slapped onto it. One slice of some kind of meat. Peas, I assumed. They were a little squished. And a chunk of bread.
None of it held any appeal, so I rolled onto my side to stare at the tray. The guards would hit the door when it was time for me to slide it back out to them.
But, tonight, they didn’t. The door opened, and two guards rushed into the room before I knew what was happening.
“Hands against the wall,” one guard said. “Feet spread.”
There was no putting off their request. Only once had I hesitated, and I’d quickly learned my lesson when my face was shoved against the cement floor.
I did what they asked, instinctively glancing at the bed where the book would be sitting in plain sight. But it wasn’t there.
As I stood out of the way, the guards tossed the cell. They lifted the mattress, stripped the bed, and dug through the small foot locker meant to store clothes and toiletries.
“It’s clear,” one of them called.
A shadow darkened my door as the prison doctor came to stand in the frame. She breathed in, lifted an eyebrow, and took a step inside.
Her heels clacked against the floor as she strolled the short perimeter of my room. “I smell something I shouldn’t.”
It was probably the food. Or the guards. They were pretty sweaty after lifting up the mattress and digging through my locker.
She approached me, gaze on my collar before flicking to my eyes and back again. “I’m fae, like you. And I know what magic smells like.”
Breathing in, I searched for any remnant of lavender or earth, but there was nothing. Whatever she smelled was imperceptible to me.
So, I shrugged.
“Hold her,” the doctor said, and a moment later, the guards were gripping my arms. She reached out, touched my collar, and it fell away.
The doctor caught it before it could crash on the floor. “Let’s have a little talk, banshee. How does that sound?”
I swallowed. Just because I saw the collar in her hands didn’t mean something wouldn’t happen if I tried to speak. Eyeing her, I shook my head.
“Go on,” she prompted. “Make just a little sound. You can even say my name. Dr. Brina. Go on.”
I touched my tongue behind my teeth in preparation for the word.
She waved her hand to encourage me, but now that I could speak, the words were caught in my throat.
Rolling her eyes, she nodded at the guard. A quick jolt of electricity hit my side, and I cried out.
But that was it. Energy had sparked, but then it died, leaving no lingering effects. Okay, then. “What do you want to talk about?” It was strange to hear my voice after so long. I placed my hand on my throat, just because I could, and swallowed.
“So you can still speak,” she said, almost to herself. “You’re controlling your voice to avoid pain. I’m quite pleased with my experiment. What do you think?”
That wasn’t a question that deserved a serious answer, so I ignored it. One of the guards squeezed my arm in warning. “It’s not my favorite,” I answered, and she laughed.
“No, I suppose not. You don’t smell the magic?”
“I don’t,” I replied, grateful that was the truth. In general, I was a bad liar. My face flushed from my cheeks to my neck and even along my collarbones, giving away when I was overwhelmed or uncomfortable. So, I was glad that I could answer honestly. In this instant, no, I couldn’t smell the change of magic.
“Hmm.” She didn’t seem satisfied with my answer. “I was surprised the princes asked to see you. They had assured us they wanted nothing to do with you and didn’t care what happened to you here.” Winking, she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Except the guardian. Ronan. He wanted you dead.”
Of course, he did.
“Anyway,” she continued, “I just wanted to stop in to make sure you’ve suffered no ill-effects of the collar. No trouble eating or breathing?”
Was she serious?
Her gaze flicked to the guard, so I answered quickly, “No.” I’d avoid as much pain as possible.
“Wonderful.” She swirled her hand in the air, and the collar suddenly clicked around my throat. It was lightweight, but after having that brief reprieve, it had become a thousand pounds.
“The only reason we should need to take it off,” she continued, stepping back toward the open door, “is if I come up with something better. In the meantime, I think this still does the trick, don’t you?” She