Chapter 73. He's Dead

Ainslee

I may actually have worn a hole in the carpet by the time there’s another knock at my door. Zoey goes to answer it, then closes the door quickly and stands in front of it, paler than I’ve ever seen her.

“Zoey, what…?” I begin, starting her way.

The door shakes in its frame as an incessant banging starts. “Zoey, open this door right now!” Kris shouts.

“No!” Zoey shouts back bravely.

“Zoey,” I say in a whisper, once I’m beside her, “I can’t have you executed. You’re the best friend I’ve got in this place.”

“As your friend, Princess, I am standing between you and that door,” Zoey replies firmly, crossing her arms and not letting me pass.

The door shudders under Kris’s fist. “Zoey! I swear I will filet you slowly over a bed of nails if you do not open the door this instant!”

I try to push past Zoey, but she stands firm. We dance back and forth a bit, then I finally manage to sneak past her.

“What?!” I demand,