I felt like a prisoner.

A prisoner in the most beautiful place I'd ever been in but a prisoner, nonetheless. I was taken to a room and had been basically left alone. The only interaction I had was with Oren when he would knock on the door and hand over my meals.

I wasn't allowed to leave and I was definitely not allowed to talk to anyone else. The fear was that I'd be found out as human and then -

Well, no one would tell me what would happen then.

Maybe looked down on - as if I hadn't been used to that by now.

After the revelation about the throne, I jumped off of it like it was on fire. Damien had left me with Oren after he almost laughed himself in stitches over it.

And he disappeared. I hadn't seen him since. Which was troubling since I wanted to speak to him about what I'd learn about the queens.

Suddenly, Leah as a queen didn't seem like such a good idea. Even if Damien was in love with her.

Oren escorted me to my room soon afterward.

It was a stunning room much larger than my own with its own bathroom and fireplace but no windows. I had a couple of books and a television to keep me busy but after a couple of hours of no contact with anyone else I'd already gotten uneasy.

I didn't have my phone - somehow it'd gone missing in the aftermath of the night before so I couldn't call or text anyone or even go on social media. The channels on the TV were cable with nothing local to my home to know what happened with Mia.

I was essentially cut off from the world.

And the fact that I wasn't allowed to leave the room or talk to anyone else added insult to injury.

After a day, I was determined to get any information. I slowly opened the door to my room to find the solitary guard, Oren, standing there in an otherwise large and empty hallway.

His pose was stoic and imposing as he stood at the door. He didn't turn towards me. "Yes, Lady Emylin?"

I cleared my throat. "Any new information?"

He shook his head but still didn't look at me. "No, my lady."

I sighed and leaned against the door. "Any way I can get out of here?"

He shook his head with a small laugh. "No, my lady."

I groaned. "Not even to stretch my legs?"

He shook his head again.

I was fuming, "Does he really think that throwing me into a room for days without any contact is going to keep me safe?"

This time, he did look, his caramel eyes seemed to look right through me. "Yes."

I swallowed hard. When I was younger I always imagined what other of his kind looked like. Were they like Damien? Were they handsome, beautiful, just as breathtaking as him?

In the last day, I got my answer.

Yes. Yes, they all were.

Oren could have fit in as a famous Hollywood actor with his rugged good looks.

Rugged, since he looked like he had hard labor at some part of his life whereas Damien did not. For a moment, I wondered how old he was. He didn't seem older than Damien - though none of the others did either.

And I was gawking.

I shook my head. "There has to be something, anything I could do?"

He gave a handsome crooked smile. "No, Lady Emylin. The Guard is still tracking this man down. The King got a good look at him, it's only a matter of time."

I frowned. "Why aren't you out there with them? I mean, it must be so much more to do out there than just standing outside my door."

He shook his head and looked ahead of him to the other side of the hall. "No, my lady, I am where I'm needed."

"Why are you calling me 'my lady'? Please call me Emmy. I don't think I can get used to this."

As the conversation continued he seemed to start to relax, he was starting to relax his shoulders, turn towards me. "King Warren gave you the title of 'Lady of Elendil' for saving the current king's life."

I scratched my head. "I don't think I did all that-"

"I was there, my lady, you saved his life. You were very brave."

"Wait," I shook my head. "What do you mean you were there?" I looked him over. "How old are you?"

He laughed. "I've been around for a while, my lady." His eyes flickered to my neck. "I want to apologize for the Mark. We will find who did this."

"What does it mean, 'being marked'? Kymra mentioned it but no one has told me what it means."

He looked at me for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not he should tell me.

I sighed. Secrets.

The reason Damien and I had been at arm's length of each other up until recently. And for what?

"Please," I whispered. "No more secrets. It really hasn't kept me out of trouble - if anything I'm the most uninformed person in this place. It really has me at a disadvantage."

He nodded in contemplation and eventually he spoke. "Marks were used many centuries ago by men to mark their intended."

I was afraid to ask. "Their intended?"

He nodded solemnly. "The women they would marry. It made the women docile - tampered with their magic so they were easier to control. It's very old, dark magic."

I felt the wind knocked out of me. Maybe secrets did have their advantages.

"The practice was banned by King Augus once he came to power. He deemed it too barbaric. The King is furious, he wants no stone left unturned."

"Does that mean -" I reached for my neck. How could I be so much trouble?

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think it's to marry you. You are human - you also have no magic to control. I don't foresee any consequences from this. Perhaps they thought you were the future Alteaza and thought to control you before the king could marry."

I shook my head. "I don't understand why they think I'm Leah. I'm human like you said. You can't confuse me with her, I mean look at me!"

He shook his head. "The King was holding your hand at the club last night for everyone to see."

Of course. I closed my eyes in defeat. "I remember now." It was when he apologized for leaving for so long while we were on the balcony. And everyone saw.

The time he had spent with Leah was in the private room where only those in the bachelorette party could see. Everyone in the club could see the activity on the balcony. How long had the man been following us?

Oren sighed. "At least that's the theory."

I nodded absently.

He reached out to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. My eyes met his.

"We will find this man, Lady Emylin."

I nodded, trying to keep the tears from spilling.

Damien was right. Things were only getting worse.

"Thank you," I finally managed to say. "For telling me the truth. I appreciate it."

He gave a small smile and nodded quickly.

I laughed wryly. "Anything else I should know?"

He chuckled. "The future queen is not happy."

I crossed my arms and looked at my feet. "Is it because of Mia? They were very good friends."

He shook his head. "She doesn't seem to be too sad about that."

I frowned. "I guess everyone mourns in their own ways. Is it because the attention is not on her?"

Oren was trying to hide a smile but I knew that meant.

"I'm right?!" I asked too loud making it echo down the hall. I placed my hand over my mouth. "Oops." I sighed. "I guess I would be mad too? Imagine the week of your wedding and everyone is looking for a psycho killer."

He shook his head. "That's not why. We interrupted you and the King in the throne room. You sat on her throne."

I scoffed. "I don't understand why I have to keep saying this to everyone - there is no way, that anything would ever happen between Damien and me. Never. Not in ever. And her throne, that was a mistake. It's not like I want to steal her crown or anything. Not like I could."

He chuckled but then turned serious. "Were you close to the girl?"

The sudden shift in conversation took me off guard but eventually I was able to answer.

I sighed sadly. "No, not really. She wasn't very kind to me. Until recently actually when Leah was away. She wanted to hang out with me but I never took her up on it. Do you know if they found her?"

Oren was unabashed at sharing information - from how they made it look like an accident to how they led the police there. They'd use magic to make it look like she took a tumble in the alley and that she wasn't brutally murdered.

It felt strange, knowing what really happened to what the rest of the world would see.

It made me think of how many accidents were really related to Damien and his kind rather than actual accidents.

It was easier on the family, Oren had assured me, rather than an unsolved murder.

He was right in that at least.

"Oh," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. "The King asked me to give this to you in case you were bored."

I looked at the old, worn package and laughed. "A deck builder."

Oren frowned.

"It's a card game," I explained. "This is a one player game but I think it's much more exciting with two players. Do you want to play?"

His eyes traveled into the room then he shook his head. "I don't think it's proper for me to come in, my lady."

"Emmy," I corrected. "And we're only going to play a card game. Besides, who's going to notice? I'm supposed to be invisible, remember?"