Glint (The Plated Prisoner, #2)

by Raven Kennedy

I might not have magic, but resentment is a powerful thing.

Time changes with torment. It stretches on, lengthening seconds, extending minutes. I’ve learned that pain and fear have a way of prolonging. And as if that weren’t cruel enough, our minds make sure we relive those moments again and again and again, long after they’ve passed. What a bastard, time is.

“The goldfinch likes her cage. What a shame.”

“I’m fine.” “If you insist on lying, at least be better at it.” He’s got it wrong there. I am fine, and I’m also excellent at lying. After all, I’ve been lying to myself for years. Pretty lies cover up a lot of ugly truths.

“We’re all captives of something, even things we don’t want to admit to.”

“Oh, I do,” he counters, voice low, rough, like two stones clashing together, trying to ignite. “I can’t wait to see the rest of you. When you let it go, when you finally let that out, your fury is going to light up the spirit you’ve shadowed.” He looks like someone who’s won, boasting in superiority. “I hope you burn so bright that you scorch your Golden King down to ash.”

Great Divine, where’s a hole in the ground when you need it?

Did I think he was beautiful before? I take it all back. He’s an ugly bastard.

Plotting is what I’m best at. A good thing too, since I lack both of the traits that this world respects: power and a penis. A shame that I lack the first, but the second? I’ve found that most of the people who have those are altogether disappointing.

“Kindness shouldn’t have to be earned. It should be freely given.”

But they were honorable. Not once did I fear for my life, not once was I abused or used. Instead, I was treated with respect, and I suspect there’s one person in particular to thank for that. An army is only as good as its commanding officer.

Osrik’s words blare in my ears. I’ll never get how you fucking stand it. Right now, in this moment, I realize. I can’t.

Midas may have put me on a pedestal, but I put him on one too. The height of those foundations made it impossible for us to look each other in the eye.

I’ve been bending over backwards for so long that I forgot I even had a spine.