Chapter 26

• Chloe sat at the vanity in her chamber, combing her long hair. The castle was quiet, and she let her mind wander, thinking of getting her kingdom back and becoming queen again. Suddenly, the latch of her door clicked, and a man stepped into her room, his face shrouded by the shadows of the hallway.
• "Who are you?" Chloe demanded, her hand instinctively reaching for the hair stick at her side. "You have no business in my chamber."
• The man stepped closer, the flickering candlelight casting sinister shadows across his face. Chloe’s heart raced as she realized he was no man of noble birth, and he looked like a common criminal with the eyes of a predator.