Chapter 6

"What!" Aurora's voice came out sharp and high. Her heart jumped in her chest like a scared rabbit. The word hung in the air between them, heavy and full of fear. She could feel her hands shake at her sides.

Arthur looked at her with calm eyes. His face was soft, not angry like she thought it would be. "I saw you try to follow me," he said. His voice was low and steady. "You wanted to talk to me alone. But Silas's mother was watching you too close."

Aurora felt her cheeks burn red. Had she been that easy to see? Her stomach twisted with shame. She had thought she was being smart, but Arthur had seen right through her. "I... I..." she started, but the words would not come.

"You are in great danger," she finally said. The words rushed out of her mouth like water from a broken dam. "Silas wants to kill you. He wants to kill all your men. This whole party... it is a trap." Her voice got smaller with each word. She felt like a mouse telling a cat about the other cats.

Arthur's dark eyes di