She leans back and takes a long drink of wine. I watch for any sign that she’s sharing because she’s drunk, but she handles herself well. I go back through my memory. She had at least half the bottle at the last bar, plus another glass and a half at the table. She should be feeling it, but she looks unruffled.
“I think it’s fair to say that after thirty years I’m tired of being a pawn in my father’s games,” Harlow says. “I don’t want to marry you any more than you do me, and it doesn’t do either of us a kindness to pretend otherwise. It’s cleaner to call it what it is—a marriage of inconvenient necessity. It’s a job, and we will approach it with mutual professionalism.”
“Fine.” I lean back and eye her. “Your blessing is from Polm?”
Her gaze flicks from Carter and Bryce to me. “No,” she says.
I frown. A poison kiss is a very unusual gift, but it must be the work of the Divine of Malice. I stare at her, trying to puzzle out which other Divine would offer it.
“Asher?”
She shakes her head. “Not the Divine of Endings.”
Maybe I’ve been drinking too much, but now I am very confused. Until I remember how she introduced herself when we first met. Stellaria, Asher’s wife, who managed to learn to wield his magic as well as her own.
“Stellaria’s the only other option, then.”
Harlow grins wickedly. “Is it?” She glances at Bryce and Carter again. “Being a bit casual with my secrets.”
I roll my eyes. “They’re practically family.”
“Yourfamily,” she says.
Bryce shrugs. “Listen, this game you two are playing is cute, but we should probably admit we already know about your favorite pastime.”
Harlow scowls at me. “And here I thought we were off to such a trustworthy start.”
“Are you going to tell me that your siblings don’t know what my magic is?” I ask.
She sighs. “Point taken. My magic is a gift from Harvain.”
The three of us freeze and stare at her. I would be pissed that Bryce and Carter are doing such a bad job of hiding their surprise, but I’m thrown equally off-kilter with that admission.
“Divine of Fortune,” Bryce says slowly.
I search Harlow’s face for a lie, but she’s just smirking in amusement. “Yes. I find it rather interesting myself, but they say he’s the only Divine with a sense of humor.”
It’s possible she’s lying, but I’m not sure why she’d bother. It doesn’t really matter who blessed her, but it makes me curious about how she uses it. Many people believe the Divine dole out blessings based on temperament. They want their magic to be used, so they select those who have the will and vision to use it.
But just as many people believe Divine magic is random, so perhaps she’s right and Harvain saw her as an agent of chaos.
Carter claps and grins at me. “So rare that you’re stunned silent, Hen. I think she’s a good influence on you.” He pours us all a whiskey and holds his up. “To being humbled by love.”
Harlow clinks his glass. “To being humbled bybusiness.”
Bryce waves his hand. “I’ve got it.” He clinks their glasses. “To being humbled by a beautiful woman.”
“To doing what we must,” I say, tapping my glass to each of theirs.
We all drink.
I immediately pour myself another, glancing around the bar. The fact that half the men in the room are still looking at Harlow fills me with unwanted possessiveness. I don’t want their eyes on her, even if she’s to be my wife in ceremony only. They should show some respect when I’m sitting right here. The man at the next table is looking her over with unveiled lust. I imagine smashing his glass into the side of his head.
I roll my shoulders back, trying to rid myself of the feeling. I don’t actually want her. I just don’t like other men feeling entitled to look, no matter how she might bait them.
Even Carter seems to be struggling not to steal glances at her cleavage.
I catch his eye and frown, and he gives me a look that says,I’m married, not dead.
