#Chapter 66: Bargain

Evelyn I sat on the edge of the cot in my tent, knees drawn up to my chest. My hands were shaking in the cool night air, but it wasn’t because they were chilled. They hadn’t stopped shaking since I’d left Jesse in the patch of forest with the fireflies. The lantern hanging from the center tent pole flickered gently, casting shadows that looked far too much like claws reaching for me. All the walls seemed to be closing in. He knew. Jesse knew. He had known for a long time—maybe since the beginning—and yet he’d never said a word until tonight. All the while, he had been biding his time, holding the secret to his chest like a hand of cards, ready to play them at the right moment. Well, now he certainly had. And he knew what most didn’t. That I was the Princess. The King's daughter. He hadn’t said it aloud, but the implication had been as sharp as any blade. The secret I’d tried so hard to bury, the identity I’d walked away from, was now in Jesse’s hands. So much power ha