Thatprompted a response. Every muscle in my body locked up, because I hadn’t considered the kiss.Whyhad I not considered the kiss?
Kyven scanned my face. I swore he clocked the dread writhing in my stomach, because he smiled knowingly and turned to the officiant. “I think we’ll save that for later. For when we don’t have a pair of beady little eyes hungering for a free performance.”
The man huffed. “Look, I don’t care what you do, so long as I get my fee. I’ve done my bit, so Olivian’d better cough up some of those coins he’s hoarding. Now, why don’t you two run along and have yourselves a nice life? Shouldn’t be hard, living here all comfy-like.”
He stalked from the room before I could correct him.
Vick trailed the man as far as the doors. His vulpine features conveyed an impatience to get on with his evening, whatever that consisted of. Amryssa hovered at his elbow, silent.
“Well,” Kyven said. “That was rather anticlimactic.”
I hesitated. The doorway resembled the maw of some ravenous beast, ready to swallow me up.
Once I passed through, everything would change. Upstairs lay long halls and closed doors and privacy, and once I had the prince sequestered in my room, his mask would fall away. Then I’d find out just how deep the water I’d jumped into ran.
Many, many fathoms, I suspected.
Kyven—oh goddess, myhusband, what the fuck?—offered his arm. I swallowed my revulsion and took it, then forced my feet to move, though it felt distinctly like being dragged.
Halfway to the door, Lunk astonished me by crushing Kyven into a hug.
I hung back, taking the opportunity to toss my peonies away beneath a chair. Kyven’s attendant clung to him, and if I hadn’t known better, I would’ve suspected true warmth existed between these men. Tears streaked the giant’s face as he beamed a broken-toothed smile over Kyven’s shoulder. I echoed the gesture, then wondered why I’d bothered, but Lunk seemed so overjoyed that I couldn’t regret it too much.
When the big man finally let go, the vine at my wrist went taut, giving me no choice but to follow my new husband toward the door.
Vick nodded as we passed. “It’s done, then. On to the next step.”
The pronouncement gave me pause. What the hell did that mean,the next step?And why did Vick’s Hightower accent sound so...different than Kyven’s? It was stiffer, more hesitant. As if he’d pondered each syllable beforehand.
I squinted, but Vick’s expression revealed nothing. I hurried onward, disconcerted.
In the great hall, Kyven mounted the staircase. Amryssa trailed after us, her eyes downcast. Apparently she’d taken my earlier warnings to heart.
Say nothing.Don’t even look at anyone.
On the second floor, we threaded up the narrow staircase to the tower. While we climbed, Eliana’s words spread like a stain on my mind, a black rot I couldn’t scrape away.
As Kyven grew, he left behind a trail of little deaths, and later, some not-so-little deaths.
All too soon, we reached Amryssa’s door. She finally met my gaze, abject terror in her eyes.
Oddly enough, her fear granted me courage like nothing else could. After all, I’d done this for her. Now only one last hurdle remained. Then she’d be free of this. Ofhim.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered, pulling her into a hug. “Just...try to ignore the screaming, all right?”
She stiffened. “Harlowe. No. What if he?—”
I snatched my keyring from her grip, then shooed her into her bedroom and locked the door. Thankfully, she didn’t scream. Didn’t fight.
She never did.
That done, I drew a tattered breath and turned to the man I’d married.
Time to invite him in. Time for us to be alone.
7.
Kyven’s brows arched as he crossed the threshold into my room. “You lock your keymistress in at night? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
