They turned down a few hallways. All of the doors they’d passed were closed. They didn’t encounter anyone along their way. They came to two massive carved oak doors, which her guards pushed open for her. Crossing the threshold, she lifted her head and straightened her shoulders then stepped into the room and into her role.
Mr. Edwards was there, with another man, one tall and muscular like Kelan, but opposite him in every other way. This one was blond with blue, soulless eyes. He looked her over as if she were a luxury car that pleased him. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen him. He was the fourth contender at the arena fight.
“Fiona, this is Erick Ansbach. Erick, your fiancée—and King’s daughter—Fiona Addison.”
Fiona gave him the look of an ice queen. “You were at the fight,” she said.
He grinned. “So were you.”
She looked at Mr. Edwards. “This is your War Bringer? A man who waited to confront his opponent until three others had worn him down? He stabbed the fight’s announcer in the back.”
Anger quickly replaced Erick’s previous humor. “He was stopping the fight. It was interrupted by the police anyway, but I look forward to finishing it.”
Fiona lifted a brow, dismissing his comment, dismissing him. “Mr. Edwards, surely my father has better stock available than him. Or does he want a brood of biddable minions?”
“Fiona!” Mr. Edwards shouted, so affronted by her arrogance that he responded emotionally.
Fiona sighed and gave Erick a slight shake of her head. Her bravery came at a steep cost; her heart was beating so hard, it was about to pop out of her chest and take up residence elsewhere. She started for the door. “Bring me the rest of the choices.”
“Fiona Addison, your father chose Erick after long and careful deliberation.”
“My father, Mr. Edwards, didn’t ask my opinion. And he’s not the one who has to live with the guy I marry.” She opened the door. “I’m going back to my room.” She sent a last disgusted look at both men.
The guards outside the room did not try to stop her. They did escort her all the way to her room, however. Fiona stepped into her room and they closed the door behind her. Maybe she’d scrambled everything enough that the wedding planned for the weekend would be delayed, buying her and Kelan more time to get her out.
*
Both men looked at the open door Fiona had just exited through, feeling a mixture of awe and worry. Erick broke the tense silence.
“You said she was innocent. Malleable.”
Mr. Edwards smiled. “She’s King’s daughter. Did you, by chance, underestimate her?”
“I will remind you that there are no other choices for her. Our union was contracted long ago.”
Mr. Edwards smiled and set a hand on Erick’s shoulder. “You’ve been living in our world. She hasn’t. You can understand it’s a bit of a shock to step into it out of the blue.”
“She is overly attached to the mutt from the warehouse. The imposter War Bringer.”
“She is overly attached to her entire world, but don’t worry about the mutt. I have a plan to deal with him…and his entire team.”
“They’ve been hunting King. And you let them continue to exist. Are you weaker than I thought?”
“They are well connected. I cannot eliminate them without bringing greater scrutiny down on us. Or I couldn’t, until now.”
“What changed things?”
Mr. Edwards smiled. “Your wedding.”
*
Fiona walked into the garden room next to her bedroom. How had her mom gotten involved with these people? And why hadn’t she warned Fiona about them—prepared her at least for what might come? She’d always wondered why her mom had married Alan. When he turned out to be one of King’s pawns, Fiona tried to think whether there was any indication that her mom had known. King probably funded the education she thought Alan had been paying for. Her mom, up until her death, was neck deep in this world.
Fiona decided she had to stow those endless questions. Right now, she had to get out of here. She walked back into her bedroom, making a beeline for her closet and secret tunnel door.
“Hello, daughter.”
Fiona stopped dead. The voice—or rather voices—had come from the sitting area in her room. Slowly, she pivoted to face whoever was in her room. It was just one person. A man, dressed from head to foot in black. He wore some sort of facemask that covered his head and neck, everything except his eyes, but black sunglasses covered those. He wore a plain baseball cap over his hooded mask. A turtleneck, sports coat, jeans, gloves, and boots completed his terrible ensemble.
“You aren’t my father. You don’t have the privilege of addressing me that way.” Where her bravado came from, she didn’t know. Anger; maybe fear. Perhaps he was just going to kill her anyway, so what did it matter?
He chuckled, and his voice modulator fractured the sound into a thousand pieces, all laughing at once. “Mr. Edwards was right. You have gumption.”
“Get out of my room.”
“Whose room?” He stood. He was tall. Not as tall as Kelan, but close. He was fit and moved with ease, but she was unable to discern his age—or anything about him that she could tell Kelan.
“You know what? It’s your room. You have it—I’ll leave.”
“I’ve watched you grow.”
She stopped and turned back to him. “Did you? Well, thank you for keeping your distance.”
“Who said I kept my distance?”
Repulsion sent a shiver across her skin. He came closer. “The breeding program we started so long ago is beginning to bear fruit. Tonight, we will carry on the good work. One thing your mother did right was ensure you stayed a virgin, until that boy almost ruined our plans for you, your sophomore year at college. Remember Danny? Your escapades with him caused your mother’s death. She would have let you be impure.”
The man seemed to smile behind his mask, as if any of that was amusing. At least it was confirmation that her mom had been murdered. Danny had died the same week as her mother—also while driving under the influence. Was King responsible for that as well?
Fiona did force a smile of her own. “What an honor it is to know my father is a murderer.”