“So?” Kellan says, keeping his gaze casual, his smile playful as he looks around the room.
“Well, what?” I ask.
“How is your husband-to-be, Low?”
“Who?” I ask, sipping my wine.
Finally, he turns to narrow his gaze on me. “Really? That bad?”
I shrug. “He tried to work me like a common schoolgirl.”
Kellan purses his lips. “So he was nice to you?”
I scowl. There’s no way to explain without admitting where I’ve been going when I sneak out. While I’m sure that Kellan wishes his loyalty could be to me first, I don’t live under the illusion that it is. If I admitted that I was putting myself at risk this way, that I was risking people finding out about my power, that I am the Poison Vixen he’s been hunting for the past six months, he’d be forced to tell our parents. The only reason I’ve kept him off my trail this long is because of the signature vials of poison I leave behind and the fact that he doesn’t know about the glamour necklace Aidia gifted me. By changing my appearance for every job and leaving behind empty vials with traces of different poisons, I seem to have sufficiently convinced him that it’s a group of women working together.
Our parents love to say loyalty to the family comes first, but they mean loyalty tothem. Kellan tries, but he’s always been torn between appeasing them and standing up for me and Aidia.
If I don’t make him choose, I’ll never be disappointed when he doesn’t pick us.
“Henry is ridiculous and condescending,” I say when I realize Kellan is not going to let it go.
“So his flaw is being a man?”
“His flaws are numerous, but his most critical is underestimating me,” I say.
Kellan grins. “You’re in a mood tonight.”
“I was born in a mood. Where’s Libby?”
He nods to the bar, where his wife is chatting with our sister, Electra.
“Should I save her from what I’m sure is another awful garden party invitation?” I ask.
“What do you even do at those things?” Kellan asks.
“Drink tea and daydream about how much more pleasant it would be to just feed myself to the Drained.”
Kellan laughs, and his whole face lights up. He’s always had an easeabout him. I know he has a serious side, but while Aidia was loudly rebellious and I was quietly clever, Kellan was the magnanimous peacemaker. It’s part of the reason he is such a good captain of the city watch. He knows how to get people to compromise.
“You shouldn’t joke like that, Low,” Kellan says. “Not everyone gets your dark sense of humor.”
I sip my wine and scan the room. Henry isn’t here yet, but his parents are. Every eye in the room that’s not on me is glued to the table where they sit chatting with my parents.
Henry’s mother is doing an admirable job of pretending to be interested in whatever my mother is saying, but her gaze is too vigilant. She’s constantly sweeping the room, like she expects a pack of Drained to descend upon us.
Kellan leans closer and lowers his voice. “So what’s he really like?”
I glare at Kellan. “Are you asking as the captain of the city watch or my brother?”
“No reason I can’t be both. I am the rest of the time.”
That’s the whole problem. Kellan doesn’t know how to separate his duty from his sense of self. He will always put his job first. I miss when we were younger and he was as carefree as me and Aidia.
I shrug a shoulder. “He’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Kellan frowns. “I’m looking forward to speaking to him. I don’t like this whole thing. You’ve already done this once. You shouldn’t have to do it again, and out beyond our walls. It’s not safe out there.”
“Gaven will be with me, and I’m well trained. If all else fails, I know how to run. Besides, I might not make it quite so easy on our dear parents this time. I was enjoying my spinster life.”
