Chapter 12

• ZARA POV
• SEVENTEEN DAYS LATER
• The heavy wooden door and window, barred and locked, loomed in front of me. Outside, a guard stood watch, his presence a constant reminder of my imprisonment. It was a foolish attempt to flee when my father was away, thinking I was safe. Paul, my father's ruthless second-in-command, relished the opportunity to inflict pain upon me, a pleasure he had been denied since the night of the ill-fated ball. I should have known he'd been keeping tabs on me.