Cassandra's POV
I woke to darkness and the worst headache of my life.
My hands were bound. Rough rope cut into my wrists. I was sitting in a chair, ankles tied to the legs.
Panic shot through me. Where was I? How long had I been unconscious?
She's awake, a voice said from the shadows.
Not the servant who'd led me here. Someone else. Male. Unfamiliar.
I blinked, trying to clear my vision. Slowly, shapes emerged from the darkness.
Three men. All wearing masks. One held a club—probably what he'd hit me with.
Where's my brother? My voice came out hoarse.
Safe, the man with the club said. For now.
What do you want?
Information. He stepped closer. Your father kept records. Documents proving certain people's... activities. We want them.
My mind raced. The journal. They wanted my father's journal.
I don't know what you're talking about.
Liar. He raised the club.
I flinched. But before he could strike, the door burst open.
Adrian Ravenshade filled the doorway, sword in hand. Blood splattered his wedding clothes.
Step away from my wife, he said quietly.
The deadly calm in his voice was more terrifying than shouting.
The three men turned. One drew a blade.
What happened next took seconds.
Adrian moved like lightning. His sword flashed. The first attacker's weapon clattered to the floor. The second tried to run, Adrian's boot caught him in the stomach. He went down hard.
The third man, the one with the club, grabbed me, pressing the weapon to my throat.
Don't move or I'll—
Adrian's sword point touched the man's eye. You'll what? Kill her? Then you lose your leverage. And I separate your head from your body.
The club trembled against my neck.
Drop it, Adrian said. Now.
The weapon clattered to the floor.
Good. Adrian didn't lower his sword. Now tell me who hired you.
We don't know! We got paid through a messenger
Wrong answer. Adrian pressed the blade closer.
Wait! Wait! The man's voice rose in panic. All we know is it was someone high up. Someone in the Queen's inner circle. They wanted the girl and whatever documents her father left.
The Queen's inner circle.
Adrian's jaw tightened. Get out. If I see any of you again, you die.
The men scrambled for the door.
When they were gone, Adrian finally lowered his sword. His hands were shaking slightly.
He knelt beside me, cutting the ropes with quick, precise movements.
Are you hurt? His voice was rough.
I'm fine. I rubbed my wrists. How did you find me?
I followed. Told you it was a trap. He helped me stand. Can you walk?
My legs wobbled but held. Yes.
Good. We need to leave before they send more.
He led me through dark corridors I didn't recognize. Not the main palace. Servants' passages, maybe.
Where are we going?
My chambers. They're secure.
I'm not going to your
Your rooms have been searched, he cut me off. While you were gone. Someone tore them apart looking for something.
The journal. Hidden under my mattress.
Did they find it?
Adrian glanced at me sharply. Find what?
I didn't answer.
We emerged into a familiar corridor. Adrian's chambers were at the end. He unlocked the door and pulled me inside, bolting it behind us.
Only then did I see the blood on his clothes clearly.
You're hurt!
Not my blood. He moved to the window, checking the courtyard below. Most of it, anyway.
Most?
He pulled off his ruined jacket. His white shirt underneath showed a spreading red stain on his left side.
You're bleeding!
It's shallow. I've had worse. But his face was pale.
I moved without thinking, pressing my hand to the wound. He hissed in pain.
Sit down, I ordered. Before you fall down.
I'm fine
Sit. Down.
Something in my tone made him obey.
I found clean cloth and water. When I lifted his shirt to examine the cut, my breath caught. A blade had sliced along his ribs, not deep, but long.
This needs stitches, I said.
There's a kit in the drawer.
I'd never stitched a wound before. But I'd watched physicians work.
My hands shook as I threaded the needle.
Why did you come for me? I asked quietly, starting the first stitch. He barely flinched. You could have let them take me. One less problem for you.
You're my wife.
A wife you were forced to marry. A wife who hates you.
Yes. His gray eyes met mine. But still my wife. And I don't abandon people who need help.
I tied off the first stitch. Started another.
Those men wanted my father's documents, I said. Someone in the Queen's circle hired them.
I know.
Did she do it? Did Queen Isolde frame my father?
Adrian was quiet for a long moment. I think so. But I can't prove it. Not yet.
Yet? I paused mid-stitch. You're investigating?
I've been investigating for two years. Since your father's trial. He looked at me directly. The evidence against him was perfect. Too perfect. Someone spent years building that case. I testified because I believed it was real. But afterward... things didn't add up.
My heart pounded. My father's journal mentioned you. He said you suspected something was wrong. That you were working together.
Adrian's eyes widened. You have his journal?
Yes. He wrote that someone called 'the Spider' was manipulating everything. That you two needed to expose them together. I finished the last stitch. Then he died before he could tell you whatever he'd discovered.
And someone's been searching for that journal ever since. Adrian stood carefully, testing the stitches. That's why they're targeting you. They think you have proof.
I might. But I don't understand half of what he wrote. It's coded. Vague.
Show me.
I hesitated. Trusting Adrian Ravenshade felt like stepping off a cliff.
But he'd just saved my life. And my father had trusted him.
It's in my chambers. Hidden.
We'll get it tomorrow. Right now, it's too dangerous. He moved to a chest, pulling out clean clothes. You should rest. The bed's through there. I'll sleep out here.
Adrian. The name felt strange on my tongue. Why are you helping me?
He paused. When he looked at me, something raw showed in his eyes.
Because your father was a good man who died for discovering the truth. Because your brother is innocent. Because this whole situation is wrong. He took a breath. And because whether you believe it or not, I'm not the monster you think I am.
Before I could respond, someone pounded on the door.
We both froze.
Lord Ravenshade! a guard's voice called. Emergency! The Queen demands your presence immediately!
Adrian cursed under his breath. What's happened?
It's the young king, my lord. He's collapsed. The physicians think he's been poisoned.
My blood went cold. Poisoned? Like Marcus?
Adrian's face went grim. No. Worse. The king's been dying slowly for years. If he's collapsed... He grabbed his sword. This changes everything.
Why?
He looked at me, and for the first time, I saw real fear in his eyes.
Because if the king dies, the Queen Regent becomes absolute ruler. No more pretense. No more limits on her power. He opened the door. And the first thing she'll do is eliminate everyone who might challenge her.
Everyone like who?
Everyone like us.
He left, the door slamming behind him.
I stood alone in his chambers, mind racing.
The king was dying. The Queen would become absolute ruler. And Adrian and I—married against a backdrop of conspiracy and lies, were targets.
I moved to the window, staring out at the palace grounds.
That's when I saw them.
Dozens of guards moving through the courtyard. Not regular patrols. These moved with purpose. Surrounding buildings. Blocking exits.
And they were all heading toward one location.
The dungeons.
Where Marcus was being held.
My heart stopped.
Whatever was happening, it was happening now. And my brother was right in the middle of it.
I grabbed a cloak and ran for the door.
As I yanked it open, a figure stepped out of the shadows.
Helena.
Going somewhere? she asked sweetly.
But her hand held a knife.