his eyes narrowing on her as the troll gave her an apologetic look and shook his head.
“We can’t allow that, ati,” he muttered reluctantly. “We have our orders.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Orders to keep me locked in this room day after day?”
The male shifted uncomfortably but nodded his head. “Yes, mistress.”
“It’s been days though!” she shouted. “I understand that Silvas is worried, but this is ridiculous.”
The troll shrugged. “Be that as it may, we can’t let you out. He said to keep you here, confined within the walls of this room. You’re not to be allowed loose in the palace. We are not to allow you out nor anyone inside without express orders to do so. The command comes from the lucomo. He will see to you when he returns.”
A blinding pain of betrayal struck her, locking her fingers tightly together with the tension that snapped through every muscle.
She couldn’t believe it. He left, and was actually keeping her imprisoned within the room while he pursued Cacus without her. Her hand dropped from the door. So much for the bullshit about needing her. She had swallowed that and had not only allowed herself to be put in danger, but to lay with him… and she mated with him believing that they were destined for each other. How much of all of that was due to his influence? It had felt so right, but now everything had the distinct smell of bullshit. Her throat tightened as her stomach rebelled with a wave of sickness that seemed rush up from that void within her.
“Oh. I see,” she murmured, ignoring the concern on the troll’s face. Even the other male raised an eyebrow at her as if weighing her reaction. Pulling a stiff smile to her lips she stepped back. “Well, thank you,” she said as she pulled the door shut.
Diana stared at the door for some time, her emotions running through her in a confusing riot. What reason would Silvas have for locking her in the room? She had no doubt that it had something to do with his absence from the bond. He blocked her out and locked her in, obviously quite intentionally. Any thought she had that his absence was unintentional, that perhaps he went somewhere in attending his duties that disrupted the flow between them, vaporized beneath the piercing light of truth. It just left more questions in her mind.
Why would he do this to her?
She paced through the room, her eyes straining toward the garden, hoping to hear anything at all from him as she walked from one side of the room to the other. Over and over she retraced her steps, her turmoil increasing with every pass.
Where exactly was Silvas and why had he so abruptly abandoned her without a word? They were supposed to be in this together!
The thoughts kept circling her mind as she paced until her legs became weary and her energy waned. Desolation was slowly creeping into her as the night trickled by and the moon crept farther through the sky, where it was visible in the narrow break in branches until it sank out of sight. With tears of angry frustration, Diana finally allowed herself to drop across the bed, wet streaks flowing from the corner of her eyes and over her cheekbones to get lost in the hair beyond her temple.
She didn’t know how long she lay there staring at the lines of the ceiling, drawing out pictures from them in her mind. Her breath left her in an unhappy sigh, her eyes drifting shut. She would sleep and hope that the next day brought her something better.
Her eyes closed, darkness swam around her, cut off from the soft glow of the hearth. She allowed herself to settle deeper into the arms of Arx as she sought her rest. A quiet surrounded her, but only for a moment before it was broken. A low, pained groan that swept through the palace, jerking Diana from her sleep. Her skin crawled with the scurry of invisible insects bolting from crevices and hidden corners as Arx shuddered and groaned yet again. Bolting upright, she slipped from the bed, her body bracing as she cringed from the vibrations of pain that erupted from her. The roar of breaking stone and snapping vine filled her as Arx bellowed its fury, but it was not alone in the agony that threaded through her mind.
There was a ripple of anger and fear that rose from all around her