She shoved her doubts aside.
Castien had not betrayed her. The man she knew would never wear a leash, not even hers. Oh, it wouldn't be proof enough for Vern, but he didn't know Castien like she did. In that brief glimpse into his eyes last night, he had looked so lost.To anyone watching her, they would assume her stare was full of hate. Every once in a while, Yelena spun her wrist, wrapping the leash around her palm once, twice, forcing Castien to sit up straighter. Still, his attention was on anything but Anais.
Meek, obedient, quiet. He wasn’t behaving normally at all.
If he would only meet her eyes. Would she find her hatred reflected, or the same lost look of regret and agony?
She demanded one of the slaves taste her food. After a few minutes, she ate, her focus entirely on Castien. The few courtiers who had no business approaching her were dismissed with casual threats. She kept her ears open but only heard Yelena’s blatant flirting with the Akeramian prince.
If Castien had betrayed her, she'd kill him. The practical side of her understood that. But he hadn't. Instead, she contemplated killing a Queen and to all the hells with the consequences.
Chapter 24
Anais
After breakfast, in which she forced herself to sit calmly as Yelena fed Castien from her claws, he was dismissed and ordered to the barracks for training. Two guards trailed after him.
Anais moved to follow.
“Queen Anais!” A flash of gold preceded the Akeramian prince as he blocked her path. He grinned and bowed. “Forgive me, highness, I didn’t get a chance to greet you properly yesterday.”
She glanced past him. Castien had disappeared.
Balak chuckled. “She won’t let you near him, but if you wish your wayward courtesan dead, I’ll gladly accomplish the task.”
Her court mask snapped into place, cold and cruel. “You’re familiar with theft, pirate. Take my vengeance from me, and the debt transfers to you. I do not care about the tournament or the truce. I will not care about the rules of engagement. He is mine.”
The tips of her claws pressed against his arm. He seemed fascinated by her hand, smiling down before gently sliding his fingers beneath her claws. Then his fingers curled. Tighter. “Ah, a passionate woman is a beautiful thing. I will be careful, of course, but accidents happen in combat. It’s so difficult to ensure no harm comes to your prey.” He lifted her hand to his lips. The kiss he pressed to her skin was a challenge. When hereleased her, deep indents lined his palm – the slightest bit more pressure and he would have bled.
She had underestimated him. The pretty performance in her court had been just that – a performance.
Her gaze scanned the whispering courtiers. “Not here.”
Triumph lit his eyes. “I would be honored to entertain you in my chambers. No courtesan could compare to a true prince.” With a wink, he strolled out of the hall, his attendants quickly joining him.
Castien should be relatively safe while he was training. Yelena would want his death to be a public spectacle.
She had to prevent the spectacle today. Waiting until the tournament would be too late.
The same guards who had guided her to breakfast followed her back to the ambassadors’ hall. Vern would deal with them. Everything was easier knowing there was someone she could rely on, she had to admit. She shouldn’t have abandoned Jerome. They should have all stayed together.
She rubbed her temple. Her mother would have been infuriated with her poor decisions. A Queen does not act on emotion. A Queen does not walk blindly into enemy territory. A Queen makes sacrifices.
Her mother would have left her lover to die. That wasn’t an option.
Anais waved impatiently at the door to the prince’s chambers. One of her guards hesitated, then knocked.
The prince himself flung open the door. “Dear Queen Anais! Please, come in, be welcome!” He bowed his way backward.
Within, one of his guards stood by the window, the other glaring from a corner near the door. They both wore curved swords in Akeramian fashion, as well as plated armor over chainmail.
Anais halted a step inside. “I will speak to you alone or not at all.”
One of her guards cleared his throat. “I'm afraid that's not possible–”
“Of course it is!” Prince Balak interrupted. “Who are you to refuse a Queen? Besides, these chambers are designated for diplomatic representatives, which we both are. I see no reason why we can't have a civil conversation. See them out, my ladies.”
The glaring woman only moved after her partner eased her way past Anais. With a parting warning glance, the door shut behind her.
