I aimed the arrow, pulled, and watched it fly across the roof. The second one followed seconds later. Then a third. I stopped after the tenth. Listening to the wind wasn’t easy, but I was getting better at it.

“Not bad,” Nereus said.

“Yeah. Four out of ten made it through the right crenel.”

“Yesterday was one. By next week, you won’t miss.”

I didn’t want to be here next week. Three days had passed since I started archery. Each day, I studied the sky when I came topside to practice. The weather was cooler than Vaarda, humid, and misty, but no heavy clouds or lightning to indicate Storm was nearby. Hope was starting to dwindle again despite Nereus’s gut feeling.

With each aim, I imagined it piercing Captain Ren’s heart, or the mad king’s, or Tully the Creep. He had left me alone, which was great because his mother was still out. Gwyn hadn’t been kidding when she’d said the oracle’s brew would knock out the queen mother for several days. I couldn’t even tell if the charcoal had adsorbed some of the poison.

Unfortunately, my three days were up. Any second, I expected Banan to come to the battlement and tell me Tully had returned. He’d gone to a family estate in the country to hunt. Gwyn had said he did that often with his friends.

“Do you want to try a different weapon?” Nereus asked when we took a break.

“No, I love bows and arrows.”

“Come on, lass. You must learn to use a different kind of weapon. Sword? Dagger?”

I studied his expression. He’d become some sort of a friend and confidant. There were things I still refused to share with him about Vaarda, but he now knew a lot more than anyone else on the island. And he loved to hear about Nerissa. He was obsessed with her.

“Are you getting bored, maestro?” I teased.

“No, but my star pupil needs to master a variety of weapons. What if you need to fight someone in a close combat?”

“Arrows have sharp tips.”

“But can you conceal one in the sleeve of your dress?”

I sighed. “Fine. A dagger it is.”

He grinned. “Get Banan up here. We’re going to create sparring daggers.”

I headed downstairs, spoke briefly to Banan, then continued downstairs to the restroom in the palace. I’d gotten used to racing up and down the stairs whenever I had to go. Since it was the one used by the kitchen staff, sometimes I had to wait my turn, like this time.

I hadn’t tried to get to know the palace staff or talk to them. I felt I didn’t need to. Just like I hadn’t tried to friend the snooty rich kids in my town. I’d grown up hating their “them” versus “us” mentality, yet I’d embraced it here. Yeah, it was stupid, but it helped me differentiate between my friends and my enemies. Gwyn, the queen mother, Nereus, Banan in the tower of the original castle were friends, while everyone else in the modern side of the palace was lumped with the royal family. Lord Conyngham was somewhere in the middle.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the little Tuh’ren healer,” the oracle said from behind me, and my stomach sank.

Slowly, I turned to look at her. I hadn’t seen her since Lord Conyngham had booted her out of the tower. She lived on the other end of the palace, and since I hadn’t bothered to go exploring, chances of us meeting had been slim to none.

“Hey,” I said, not really wanting to talk to her.

“How is the queen mother doing?” The smirk on her face said she already knew the answer to that.

“Great.”

“Has she awoken yet?”

“Many times.”

She chuckled. “Liar.”

“She told me about you and her true mate, Storm’s father.” I couldn’t resist.

The smile disappeared from her lips, her eyes narrowing. “Prince Tully is coming back from his hunting trip today. What are you going to tell him?”

I didn’t want to think about Tully. A woman left the restroom and smiled briefly at me before she saw the oracle. The smile left her face, and she scurried toward the kitchen.

“Excuse me,” I told the oracle, entering the washroom.

The oracle slapped a hand on the door, stopping me from closing it.

“I knew you couldn’t do it, Tuh’ren. Give up, and let me take over her care.”

She hadn’t tried to return to the tower, yet desperation tinged her words.

“No, thanks. If I fail, it won’t be because I gave up, Oracle.” I slammed the door in her face, and for one moment, I stood against the door, my stomach churning.

Tully expected results today. What was I going to do?

I took longer in the toilet than usual so as not to run into the oracle again. Back upstairs, I checked on the queen mother before joining Banan and Nereus in the battlement. They were busy creating wooden daggers from a bow.

Nereus and I spent the rest of the morning practicing. He was good, just not as good as Kai. I even impressed him with some of the attacks I’d watched her teach the shieldmaidens.

“Where did you learn that?” Nereus asked.

“From Kai, an instructor on Vaarda.”

“Is she married?” Banan yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

I laughed. Every time Nereus and I were on the battlement, Banan sat at the bottom of the hidden stairs, listening to us. Like he’d said, he didn’t want to miss a thing.

“She is, Banan. Sorry. But there’re other unmarried shieldmaidens and Tuh’rens.”

“Who? Give me names? Describe them. I love feisty women.”

So I told him about Skylar and other Tuh’rens between bouts, until I couldn’t talk anymore. Sweat dripped down the side of my face and between my shoulder blades.

“Can you take criticism, lass? Nerus asked, leaning against the wall.

“No. I’m likely to bite your head off.”

He chuckled. “You’re good, but you take too many chances without thinking about the consequences. You should always visualize several moves ahead before you start. Ask yourself this. If you do one thing, how will your opponent counter it? Then think about how you’d counter their move and so on. Of course, at times you can’t predict what they’re going to do, so you have to be ready to either retreat or keep pressing forward. You don’t know when to retreat. You’re like a mad Kelpie that keeps charging.”

“That there is a compliment. I love Kelpies. Mad or sane. No, pirate ones.”

He chuckled. “Ready to try again?”

“Yes, and I get it. Fight smart and don’t be afraid to retreat.”

By lunchtime, I was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. I’d applied Nereus’s teachings to my situation with Tully, but in every scenario I’d come up with, I lost. His mother was unresponsive, and that was a situation that wasn’t going to change.

After lunch, I stayed with her and told her more stories about Vaarda, focusing on the children. Once again, the other two guards replaced Nereus and Banan. They’d been alternating since the first night. Unlike Nereus and Banan, they were quiet and kept their distance.

“She feels warm,” I told Gwyn before I went to bed.

“The medication the oracle gave her is wearing off. She will be awake but drowsy tomorrow. Usually, she gives her something to steady her.”

More poison, which meant she might start having withdrawal symptoms if she didn’t get some. Worried about her and Tully, I fell into a light sleep, my brain refusing to shut down. With every little sound, my heart skipped and my eyes flew open.

I was falling asleep when I bolted upright for the hundredth time. This time, a dark figure loomed over my bed.

“Alexandria,” Tully whispered. His hand landed on my bare thigh and stroked it.

Fear spiraled through me. I yanked the hem of my chemise down and scooted away from his hand. I became aware of too many things at once. Someone stood near the doorway with a candelabra, and the light illuminated Tully’s body through his long night shirt. He wore nothing under it.

Crap! I reached for the covers, but he grabbed my wrist.

“Don’t.” He snapped his fingers and indicated to the person holding the candles to move closer.

It was the short weasel guy from the day I’d arrived. Egon. He must be his valet, or personal servant. Tully took the candelabra and lifted it to see me better.

“Leave us,” he growled without looking at his manservant.

My eyes flew to the man retreating. I wanted to beg him not to leave, but I knew it would be pointless. This bastard was their prince. Tully’s grip tightened around my wrist, and I fisted my free hand, ready if he tried something. I wasn’t making it easy for him.

“Why do you fight me, Alexandria?”

“I’m cold. I need to cover myself.”

“I could keep you warm.” He sat on the bed, and my fear shot from wavering confidence to oh-shit. I scooted away, ready to defend myself. But then he let go of my hand and reached for my blanket.

I watched him with morbid fascination as he draped it over my shoulders. Wary, I scooted backward until my back pressed against the wall. The sadistic bastard smiled as though my reaction amused him.

“How is my mother doing?” he asked.

I swallowed. “She’s fine.”

“I heard you’ve been using the battlement. What do you do up there?”

“I stretch my legs and exercise.”

He reached out to touch my face, and I cringed. This time, I recognized the amusement that spasmed his face.

“Why do you cringe from my touch? I’m not a monster.”

You are when you enjoy hurting people. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day.”

“You chose to watch over my mother, Alexandria. You could be downstairs with servants taking care of you.” He stroked my cheek while I fought revulsion and pressed against the wall.

He moved suddenly and fisted a chunk of my hair. Pain shot up my scalp even as I tried to ease it by moving toward his hand. He kept tugging me toward him, the ugly smile on his face.

“Don’t ever lie to me, Alexandria,” he said so calmly.

“I haven’t lied.”

He yanked, and I cried out in pain. This time, I was sure he pulled out strands.

There was a commotion near the door followed by, “I’m here for the lass. The queen mother needs her.”

Gwyn. Relief coursed through me. “Your mother needs me.”

Tully ignored my comment. “Let’s try this again. What do you do on the battlement, Alexandria.”

“I went to stretch my legs and found arrows and a bow, so I practice with them. Please, the queen mother needs me.”

“Peasants use bows and arrows. Ladies use daggers. Did he not teach you how to use one?”

“Who?”

He tugged at my hair again, and anger slammed through me. I wanted to kill him. If we were standing, I would have kneed him hard. My kneeling position and the angle of my body made that impossible. If he expected me to beg him to stop, he was going to be disappointed.

I reached up and gripped his wrist to ease the pressure. The smile on his face grew, telling me he didn’t just enjoy controlling me with pain, he loved it when I fought back.

“Storm,” Tully said. “My brother and his band of merry pirates in their stupid secret island, that’s who. Didn’t he teach you to use a dagger or a sword?”

“No,” I said.

“Did he mate with you?”

“No.”

“But he wanted to, didn’t he? He wanted you.”

So, this was about Storm. Tully wanted what his brother had. Refusing to play his stupid game, I kept quiet and braced myself for more punishment. Sure enough, the bastard yanked my hair again, forcing me to look at him. Cold silver eyes narrowed in malice as they roamed my face before settling on my lips.

No, no, not the kiss. Anything but those lips on mine.

“I want you to know everything about my brother. What did he do when you first met? When you were on his ship? When you reached the island? Did he keep you chained to his bed, submitting to his every whim? I know he did. Pirates live a life of debauchery and lawlessness.”

The sick son of a bitch. He imagined the life Storm led and tried to compete with him? That was beyond twisted.

“Tell me,” he snapped when I didn’t speak. “My people said he watched you at that hotel before I arrived. He wanted you without knowing who you are. Did he claim you?”

“No.”

He leaned in until our faces were inches apart. At the same time, he twisted my hair, my scalp exploding with heat and pain so intense tears rushed to my eyes.

“Liar,” he snarled. “We know exactly what happened on Captain Ren’s ship. Why would you threaten to kill yourself to save Storm’s life if he means nothing to you? Why would they call you Storm’s lass on his island? Captain Ren told us. You forced him to let Storm go, and now we know he’s not dead.”

Damn it! Tears raced down my face.

“I expect him to come for you once he heals, Alexandria. And when he does, I’ll be waiting.”

He let go of my hair and gripped my chin, fingers digging into my jaw. He studied me with a cold indifference.

“Tears? You brought this onto yourself with your lies. Don’t ever lie to me, Alexandria, because that only forces me to hurt you. Do you understand?”

I glared at him. He chuckled.

“Fight me then. It will make your submission sweeter.” He swooped down and pressed his lips to mine.

I tightened my lips and clenched my jaw, refusing him entrance. His grip tightened until I knew he’d break my jaw to win. I gasped. He pushed his tongue down my throat while I fought my gag reflex. I wanted to bite him, but from the last time, I knew he’d love it.

I was close to passing out when he lifted his head and leered.

“Hmm, you taste different. Better. We should have dinner tomorrow night. I’ll have the seamstresses make some dresses for you.”

He stroked my jaw, where he’d probably left bruises. I cringed, and his hand stilled.

“Maybe I don’t need to wait for you to change, Alexandria. We wouldn’t want my brother to attempt a rescue before I enjoyed the pleasures of your company.”

The thought of spending an intimate moment with this bastard made my skin crawl.

“Go. Take care of my mother. I’ll stop by tomorrow to see how she’s doing.”

I couldn’t remember scrambling off the bed, but I shot through the door at a run, almost bumping into the guards and his manservant. Gwyn was by the entrance to the queen mother’s room. She pulled me inside and closed the door.

She pulled me into her arms, and I clung to her.

“It’s okay, lass,” Gwyn whispered, rubbing my back. “You are okay.”

Tremors shot through my body. I wasn’t okay. Tully knew Storm was alive. I couldn’t let Storm come for me. I had to escape. Without his mother. Tears raced down my face, and the shaking grew worse. I hated the idea of leaving her behind, but what choice did I have?

Gwyn leaned back and gripped my face, furrows on her brow.

“He didn’t force himself on you, did he?”

“No.” My eyes flew to the bed. Seeing the outline of the queen mother under the covers steadied me. “How’s she doing?”

“She’s sound asleep.” Gwyn let me go and went to check on her, touching her forehead. “She’s still a bit warm, signs of a mild fever.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand. You said she needed me.”

“The lads knocked on my door and told me to get you. Nereus had given them instructions on what to do in case you had visitors.”

Nereus. I owed that man a debt I could never repay. “Can I sleep in here tonight? I left Tully in my room, and I’m scared he might still be there when I return.”

“Of course.”

Gwyn slept on a narrow feather mattress on the floor, and the place was cramped at night, but I didn’t care. I’d sleep on the stone floor than go back to my narrow bed.

“Come on.” She opened a chest and removed a cover. “Sleep next to the queen mother. Her bed is big enough for one more with room to spare. If Prince Tully comes to check on you, I’ll tell him she has the shivers and you are keeping her warm.”