I hate that Henry feels a need to save me, but I’m also relieved he’s there because I’m struggling for a response.
“Forgive me. I forget myself around beautiful Carrenwell women,” Rafe says, his voice laden with sarcasm.
He turns and retreats to his seat beside Able, but his gaze lingers on me, no doubt waiting for my reaction. I turn back to Henry.
It’s only then, in the middle of the dance floor with my fiancé and everyone else in the room staring at me, that I realize Rafe knows what my magic is. That’s a secret he should not be privy to. Unless?—
All the air rushes out of my lungs at once. Unless he manipulated it out of Aidia.
“Fix your face and laugh,” Henry says, startling me out of my panic.
My laugh is overloud, but it does the trick. My rigid muscles loosen. He clasps my hand and pulls me against his body to dance.
I lick my lips. “He knows you were here early. He knows my magic.”
“No one should know that I arrived early,” Henry says. “Well—no one but you.” He leads me through the first few steps of the dance, and I’m shocked that he actually knows how to dance.
“No one but you and my family know my magic,” I rasp. “Surely the guards at the gates would have noticed the arrival of a man from the woods. We get those so infrequently.”
Did Rafe set us up to go to war? I’ve long suspected that he’s Rochelli, and what better way to stir up conflict than to set me up to kill the man who would strengthen my family’s hold on power. This alliance with the Havenwoods gives my family support from all of the major magical houses, as well as an unknown outside resource—especially if there’s truth to the rumors that one of Henry’s parents has a rare blessing from Divine Asher.
As mayor, Rafe would benefit from chipping away at my father’s power—the same way he has been for months. But this would be taking that to another level. It would cause a very big conflict between us and the Havenwoods.
Henry frowns. “I was discreet when I arrived, but I’ll not share all my secrets so soon, lovely. Not when I know how fun it will be to watch you try to pry them out of me. I know how you like to see men suffer.”
His words are so alarmingly close to the truth of my mission, but I give him my most feral smile. “I suspect I’ll enjoy your suffering best.”
Henry guides me around the floor effortlessly, dipping me as the music swells. He lets out a hum of amusement. “Try not to look so stunned, Harlow. I may not be a city boy, but I am still our version of society.”
He lifts me back to my feet, and I scan the crowd. I need to tell Kellan. He was standing over by the dining room windows when the dance started, but now he’s gone.
“Who are you looking for?” Henry asks.
“Kellan.”
“The city watch brother?”
“Yes.”
Henry pulls me flush against his body as we spin. “You trust him?”
“I find it’s best to be selective with my trust, but I trust that Kellan needs to know this. It’s a matter of family security.”
Henry nods back to our table. “Wouldn’t Able be the choice for family security since he’s the oldest and has holy fire?”
I arch a brow. “Taking notes for an invasion?”
Henry barks out a startled laugh. “No, Harlow. It’s just, you have eight siblings, and I’m trying to get the political landscape down so I don’t offend anyone. As you love to point out, I’m a classless feral wolf. I’m just trying to get the lay of the land.”
Able and Kellan are the only two siblings whose powers are common knowledge. Kellan’s manipulation blessing from Polm is part of the reason he is in charge of the city watch. The men who work for him know they can either fall in line on their own or he can make them.
Able helps my father light the wall every night, so there’s no avoiding people knowing. Not to mention that holy fire kills the Drained, and since my father and brother are the only two who can wield it, it affords the Carrenwell family a measure of security in our position.
I find it almost impossible that Henry wouldn’t be aware of their blessings.
The music ends, and everyone claps for our performance. Henry steps back and gestures to me like I’m the star of the show. I wave them off and pull him away from the dance floor.
I lead him past the row of tables toward the windows. I’ve caught Gaven’s notice. He frowns, and I force a smile and pretend I’m showing Henry the view, gesturing to the windows while scanning the room for Kellan. He’s nowhere to be found, but neither is Libby, so maybe they stepped out or had an emergency with the kids.
