Bree’s fisted hands trembled by her sides as she glared at Taveon. His heart sunk in his chest. For a moment, he’d imagined a different kind of life for the two of them. No more hatred. No more pain. She would fight for him, and he would protect her. And they would enjoy their daily walks together rather than spend the entire time bickering like mortal enemies.

But he’d been wrong to hope for anything other than more of the same. She still hated him. That much was clear. Even though she’d helped Rafe, it didn’t mean she felt any of the same sort of fondness toward him. And why would she? As far as Bree was concerned, he’d ordered one of his guards to shoot her with an arrow.

He itched to tell her the truth, to come clean. But he couldn’t.

“Perhaps we should skip today’s walk,” he finally said, slowly and unwillingly. Truth be told, Taveon looked forward to these walks with Bree. The conversation always turned sour, but he enjoyed them all the same. They were the only lively moments in an otherwise dull existence full of politics, council meetings, and hours spent pouring over old manuscripts in his study.

Back when he’d been younger, things had been different at Court. Fun and lively and full of adventure. He and Rafe would ride out at night, seeking out new lands and different peoples. Somewhere in those shelves of his, there were volumes the two of them had filled, logging every plant and every creature they came across. They had relished in the new instead of the old. They had breathed in the fresh air rather than the stodgy old staleness that hung around every corridor of the castle.

At times, Taveon missed who he had once been. The adventurer. The dreamer. The wisher on stars. Somewhere along the way, he’d become so focused on the crown, so focused on following in his father’s footsteps...he’d lost that part of him. A part he could now see in Bree’s eyes.

That was why she’d come here, he knew. She had wanted to see the realm, to experience another world, to walk her feet on brand new ground.

“You know what?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her voice bringing him right back into the present. “Perhaps we should skip it then. It’s getting late. I won’t be training today while Rafe is resting. I might as well just stay locked up in here for another day.”

“Well, you can always call on Lord Dagen. I am certain he would be more than happy to accompany you on a stroll through the castle.” He frowned and stepped back. “I, however, have more important things to attend to.”

Bree rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. Anything is better than hanging around the lowly slave, huh?”

“I am glad that you remember your place. After your little adventure, I thought you might have gotten the wild idea in your head that you can go off roaming from the castle like that.” He strode closer and glared down, his eyes glittering. “You will never again do something like that. If you do—”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ll punish me, right? Make me perform little dances in front of your friends?”

“There is always the bow and arrow option to take into consideration,” he said with a strange smile.

“You talk so big, but it’s all just for show. Isn’t it?” She met his strange smile with one of her own. “What would the rest of the Court think if they found out it wasn’t you behind that arrow?”

Taveon furrowed his eyebrows. “What ever do you mean?”

“Oh, give it up, Taveon,” Bree said. “I know you didn’t order anyone to shoot me with an arrow. Rafe told me.”

A deep scowl spread across his face. “He should not have done that.”

“Why?” Bree asked. “Too worried I might think you have some actual humanity in you? Well, don’t worry. I still see you as the asshole you are.”

He flinched, but then he lowered his voice into a growl. “You do not see any humanity within me because I am not human, girl. And I never will be. You would do well to remember that when you get grand ideas in your head about my nature. I am fae. Dark Fae. And the future King. I cannot be weak and mortal.”

His words were harsh and full of anger, but his heart wasn’t. Just as soon as he spoke, he wanted to take it back. He wanted to go back to the moments before this argument happened when he and Bree almost felt like...friends.

But Bree would never be his friend, let alone anything more.