Page 2 of The Stygian Crown
Kara winced at the honorific.
Logan pulled her toward him and found her face within the cloak’s hood, grasping her cheeks in his hands. “No goodbyes. I’ll see you soon.” He tilted her head up to kiss her, and his lips were desperate and hungry when they met hers. They said farewell, even if he wouldn’t. She wrapped her hands around his neck and clashed her lips with his, tasting him. The spicy flavor of his blood danced on her tongue, and Kara realized she’d nicked his lip with her teeth.
Logan groaned and pulled her to him, crushing her in a tight embrace.
She buried her face in his neck and breathed deep, trying to capture the smell of him for safekeeping.
“Stay safe, little spitfire,” he whispered.
“You too, Logan.”
And then he was gone, striding towards Char and mounting in one smooth motion. He nodded to her once, and Kara tried to sear how he looked now, hair out of place and lips red from her brutal kisses, into her mind. And then he was galloping away.
The hole in Kara’s chest spread, threatening to collapse.
Someone coughed, and Kara followed the noise. Serena leaned against an imposing stone column to the right, her dark hair framing her olive face and expressive brown eyes. Her hair was loose, and she was dressed in a simple cream blouse and leather breeches.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be back. He’s got that look in his eye.”
Kara quickly snuffed the flame of jealousy that threatened to rear its head. There was nothing between Serena and Logan now besides tense friendship, and the woman had saved her life on multiple occasions.
“Are you ready to begin?”
“Yes.” Staying busy would distract her from missing the other half of her heart.
“Then follow me, my lady.”
Kara stilled. The title was going to take some getting used to. Serena led her back through a different entrance into an unfamiliar wing of the castle. She struggled to keep from gawking at her surroundings. White marble floors covered in royal blue carpet runners led to an imposing split staircase at the head of the room. An enormous crystal chandelier dangled overhead, catching sunlight from the windows and refracting it. The entrance hall was flanked by statues carved into creatures of legend—a siren, her face contorted in ecstasy as she was swallowed by a wave. A horse with wings that spanned ten feet across, each feather wrought in glorious detail. Kara traced her hand over a wingtip, running the pads of her fingers across the individual barbs.
“It takes some getting used to,” Serena said.
Kara drug her eyes from one extravagance to another as she followed Serena up the marble steps. She hated that she thought it was beautiful. The second story featured endless hallways and doors leading to an untold number of rooms. Portraits of royalty hung on the walls, their austere gazes staring down at her.
Serena stopped in front of a room at the end of the hall and opened the door, ushering her in. “Your new quarters.”
The room wasn’t as garish as the one she’d stayed in at Baroness Valancourt’s in Travincal, thank the goddess, but it was still uncomfortably lavish. A fire blazed in the hearth, which was carved out of the same white stone as the statues. Gold and grey veins streaked through the marble and splintered out across the mantelpiece. A bed large enough for three people sat in front of the fire. It was dressed in stark white linens, and a diaphanous blue curtain hung from the four-poster canopy, flowing down to the floor. Kara wanted to climb into the bed and shut herself inside the curtain for a while.
Serena strode past the bed to a walnut-colored armoire and snapped open the doors, revealing a dark green gown beaded with white pearls. “Put this on. I’m taking you to meet the king.”
“Excuse me?” Kara’s jaw hung slack.
“We need to hammer out the details of your employment, and he wants to meet you before you begin.”
Serena passed her the gown, and Kara stood there, clenching the heavy fabric. “This is all happening very quickly.”
“If you can navigate Vakarian, you can navigate anyone. You’ll do fine.” Serena opened a drawer in the armoire and began chucking pieces of white fabric onto the bed, including stockings, a slip, and a corset.
“Who am I pretending to be?” Kara laid the gown on the bed and began to undress.
“Lady Celine Grey, newly come to court in search of a husband.”
Kara paused, her shirt halfway over her head. “What?”
“It’s the best cover. You can bond with the other debutantes or attend soirees with their mothers, and it will allow you to get close to any single men you’re investigating without raising suspicion.”
“Mother Night. Did Logan know about this plan?”
“What do you think?” Serena asked, arching an eyebrow.
