The Goldweed sharks have been preparing for this since the day her powers first appeared and, in my pride, I walked right into their trap. My head is still throbbing, and my vision hasn’t yet returned to normal, so how was I to defend myself against a foe so treacherous?
An icy eel coils in my guts when I think about what could have happened if my promised, my Luke, didn’t have the clarity of mind to step in and aid me.
I could have died today.
It could have been my blood staining the floor.
Luke abandoned to the harpies greedy for his shadow.
Just the thought of it makes my blood boil all over again. Whoever poached Luke after my death might have treated him with unjust cruelty just because of the connection to me.
The last face I want to see right now slinks toward me with fake worry in his eyes. Anatole Goldweed. His handsome features are filled with so much concern I almost believe that his intentions are sincere.
Tristan stands close but I gesture with my fingers, allowing Anatole to approach. I resent that instead of spending my time with Luke, I’m stuck fulfilling my princely duties,and those involve mingling with the courtiers after the execution. Even courtiers who’ve kept Vinia’s skills a secret and may or may not have set me up for this duel.
“Anatole,” I say coolly, entwining my hands at the back to keep them farther from the bastard’s pale neck. The treacherous swine has no business being this handsome.
“My Prince. I thought it especially important to approach after what happened. I need you to know I didn’t realize she was cursed with the Sunlight power, and neither did anyone else in our family. I don’t know how she hid that from us, but I will make all the necessary inquiries and punish anyone who kept that secret.”
When he bows, my instinct tells me to punch him down and then place my foot on his cheek, but I am the future Lord of the Nocturne Court, and a degree of decorum cannot be avoided. So instead of lashing out, I punish him with silence until he understands what I require and bows deeper. I only speak once his locks touch the floor.
“It must have been quite the shock,” I lie, meeting his gaze. “I do expect you to deal with this matter promptly,” I say as my gaze drifts above the crowd, to Luke, who stands in Sabine’s company, assaulted by a crowd of his own.
A greedy part of me doesn’t want Luke talking to anyone else. I want to hoard his attention and lock it away, no matter how unreasonable that is. But I only have so much time to make sure he wants to stay with me, so every second spent with the likes of Anatole feels wasted.
“I will. As the current head of the family,” because of course he needs to underline his parents have opted out of the line of succession, “I promise to manage any threats to the crown.”
I don’t know how he is supposed to managehimself. His brother, Sylvan, might be a thorn in my side, but he wouldn’t challenge my rule. As for their remaining sister, well, she seems intent on supporting her oldest brother’s ambition and reaping the potential benefits of his ascension. Either way, I’m not letting him off the hook so easily.
“What is your plan? How will you find the culprit? How will they be punished?”
He hesitates with the answer, which tells me his words were empty promises. He must have known about Vinia’s skill. I spent years hidden in the shadows and watching people, so I’m pretty good at telling when they lie.
“I’ve already spoken to my mother, and she recalls a foreign merchant whom Vinia met a few years ago. She bought a Sunlight lantern from him, but we will find him and establish whether he helped her awaken that power.”
As Anatole speaks, I can’t help but glance over his shoulder, and Luke’s eyes meet mine. He must miss my presence too. My heart skips a beat when I think back to the way he moaned my name and clutched my shoulders. How my presence made his eyes soften and how he thought on his feet to save my life.
I smile. So does he, but then I realize Anatole has gone quiet, so I meet his gaze and nod at whatever gibberish he said when I wasn’t paying attention.
“Thank you. I grant you and your whole family leave to make arrangements regarding… all that happened.”
It seems Anatole wanted to say more but understands he’s being dismissed and doesn’t push his luck. One bow later, he walks off, but light bounces off a large silver star on his shoulder straight into my eye, as if to spite me.
I glance at Luke again to cleanse my palate, but this time I find him staring at a servant cleaning blood off the floor, and he’s no longer smiling.
“Can’t look away, can you?” Tristan muses, tapping my shoulder before he steps forward so we face the room together. The music flows softly now, suggesting to the courtiers that this part of the day is over.
But as much as I want to join my promised, his somber expression freezes my feet to the floor. “Does he seem… happy to you?”
Tristan shrugs. “Who doesn’t appreciate a righteous execution? She sure did,” he says and discreetly points out Marquise Coralis.
Dressed in a black gown that hugs her curves as if it’s tar dripped straight onto her body, she stands out among the women who wear the more fashionable full skirts. She’s holding a crystal chalice with a sparkling red drink and watches me intently. But she’s not seeing me. Not really. She thinks I’m Kyranis, the man she’s been bedding quite often in the past year.
I exhale. A part of me was hoping I could ignore her attention until the whole matter is forgotten, but the affair was fairly public. I can’t count on everyone suffering from amnesia at the same time.
“Well… but what about Luke?” I ask, once again trying to capture my companion’s gaze, but he seems busy talking to Sabine. I pray for her to start giving birth so she can no longerdistract him.
Tristan raises his eyebrows. “Luke can’t really satisfyallyour needs, can he? Did you have a falling out with the Marquise? Did she not say she was ready to become the mother of your children?”
