Chapter 91

They came for me after sunset.

Two rogue guards shoved the tower door open. Cindy stood behind them, holding a scrap of black silk that was supposed to be a dress.

“Time to impress the Rogue King,” she said.

I forced myself off the bed. She gave me a moment to change, and the thin fabric clung to my skin, barely reaching mid-thigh. It felt like wearing a spiderweb.

As we walked through the castle, the temperature plummeted, the damp stone soaking up whatever heat was left in my body.

“You look nervous,” Cindy said to me.

“I’m a prisoner waiting for my second round of torture,” I replied. “I’m doing great.”

Cindy hid a smile.

“Try not to provoke Silas tonight,” she warned under her breath. “Just follow every order he gives you.”

That answer stayed with me long after she stopped speaking.

Eventually the corridor opened onto a massive inner courtyard hidden deep inside the castle walls.

I f