••{AZRAEL'S POV}••
I step into the doorway and the room goes still. Rhiannon's gaze flinches away from me. Nayeesha sits beside her on the edge of the bed, her hand still lightly resting over the princess's. She studies me as if she's trying to read something in my expression.
Rhiannon then pulls away from her, crossing her arms over her chest.
Nayeesha rises first then slowly walks toward me. When she stops by my side, her amber eyes meet mine for the briefest moment before she leans close. Her breath brushes my ear when she whispers;
"Be gentle with her."
I clench my jaw before I can stop myself. I'm not used to being warned to handle anyone with care—least of all a girl who seems to hate every fiber of my being.
Nayeesha moves past me, her steps light, her presence even lighter. The door closes behind her, and now it's just the two of us.
Rhiannon keeps her eyes locked on anywhere but me. The tension in the room coils tight enough that even my undead lungs feel heavy.
I walk toward her slowly. "I see you've met Nayeesha."
"She seems nice," she replies, still refusing to look at me.
"She is."
That's what finally draws her gaze to me, her blue eyes, sharp and wary. "Who else knows?"
My brows pull together. "What do you mean?"
"Nayeesha knows about my blood," she says. "So… who else?"
She's trying to sound calm, but her voice gives her away. I can hear the fear threading beneath it.
"I told her because she's my advisor," I say. "And my most loyal servant. I trust her more than anyone else in this castle." I take a step closer, holding Rhiannon's gaze. "And I haven't told anyone else if that's what you're worried about. I can't risk that information falling into the wrong hands."
She breathes out and nods. "Alright then." Then her tone shifts, turning harsh. "Why are you here?"
The sudden bite in her voice catches me off guard, but I keep my tone steady.
"I came to see you."
"Why?"
Slowly stepping toward her, I say, "It came to my attention that you attacked and killed several of my servants." I stop in front of her. "Don't do that again."
She stands immediately, raising her chin, anger sparking in her blue eyes. "Or what?"
For a moment, I lose my ability to speak…
Because she's too close.
Close enough that I can hear her heartbeat. Close enough that the scent of her celestial blood skims through my senses and pulls at something feral inside me. I lose myself in her eyes for a few short, reckless heartbeats.
When I feel myself leaning in, I force myself to step back.
"You should rest," I say, my voice sounds rougher than I intended.
Then I turn toward the door.
"So that's it?" she asks. Not with anger. With something far more painful.
I face her again.
Tears gather in her eyes, clinging to her lashes. Her voice shakes. "Is this my life now? You're just going to leave me locked up like a prisoner?"
I soften my tone without meaning to. "You're not a prisoner."
"Then let me go."
"You know exactly why I can't do that." My voice hardens. It sounds cold even to my own ears, and I immediately regret it the moment the words leave my mouth.
Rhiannon slowly sinks to her knees in front of me. The sight hits me harder than any blade ever has. She takes my hands, her fingers trembling, tears falling freely down her rosy cheeks.
"My father must be sick with worry," she whispers. "My brothers… my sister… I can't even imagine what they're feeling." She holds tighter. "Please, I beg you… let me return to my family. Let me go home."
Watching her at my feet like this, makes me feel like someone is gripping my heart in their fist. And every tear that slides down her cheek twists the pressure tighter.
But I know what's at stake.
I know what would happen to her if she leaves these walls.
"Rhiannon… get up." I say, crouching to help her stand. Her hands feel impossibly warm against mine.
She searches my face with those sapphire blue eyes. "Nayeesha told me you're a good man," she says. "She told me you saved her… that you rescued her from persecution. Show me just a sliver of that kindness."
A single tear drops from her eyes and she whispers;
"Let me go…"
"No."
The word leaves my mouth with no softness at all.
She goes entirely still. Her tears stop instantly, as if she's cut the flow off herself. She lets go of my hands and steps back.
"Then leave," she says, her voice cold as ice.
"Rhiannon… I'm not keeping you here for selfish reasons. This is for your own good. If you'll just allow me to explain—"
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" she screams, pointing at the door. "Get out!"
She's trembling, fury and despair carved into every line of her face.
I take a slow step back, then another.
The moment I reach the door and my fingers brush the handle.
"I'm going to escape," she says softly.
I look over my shoulder.
"And before I do," she adds, "I'm going to kill you."
For a few seconds, there's nothing but silence. Anger rises from deep inside my chest, but I open the door and slam it behind me before I do something I'll regret.
But even as the sound echoes through the corridor, the image that stays with me is her on her knees, begging to go home.
And even though my blood still burns from her cruel words….
It hurt me to see her broken.
••{RHIANNON'S POV}••
I meant every word I said.
Azrael might think I said it out of spite, out of fear, out of some childish tantrum.
But I meant it.
My father, King Eros Aurelian, is not a man who sits idle while his daughter is stolen. He never has been, and he never will be.
He is a man of action—swift, decisive, and relentless when pushed.
And this?
His daughter, taken on her wedding day?
His daughter, dragged from her family and thrown into a nest of monsters?
He's probably already rallying the armies of Astragarde, preparing our strongest soldiers and knights for battle.
He will come for me.
And when he does—before I'm taken home—I will kill Azrael Bloodbourne.
For Cyrus.
A lump forms in my throat, and the ache that's lived inside me since that night throbs awake again.
I don't know how long I lay in this bed after he left. All I know is that my world shrank down to this bed, these pillows, this fragile body I don't even recognize anymore.
Sometimes I cry until the tears run out and exhaustion drags me under. Then I wake with my eyes burning, my chest tight, and the silence pressing in on me from all sides.
Whenever I wake up, I think of home.
Of my father's voice. My siblings' laughter. The halls of Astragarde.
Warmth, light, safety, and love.
And every time the images get too vivid, too painful—I start crying again until sleep takes me.
But this time, when I open my eyes, something is different.
It's night.
The moonlight pours in through the high windows of my cage—casting pale light across the floor. I sit up slowly, my head still heavy, my body stiff from sleep and too many tears.
That's when a knock comes at the door.
My heart jumps. I wipe my face quickly, even though there's no point. "Come in."
There's a soft click and the door unlocks.
Two maids enter quietly, both of them keeping their eyes lowered. They bow deeply then approach me with a dark red dress draped over their arms. The fabric catches the moonlight, causing the rubies scattered all over the gown to shimmer.
I frown, but before I can ask—
"Your Highness," one of them says softly. "His Majesty requests your presence at dinner."
The other lifts the gown slightly. "And he wishes for you to wear this."