I wasn’t there to help her. To save her from the trauma she endured. I may not have held the weapon, but my decision to remain in the human realm led to this. How can she stand to look at me? Why isn’t she blaming me as well?
A small crowd gathers on the dining room balcony. I spot Leeri’s white wings where she stands with her slender arms folded over the balustrade, watching the sunset. With a quick change of direction, I land instead near my brothers. Themoment my feet meet marble, there is a second thump at my back. Bell gives me the same steely glare I’ve come to know and loathe, no doubt wondering where the hell I’ve been since his shift started twenty minutes ago.
The lords and ladies gathered continue their chatter, mostly about the beauty of the sunset and my upcoming nuptials. How easy it was to forget this reality when I was with my girl.
Kyffin’s face brightens, and he throws his arms around my waist. “You made it.”
At least someone is happy to see me.
Rhainn takes one look at my current state and rolls his eyes.
Kyffin steps back, his nose wrinkling as he gives my sleeve a tug, right above a large green smear.“Have you been training?”
“Sort of.”
Snorting, Rhainn sets the glass of champagne dangling between his fingers onto the balustrade and slips out of his black dress coat. It isn’t until he shoves the garment into my chest that I understand. He has never covered for me before. Why now?
“I’ve a headache and don’t feel like listening to Boris snarl,” Rhainn mutters, collecting his champagne once more.
The jacket is a bit tight around my arms and shoulders, but the length works perfectly. And if it saves me and my brothers from Boris’s wrath, then we all win.
The dinner bell rings, and I find myself staring at the masked servants on my way to the table even though none of them could be Allette. I’ve always likened this castle to a cage, but now that I know my girl lives, these marble walls feel as if they’re closing in, suffocating me.
I asked Bilson to bring Allette straight to the caverns and ensure she made it inside before he went home for the evening. If the servants’ stairs weren’t warded, I know exactly where I’d be spending my night.
I’m almost to my chair when someone touches my elbow, and I hear a feminine voice say my name. My smile is as brittle as glass as I turn to face my darling betrothed. “Where have you been?” Leeri hisses. The silken gown she wears matches her narrowed eyes.
I don’t see the point in answering. It’s not as if I’m going to tell her the truth anyway.
Her sharp nail needles my arm. “Have you nothing to say to me?”
“About what?”
“Stars, Senan.” She presses her fingers to her temples. “We were to sit for our portraits today.”
To be fair, I’ve had a lot happen in the last twenty-four hours. Sitting for a portrait wasn’t at the top of my list of priorities. “We can get portraits in Nimbiss.” Not that I plan on being there either.
“I don’t want to get my portrait in Nimbiss.”
“Yes, well, we don’t always get what we want, do we?”
The king takes his seat at the head of the table, meaning the rest of us are allowed to sit as well, which is fucking brilliant because I’m hungry enough to eat every single one of the ten courses.
Rhainn is back to glaring at me as he pulls out Leeri’s chair for her. She thanks him and settles in next to me, Kyff on my left and Rhainn on Leeri’s right.
Her hand lands on my thigh beneath the table. “Where have you been all afternoon?”
I remove her hand from my body and place it on her own chair. Hurt fills her eyes. I should probably feel bad for treating her so terribly, but there really is no other way for me to get out of this marriage. Not after I foolishly swore to Boris that I would go through with it.
Leeri is the one making the decisions now.
A servant leans between us to set a silver platter of salad greens on the table.
Normally, I’d skip the salad, but today I scoop out extra. Must keep my health up however possible. Oh, tomatoes. I love tomatoes. “I went to the solarium,” I say.
Leeri’s fingers brush mine when I hand over the tongs. “I’ve heard the solarium of Kumulus is most stunning. Is it true that it’s made completely of glass?”
The solarium had been a wedding gift from my father to my mother. It is one of the most beautiful places in this kingdom, although, seeing as I’ve been to no other solariums, I really have nothing to compare it to. “That is correct.”