“Why wasn’t your sister out there with him for the speech?” Henry whispers.
I swallow the dread caught in my throat. Just being back inside the city walls makes the need to get Aidia away from Rafe more urgent. I have more questions than answers, and while I’m glad Aidia is safe from the Drained, I know the real reason she wasn’t out there holding court beside her husband.
“She’s probably too bruised.”
“Is she not a glamourist?” Henry asks.
I can’t stop the bitter laugh that slips out. “She won’t cover up for him. She likes to make my parents and Rafe look at it. They’d rather hide her away than have her look weak, and Aidia would rather endure any punishment than perform for them. It’s always been like that.”
This is too close, too intimate, just too much. I need anything else to deflect from the sore spot he’s prodding.
Henry hums low, but his aura curls around me in an almost protective way. “I should come in with you when you go to speak with them.”
“You should stay the fuck away. Henry, my family is private.”
“I’m your family.” He says it so calmly.
“You’re my duty.”
“What’s the difference at this point?”
It’s a fair question, but I don’t need to explain this to him now. “I am duty-bound to you. I am blood-bound to them.”
“Which comes first?”
A test of a question if ever there was one. “Whichever will deal me the least damage today.Icome first.”
He laughs, a real laugh. When I glance over my shoulder at him, he looks as surprised as I feel. “I wasn’t expecting you to answer honestly.”
“Have you not learned yet, Henry? It’s not about your agenda or their agenda. It’s always been about my own.” I peek at him out of the corner of my eye. I need a way to get him out of the house so I can figure out what’s going on with my father and Able. “When we get to the house, my mother is going to want to hear everything about the wedding. I know she’ll invite us both for dinner, and I’ll be stuck there for hours. Would you go check on Aidia?”
I sense his surprise more than feel it. “She hasn’t even met me.”
“Yes, but if I go, Rafe will be awful and he’ll make sure to keep her from me. You have to understand that he’s the kind of man who wants to humble the world. Just your presence will be a challenge, and while Aidia won’t glamour herself for anyone else, she’s nosy enough that she’ll do it so she can meet you.”
The more I talk, the more I realize how insane it sounds. But I honestly believe what I’m saying.
“You were so anxious to see her,” he says.
“I know,” I say, craning my neck and shifting in the saddle to look athim. “And I still am, but I will just feel better if you set eyes on her today. I know these politics are complicated, but Rafe will know how much I want to see her, and there’s nothing he loves more than to make a woman miserable. She always finds a way to sneak out, but if you go, she’ll know I’m here to check on her.”
The longer Henry is quiet, the more certain I am he knows I’m just trying to get rid of him for a few hours.
“What reason do I give for being there?” he says finally.
“An invitation to Aidia and him for a post-wedding family dinner tomorrow night. You want to invite them as the newest member of the family.”
“Rafe’s magic?”
The thought of it sends a violent shiver through me. My mouth is so dry I can barely get the word out. “Polm.”
If ever there was a man who was made in the image of the Divine of Malice, it’s Rafe Mattingly. Most of the time, I put it out of my head so I don’t have to think about how he might be using thatblessingon my sister.
A wave of nausea sweeps through me.
“Worried about me, wife?” Henry’s teasing voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
“Of course not. Rafe is not the creative type, and you’re indestructible. I’m only worried about myself and my utter lack of imagination. I’m so disappointed I haven’t found a way to take you out yet.”
