Levi“NO!” Mom screams and tries to get in between me and the Royal Guards who all have an array of weapons. “Don’t take him. Please, don’t take my son. . . .”“There is no proof!” Dad yells too, wedging himself between me and the squad. He even dares to swat the muzzles of the guns like he’s just dealing with pesky flies. “Get those weapons away from here and get out of the pack! Do not wage a war with us because all of you will perish!”“Dad,” I say, scared for what he could get or what could happen to him if he continues with the threats. “Move away. Mom and Dad, please, just stay to the side and let me handle this.”As I lead all of them to a spot behind me, I heard the door opening, and out comes Connor and Laura. “What’s happening?” Connor asks, and I can hear the fear in his voice. “What’s going on?”“I’m being taken,” I say briefly. “Arya wishes to see me.”Lauren’s eyes widen. “But why would she ask them for a whole force? What’s wrong?”I swallow hard. I know the answer and
LeviMy heart freezes, but it’s only partly because of what Arya said. The biggest thing that’s making me hesitate right now is how the whole thing escalated into this and how I ended up here.“Are you going to imprison me?” I ask her in a low voice. “Without investigating? Without a single tangible proof that it was me who put the poison in there?”I know it’s probably a bad idea to provoke her like this and question her logic when her lover is out there dying and she’s desperate to know what happened . . . but the injustice of it all is just starting to dawn on me and I can’t help but start to question everything.“Are you going to hold a trial me?” I demand again, this time my voice getting louder and gaining more conviction. “Or would that be too slow for you? Do you want me executed and killed before your eyes for this? Is that what you want?”“What I want is for you to pay,” Arya states flatly.I exhale sharply “Pay for what? I have never done anything to Arthur. Kill me for all
Arya“Princess, the criminal is now locked up in the dungeon.”The Royal Guard bows in front of me after telling me the announcement, and I motion him to leave, not able to utter a single word because of the sinking sensation in my stomach.Did I do the right thing?I like to believe that I have. I mean, who else could have done it? Who else could have slipped that poison in that bottle when it’s only Levi who handled it? He’s the only one who could have done it.But what if he didn’t?What if he really was telling the truth?I close my eyes, rubbing my temples and trying hard to rationalize it. My mom and dad are already gone to launch an investigation about it, and I know that we will find the truth about the whole scenario. Keeping Levi in the dungeons can be just a precaution, in case it gets proven that he really did it, which I’m almost certain that he did.Almost.Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. I repeat this to myself for what seems like forever, but when I s
Levi“Let me go!” I scream at the guards who all seize my arms and twist them behind my back. “I didn’t do anything wrong! Let me go!”The guards don’t listen to me. They lift me to my feet and start to take me away. I try to look at Arya but she is already sitting on her throne, not looking at me at all.“Arya!” I try to scream for her, but one guard kicks me down on my knees. Still, I want her to believe me. I need her to believe me. I feel like I could die if she thinks I’m a murderer. “Arya, I never did anything to Arthur! Please believe me. . . .”The guards hurry up, walking me down the hall with increased pace. I thought they’re going to take me to the cells where they threw me in before, but this time, they go one level lower. And another, then another.Until we reach a dark path that’s only illuminated by blinking red lights. There are no windows, and all the cells don’t have metal bars. They only have thick steel doors, blocking everything but a small window at the top.One
LeviShock reverberates through my body, but I don't step back. The contact of Arya's lips against mine is something that I have always thought about, always dreamed of when she was gone, and now that I have it, I don't know what to say or do.And maybe it's just me being carried away into the moment. Maybe it's me being stupid and taking advantage of the situation. Or maybe it's all the months of longing and dreaming for her, all the years of wishing for something to happen.Either way, I feel all the emotions inside me eroding, and I give into every single desire in my heart.Without thinking about it, I grab the back Arya's neck and pull her closer.And I deepen the kiss that we're sharing.The sensation of her lips is . . . unbelievable. My heart is beating so fast that right now it's just nothing but a quick thrum in my chest. I raise my other hand to touch her waist and pull her even closer, but I end up touching something wet and strange on her waist.Startled, I immediately pu
Arya“Nancy. . . .” Duke Basset trails off. “The young woman who helped us save Arthur before?”“Exactly,” I say. My hands are shaking from both fear and anticipation. “We have to tell her what is happening, and she has to come here herself to experience what we are experiencing. She will know something, I know she will.”Duke Basset nods, but for some reason the sound of Nancy’s name seems to put him off. “Is she . . . trustworthy? Do we have to watch out for her?” When I don’t say anything, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being paranoid, but I don’t like the things that are happening. I’m old and yet I have never experienced anything like this before. Anything unfamiliar makes me nervous, I must admit. And when it comes to my boy. . . .”He trails off, and my heart clenches. I completely understand what he is saying, and I feel the same. I grew up being surrounded by different people and creatures and yet I know nothing about what is happening. I have never even heard of
Arya Tears start to run down my cheeks. I wipe it furiously and look at Gammie. “That’s not . . . that’s not good. That’s not acceptable. We have to do something about it. We can’t possibly just sit here and do nothing while he’s. . . .” Dying. I meant to say dying. It’s the truth and I can’t deny that, but it’s the hardest thing I have to say and for the life of me, I can’t voice it out. Nancy steps forward and puts her arm around me, patting me softly and whispering comforting things that I can no longer hear. “She’s right,” Duke Basset puts in. His eyes are shining and his voice is unsteady, but I can see him trying to keep it together. “Leaving him to it is just cruel and wrong. You’re a skilled sorceress from what I heard. Is there something we can do to aid him at least?” Gammie looks at him and to me, her wrinkled face contorting in thought and confusion. For a while the only sound in the room is the heart monitor, then she speaks. “There really is nothing we can do,” she
LeviDarkness is everywhere. I can't feel anything. I can't move. I'm stuck in a floating sensation that seems to be going on and on without any chance of stopping.I can't even breathe properly.There seems to be something big blocking my throat, stopping me from breathing.I try to gasp for air and I can almost feel it entering my windpipe but not quite making it. It’s more than just driving me crazy. It feels like prison. It feels like death.With every passing second, I struggle with it more and more, to the point where I can feel myself giving way. I can feel my body getting weaker and weaker, and I don’t know how long I can keep fighting this. . . .But then I feel warm air blowing on my face, and soft lips pressing on mine, breathing some air into me.And surprisingly, my body responds.The blockage in my throat vanishes as thought it’s never been there. I gasp and sit up, clasping my neck, taking deep hard breaths as I blink rapidly and try to make sense of my situation.Okay.