I fought the bile that rose in my throat. My first formal appearance with a foreign royal, alone. I might rather face the dragon. At least then, I’d know what was coming.
I took a deep breath. Declan came forward and claimed my arm, having just thrown an embroidered doublet over his shirt and tossed on an ornamental sword. I looked at the pair of us in the mirror for a second. We were opposites, with my long brown locks and his blond hair. My coloring was olive-toned, whereas Declan had a hint of pink to his skin. In our formal wear, standing straight and solemn, we looked like different people. We didn’t look like a scholar and an unruly princess. Our reflection showed a queen and her knight.
I hope this intimidates the shite out of Abbas, I thought.
“Come on, Peace.”
I squeezed Declan’s arm one last time, shutting down all the jingling nerves inside. I would do this. I could do this.
Time to play pretend.
The herald announced all four of my knights first, and they preceded me into the throne room. When I was announced, I slowly made my way across the hall and up the steps to my throne, the largest of the five on the dais. I turned, waiting for the servant girls to hastily fix my train and trail it over the stairs. And then I sat. Everyone relaxed from their bows.
I met Abbas’ gaze for the first time. He wasn’t incredibly tall, maybe five foot ten. But his face was well-made, sharply defined. He had a smooth dark brow, brown skin and eyes, and his hair was jet black. He had a beard, which to me only emphasized his age difference from my sister all the more. Dressed scandalously for our court, he wore only loose pants, tied with a draw-string. He wore no shirt, leaving his sculpted abs on display. His muscled biceps were laced with tattoos and he had rings on nearly every finger. Wonderful. Avia was a teenage girl. Warning her away from him would be like warning bees away from flowers. Bears away from fish. Dragons away from sheep.
Salamanders away from fire, Quinn contributed, helpfully.
Shut it. This is terrible.
Abbas’ eyes met mine and I gave a jolt. Somehow, his dark gaze shot right through me. He was a sarding predator. And for a millisecond, he let me see it. My stomach dropped. His grin widened. And he didn’t have crooked teeth. His smile was perfect. Perfectly feral. He’d eat poor Avia alive.
Stop it! Djinn can smell fear, remember?
Shite. I widened my fake smile and focused on the bunny rabbits Quinn conjured hopping between the nobles’ feet.
I could feel Abbas’ gaze on me though, studying, judging. I wondered what he saw.
Avia was announced. And the weight of his gaze lifted, like a physical force, from off my shoulders. He turned to see Avia.
My younger sister paraded in, her crown a small tiara of silver leaves and diamonds. She was dressed in a deep gold, and her hair had been put into ringlets. She looked every bit the innocent treasure. My heart swelled with pride and misery. My eyes swept the room.
Abbas’ gaze was riveted to Avia as she came up the aisle toward the dais. Unfortunately, so was Mateo’s. I spotted the ambassador’s son staring longingly at my sister.
Dammit.
Luckily, mother had trained Avia well enough that she gave no one in the crowd more than a passing glance. She joined us on the dais.
The herald started spouting formalities as we all smiled at the crowd.
Quinn, keep your eye on Meeker, the Sedarian ambassador. And on Mateo.
On it. I have people in the crowd as well, already positioned near Meeker. I’ll put someone on Mateo.
Who do you have on Abbas?
A couple invisibles in his rooms. No sign of those stolen elven chains yet, though they report he has a glowing blue ring in his room. That might be a djinn thing though? I think I saw that on another half-djinn down at the tavern in the capital … I also have a couple other servants ready to use disguise spells and replace his servants on my word.
Good. Think you could get a hair bead on him?
No. But the way he looked at you, I bet you could.
I suppressed a shudder. I don’t know if my hands are quick enough for that.
We’ll let Connor get a read on his moods, and then we’ll talk.
Once the official announcements were over, I had to invent an activity to keep us entertained until it was time for a welcoming feast. Since Abbas was not supposed to arrive until nightfall, the kitchens weren’t ready for the feast yet. So, instead, I turned to the nobles gathered in the throne room and said, “We will retire to the yellow salon for entertainment. Our first game shall be jingling. Be warned, any of you who enter the yellow salon, you will be made to participate.” My eyes twinkled.
I was using a tactic my father Lewart often had. It was a dual-purpose exercise. It was team-building for those with nothing to hide and it helped me sort out courtiers with too high an opinion of themselves or those desperate for approval. It would let me take the measure of Abbas and see if he was as aloof as reports painted him. Or if he was willing to engage with my sister and strangers and adapt to new circumstances.
The crowd broke, and people milled about.
Abbas headed straight for the dais.
He bent over Avia, giving her a rakish grin. Dammit. His smile was far too alluring. She’d never last a second. I wouldn’t have, at her age.
I blew out a breath, glad his gaze wasn’t directed at me.
But, suddenly, it was.
Abbas stared at me over Avia’s head. His black gaze trapped me for a moment, before Declan took my arm and tugged me away.
“May I escort you, Princess Avia?” Abbas spoke for the first time. His voice was smooth, musical.
Avia giggled.
Shite. Shite. Do we have to let him escort her, Quinn? He’s not even decent!
I watched Avia and Abbas walk down the steps. I had to wait for the room to clear before my two maids removed the ridiculous train from my dress so that I could walk unhampered. The crown, unfortunately, stayed. I felt like hurrying after Avia, propriety be damned, and wedging myself in between the two of them, like a little old lady chaperone.
When I arrived at the yellow salon, Lady Agatha had already begun the game. I nodded toward her.
The game of jingling was simple. One person was it. And they received a string of bells to place over their neck. Everyone else was blindfolded and attempted to catch the jingler. Whoever won got to wear the bells next.
Blindfolds were passed to my knights and myself. We all took them once Quinn reassured us he had several invisibles in the room near us keeping watch.
Right before I slid the strip of cloth over my eyes, I saw Abbas approach Lady Agatha and take the bells.
Shite. I should have picked a different game, I thought.
Have your men watch Avia.
I’ll head that way myself. Quinn gave my hand a squeeze and headed off.
I stood at the side of the room, listening to the jitters and giggles as bells rang and people ran into one another. I definitely heard two people nearby not stop at running into one another but begin locking lips.
I started to rethink my decision. But then I reminded myself, Abbas had the bells on himself. He couldn’t possibly kiss my sister without drawing a crowd to him.
A man’s hand caught mine. Instead of the apology and laugh I expected, the stranger remained silent. Lips touched my fingers.
“Ryan?” I breathed. He’d done that once before, in the practice yard.
But Ryan didn’t answer.
Isn’t he beside me? Where did he go? My mind worried.
Fear trickled down my spine as someone planted kisses on each of my fingertips.
“Who are you?” I whispered. But dread pooled in my limbs.
When one of my fingers was sucked into a warm mouth and caressed by a hot tongue, I whipped my blindfold off my head.
Abbas released my finger from his lips and smiled his wide, feral smile. He let the bells on his chest chime. “Why … Princess Bloss … you found me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“That smarmy psychopath!” I raged, stomping around my room that night.
All four of my husbands had gathered to strategize, and it had been my first opportunity to fill them in on Abbas’ little prank. Other than Quinn, of course, who’d heard about it endlessly all afternoon in his head.
“He’s trying to goad you,” Declan shook his head.
“But why?” Ryan asked.
I stopped and pointed wildly at Ryan. “Yes. That! Why? Why antagonize me if he’s here for an alliance?”
“Maybe he doesn’t want the alliance,” Connor crossed his arms. “He did seem pretty self-satisfied all afternoon. I got a couple hints of intrigue from him. He was very interested in Quinn’s mental communication abilities.”
“What about Avia?”
Connor shook his head. “Polite disinterest was the best I got. Boredom even, when they sat together at dinner tonight. But … when he looked at you—”
“Yes?”
Every eye in the room focused on Connor, who ran a hand through his unruly brown curls and then cupped his chin. His eyes flickered from Ryan to Quinn and then Declan before he answered. “It was hard to describe. There was a hint of desire. But the overriding emotion was excitement. Or maybe … elation?”
“What the hell does that mean?” Ryan got angry. He stomped over and grabbed me, dragging me back to the chair to sit on his lap. His arms locked possessively around me for a moment.
I was starting to recognize his need to hold me when he got upset.