Her voice went back to that tone, smooth and sultry and sweet as spiced milk. “Because I wanted you to chase me. And you did.”

She beamed.

She was crazy.

I scoffed. “Yeah, he just got it all wrong. How romantic.”

She ignored me, and as much as I hated her at the moment, I had to admit; I was impressed with her capability to control herself.

“I just wanted to be with you. That’s all I ever wanted. We could still be together, you know.” She addressed him, but rose and advanced toward me.

I stepped back.

Evander whipped his sword in front of me, as if to protect me, but I could tell that it was wobbling. And if I could see it, she certainly could. “You’re not going to hurt her.”

“Is there any other way? I don’t share, Evander.”

His mouth hung open. “We could find another way. There is… We think there’s a way to break the betrothal bargain.”

His words slapped me like the surface of a lake after a plunge off a nearby cliff.

What about how he wasn’t afraid to be king now that I was by his side? What about all he’d said about how I’d changed him, made him braver, stronger? And then… “How long have you known about this?” I asked, my heart sinking.

He shook his head. “Only the past few weeks. It’s not a firm lead. I didn’t want to tell you until I knew for sure.”

His words shattered my chest. The pain was so poignant, I couldn’t decide what hurt more. That he had acted like he was looking forward to marrying me? That he’d kissed me under the pretense that he truly believed we could fall in love? Or that he had known there was a possibility of breaking the bargain and hadn’t shared it with me?

He’d led me to believe that I had to marry him, and I’d decided to make the best of it. I’d opened my heart up to him…

“So it’s not certain, then?” Cinderella asked, inching closer to me. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“I have hope that it will,” he said.

“I know something that would certainly work.” She was so close now. Did she have another weapon on her? Would Evander hesitate if she attacked me?

“My love, I don’t wish blood on your hands,” he said with such desperation that my heart shattered to a thousand pieces. So stupid. I’d been so stupid to think he cared for me.

And I could tell she had heard the desperation, too. Saw how it convinced her, consoled her.

Cinderella glanced toward the window.

“Then I shall see you soon.” She backed away with a seductive grin toward my balcony, where I noticed for the first time a rope was tied to the banister.

Panic gripped me. “You can’t let her go. She’s just going to come back and finish me off herself.”

Cinderella grinned, her blue eyes sparkling. “Only if it’s necessary.”

I turned to Evander, but if he noticed, he didn’t show any such signs.

“Please. Please. She’s lying. She’s a liar. You can’t just let her go free.”

The woman smiled and gave one last lustful look at Evander before she grabbed the rope and slipped over the balcony.

I lunged for the dagger on the floor and ran after her. I’d saw the rope in half if I had to. She couldn’t get away, not when she’d shown how easy it was for her to threaten my life.

But strong arms surrounded me, stopping me in my tracks.

Hands clutched at my fingertips, the same hands I’d allowed to caress my cheek, my back, my arm just a few hours ago.

Evander pried the knife from my hand.

“She won’t hurt you,” he pleaded. And as I lost grip on the handle, my weight collapsed to the floor. “Ellie, I’m so sorry, but she won’t hurt you this way.”

I pushed him away, crumbling to my shaking knees and burying my face in my hands. “Go away.”

“I couldn’t let her hurt you. I had to say those things.”

I had to say those things. The words only implied that he hadn’t meant them, though the literal interpretation guaranteed no such thing.

And he hadn’t been lying when he told my almost-murderer that his heart belonged to her.

I spun on him and launched to my feet. “You could have stabbed that sword straight through her heart. That’s what you could have done.”

His jaw dropped, and he grasped for words, but I wasn’t done.

“You could have overpowered her. She’s a human girl, for Fate’s sake, Evander. She could be in the jail cells right now awaiting sentencing for attempting to murder the heir’s betrothed. But no. You let her go.”

“I—”

“You let her go.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt, El. I care about you. And you know that’s true, because I can’t lie.”

“Yeah, well, then I also know that what you told her was true, too. That you’ve been looking for a way to end this betrothal. That you’ve found a way to do it, and you didn’t tell me. What were you planning to do? Was getting me to fall in love with you just a back-up plan to make marriage to me more convenient for you if you had to go through with it? Or were you ever going to tell me there was a way to break the bargain?”

“I—”

“No. Stop. I’m not finished. Was that the plan all along? Did you decide to leave out that important information because you and your father think more alike than you’ve led me to believe? When did you decide that I’d make a convenient queen? That I’d run things behind the scenes so that your lazy butt wouldn’t have to?”

His eyes watered, but I didn’t care.

“When, Your Highness? When did you remember that your marriage bargain with me wouldn’t prohibit you from taking a mistress? Sure, obviously she wants me dead, because she wants it all—the power, the glory, the throne, to be seen with you in public. But you were holding onto that idea, weren’t you? That I could be your queen and free you up from your responsibilities so you could have more time to spend with the woman you actually care about.”

“El, I—” He shook his head. “I care about you.”

My voice went quiet. “Stop.”

“El—”