forward. I skirt away from him with a hiss and he smirks.

“Why do you keep doing that? I’m walking!” I growl at him and he breaks into a full–blown smile.

“To ensure you remember who is boss here.” He shrugs. “And it’s amusing to watch you huff and throw a fit.”

I blink at him for a second confused, is he being friendly with me? Well, as friendly as a dragon can be? Because his smiles and shoving feel weirdly familial.

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Chapter 84

“How about we get to what you want from me so we can strike our deal and I can leave this literal hell hole.” I say, trying to calm myself so he doesn’t get the enjoyment of watching me get angrier.

He looks around frantically, then trains his annoyed gaze on me.

“Watch your volume,” he hisses at her as his name echoes down the stone walls. He freezes, his body going rigid as he looks around. He grabs me by the back of the neck, making me gasp out in pain.

But he is too distracted rushing down the hall to care about what he is doing to me. We twist and turn down the halls; the air growing colder and damp until we finally break into the prison cell area again.

“Someone is calling your name,” I whisper, and he nods in acknowledgement.

“I am aware of that.” He grumbles, shoving me into my cell. I stumble, tripping over my feet as I grunt and land on the hard ground. I spin to scowl up at him just as Jennifer comes running in, out of breath, like she had been chasing us.

Tieran turns and looks at her, arching a brow like he hadn’t been expecting her.

“Are you looking for me?” He asks her and she grins.

“It’s time to punish them,” she grins. “The king himself said I could take it as far as I need to in order to make this one do what we want.”

Jennifer’s eyes land on me with an eerily giddy grin.

“You think the other one can handle more? She is healing much slower these days.” He reminds her and she rolls her eyes.

“You no longer outrank me prince Tieran, so how about instead of questioning me, you round the bitches up and bring them to the torture room, okay?” she pats him on the chest as I watch in awe. Prince Tieran? Yet he is stuck down here, escorting prisoners around like a lowly prison guard.

Jennifer prances off like a kid, excited about getting their way as she goes to wait for Tieran to bring me and my mom back to her to do whatever the hell she wants to get me to cooperate.

He turns and sighs, moving to unlock my mother’s cage first. As she walks past me with her head held high, she meets my gaze, reminding me of what she told me earlier. To just cooperate so that Merikh at least knows I am missing.

When Tieran walks back for me after delivering my mom to the other room, I look around and then up at him.

“Prince?” I whisper and he frowns, looking away.

“That was a long time ago,” He sighs. “I questioned my father’s judgment, and now I am working my way back up to his side.”

“And how does offering to help me get you there?” I ask, meandering.

“I’m not sure yet…” He says in a hushed tone.

Then he pushes me through the iron door and into the room that smells of blood and stale dirt. My body shivers involuntarily as I look at my mother strung up, preparing for the pain.

“Ah, the lady of the hour. I have this special little chair for you.” She grins, pointing to a silver chair. “Come, have a seat…”

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