The Keeper's Flame (A Pandoran Novel, #2) Read Online Free Page A

“charming” for the festival—which, to him, equated to wearing dresses.
    But I was pretty sure “charming” was an attitude, and one I didn’t possess.
    “Where is he?” I asked.
    The treetops overhead creaked and moaned as the wind blew, and now that my adrenaline was wearing off, my nose and ears started burning from the cold.
    “In the library,” Thad continued. “He says he’s got some very important things to discuss with you…and I don’t think you’re gonna like it.”
     
     

Chapter 3
    My Dad, the Prince
     
     
    I walked Calyx back to the castle stables with Thad and Egan as my escort. Thad refused to elaborate on what it was Dad had to tell me, but it didn’t keep him from smiling and shaking his head the entire trip back.
    Once Calyx was situated, we walked past the guards, through the main doors and into the atrium.
    “Really, Thad, do I need to be worried?” I whispered as we walked to the foot of the grand staircase.
    Thad shrugged. “Naw. It’s really nothing you haven’t heard before.”
    I looked at him to explain, but he only smirked and twirled the piece of grass in his mouth.
    “Some help you are,” I mumbled.
    “I aim to please.”
    I rolled my eyes.
    “But, if I were you, I’d come up with some explanation for…” He tapped his cheekbone.
    Oh, yeah. I’d almost forgotten that Denn had punched me. I gently pressed on my cheek and winced in pain. I didn’t need a mirror to know it had left a mark. “Does it look bad?” I asked.
    Thad looked thoughtful. “Define bad.”
    I glanced around for a mirror, but all I could find were tall windows and oversized frowning portraits.
    “Here.” Thad waved his hand over my face and I felt a pulse of energy. “That should help. It’s not gone completely, but it’s faded.”
    I raised a brow. “You sure you didn’t make it worse?”
    He rolled his eyes this time. “Oh, come on. Why would I waste my brilliant pranks on you? You get yourself into enough trouble without me.”
    I glared at him.
    He pretended not to notice. “See you around, eh, Rook?”
    “Is that a threat?”
    He smiled then, showing his teeth. “Absolutely.” He started walking away and motioned for Egan to follow. Egan stopped running around my legs and slinked over to Thad, dragging his tail like a broom across the cold, granite floor.
    “Thad,” I said.
    He glanced over his shoulder.
    “Thanks.”
    He nodded and kept walking. “Egan, come!”
    My boots scraped up the staircase and down the long corridor that led to the library. My legs shook as I walked. This morning’s events replayed through my mind like a terrible nightmare.
    I reached the tall oak doors and paused. There were voices just beyond the door. Dad’s deep voice, answered by one that boomed and sounded very much like…
    I turned the handle and pushed the door in.
    Cicero Del Conte and his wife, Sonya, stood beside him.
    I hadn’t seen the Del Contes since that day, the day he had left, and I certainly didn’t expect the mere sight of them to affect me the way that it did. It was like he was standing there, smiling at me. Cicero’s eyes were his eyes, Sonya’s smile was his smile, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe.
    But then I remembered that he was just a memory, a memory they’d brought with them, a shadow they could not shake. I would never be able to look at them without seeing him; I would never be able to look at them without hurting inside.
    Dad got up from his seat, rushed over to me and pulled me into his thick arms. Winter and cold were on his skin and clothes, and his breath smelled like cinnamon. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered in my ear and pulled back, holding on to my shoulders. “Thad found you?”
    “Yeah,” I said. “He said you wanted to see me?”
    Cicero and Sonya appeared beside us, impatiently waiting their turn.
    Dad sighed and stepped aside, and no sooner had he let go than Sonya wrapped her slender arms around me and stroked my hair. “My