Destined for Deception ✔️

Chapter 30

To be back at the Royal Prison at all was a punishment, but twice in one week was more than Ryleigh was willing to put herself through. Only she had no choice – both because Alder expected this from her and because she herself was pungently aware of the time restraints of their mission – and so she returned a few days after her last conversation with Corbin.

It felt rather pointless, and more than a little desperate, to try to change her father's mind when she knew it was made up. She had better things to do with her time than pulling at a dead horse. If it weren't this important, she would've let it rest, but alas.

"I wondered when you were going to be back," Corbin said. He was sitting on his bed again, one leg drawn up, his arm loosely resting on top of his knee. He looked a mess. He hadn't been given the opportunity to shave or have a bath since he'd been incarcerated, so he looked wild and gross.

"Trust me, there's not many places I wouldn't rather be right now," Ryleigh said.

"I don't mind it. As long as Alder thinks that you're his best chance of getting information out of me, he won't bother with silver. Not that I care either way. He can use whatever torture he wants – getting silvered or having to listen to you – it won't make a difference."

"Maybe," Ryleigh said.

Once again, Alder was in the room with her, as well as a ship-load of guards. Parker was standing beside her, far enough off to the side that he wasn't in Corbin's direct line of sight, but close enough to protect her from whatever danger he'd constructed in his head. She would tell him that he was merely her mode of transportation and that she didn't need protection, but it was far too adorable to see him so eager to be her hero, so she held her tongue.

"Desperation isn't a good look on you," Corbin said.

"And that beard isn't a great look on you, but you don't hear me complaining." She strayed closer to the bars, creating a false sense of privacy. Not that she could ever forget that Alder was breathing down her neck, of course, but the least she could do was pretend. She did love to ignore him.

"You reek of Parker," Corbin said, which threw her off-guard. "You've finally caved, then?"

"That's none of your business."

"I disagree. It's funny, though. When I suggested you and he mate, you ran away and got yourself imprisoned, and now you've come together on your own. If you'd just trusted me to start with, everything would be different now."

She had to give him that much. If she hadn't run, she wouldn't have gotten imprisoned, wouldn't have met Austin, wouldn't have gone to Midnight Moon, meaning that Jade wouldn't have gone to Midnight Moon, meaning that she never would have met Aaron, meaning that she wouldn't be the princess now, meaning that she wouldn't be abducted. But Cerise would still have been Cerise and she would have reared her ugly head sooner or later. Still, he had a point.

"I didn't run because you wanted me to mate Parker, though," she said. "That was just my pretence. I ran because you're self-absorbed and because you were going to drive us all to ruin. And because you wouldn't let me kill Alder. Mostly that."

She didn't look back, but she heard the guards shuffle indignantly at hearing that. She almost smiled and had to resist the urge to steal a glance at Alder. He probably didn't react to her statement at all. It's not like he didn't know her sentiments.

"Fair enough," he said. "But that only makes it more ironic that you should be standing beside Alder right now, doesn't it?" He scratched his beard, his eyes lazily flitting over her. "When Jade came here to beg me to help them, I was not surprised. I was expecting it. After all, she's one of them now. But I thought you would have higher values."