“No. Not really.” I return the book to its slot on the shelf. When I was Kyff’s age, I read, but the moment I discovered women, I began filling my days with a different pastime.
Her smile falters as she rubs idly at her silk skirt. “Oh…Well, what do you like to do?”
Drink, get high, and fuck my pain away. Probably not the best thing to say aloud to the woman I’m supposed to wed. I stuff my scarred hands inside my pockets. “Lately, I’ve been training my youngest brother to control his fire.”
“That is very sweet of you.”
I suppose it is.
The side of her white wing catches on a shelf when she steps a little closer. “I assume you wield fire as well?”
I conjure a flame to my palm, shaping the orange and red flickers into a blazing rose.
Leeri claps her hands beneath her chin, bouncing on her toes as the flames reflect in her dancing eyes. Her feathers flutter with the movement. “Oh, that is beautiful!”
Maybe there is still a little charm left in me after all.
She reaches for a petal, but the fire flickers and dies out. “I suppose fire and wind don’t mix,” she murmurs, her smile slipping into something tighter.
My hollow soul shrinks away from the memories of the way Allette could make my fire dance like a flaming hurricane.
From between the shelves, I catch a glimpse of Rhainn strolling into the room, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his deep green trousers.
Relief spills through my chest, which isn’t a normal reaction. Of all my brothers, Rhainn and I have spent the least amount of time together. We have basically nothing in common besides our black hair and silver eyes. “Brother!” I shout far too brightly.
Rhainn’s head snaps up. When his gaze lands on Leeri, that is where it stays. “Senan. Princess Leeri.” He offers the princess a low bow.
She waves her hand. “Just Leeri, please.”
I clap him on the back before pulling his stiff frame into an exuberant hug. “Welcome home. How was Allto?”
When I let go, Rhainn gives me a narrow-eyed scowl as he straightens his jerkin and smooths back a piece of his black hair that fell out of its queue. “Entirely miserable. And I’m afraid I am destined to be the same for all of eternity.”
He is wallowing. Perfect. I usually discourage his melancholy, but today, I’ll make an exception. Rhainn is long-winded on the best days, but when melancholy, he takes monologues to a whole new level.
I press a hand to both their backs, corralling Rhainn and Leeri toward the settee. Leeri sits and adjusts her wings, giving me a hopeful look. I practically shove Rhainn down next to her. His brows come together, but he doesn’t say anything when I drop onto the coffee table and lean forward. “Go on. We’re listening.”
Rhainn’s face floods with suspicion until Leeri’s hand falls to his knee. “Yes. Tell us why you’re so miserable.”
Pink climbs Rhainn’s neck all the way to his ears. “Their kingdom is so exceedingly dull,” he says, seeming transfixed by Leeri’s hand. “No one sets foot outside the towers after sunset. The castle is small. And their clouds are so thin, you can see the streets and Tuath villages below, so when you look down, everything is gray. I swear, the sun isn’t as strong there either. Just look at me.” He shoves his sleeve toward his elbow. I see no difference in his usual bronzed tone but nod as if I do. Anything to keep him talking.
“And don’t get me started on their princess.” He sighs toward Leeri, and now it’s her turn to blush. “She doesn’t hold a candle to some…others I’ve met.”
“Beauty can be on the inside,” Leeri says.
“Well, that woman’s insides are black and rotten. I heard her berating the servants, and she threw her dinner across the hall because it was cold. Like a bloody child.” He drags a hand along the back of his neck. “She treats her own mother like dirt, and even though she acts differently toward me, I know it will only be a matter of time before she shows her true colors. Count your blessings, Senan. Your match is most agreeable compared to the woman our king has chosen for me.”
Leeri’s hand flies to her chest. “That is kind of you to say, Prince Rhainn.”
His answering smile radiates such unfiltered adoration, I find myself rolling my eyes. “Just Rhainn, please. You are to be my sister, after all.”
Now they’re both blushing.
Wouldn’t they make the perfect pair?
Hold on…
If the two of them were to marry, Boris would have his alliance, and I’d be free and clear. Sure, that left no alliance with Allto, but it would fix the immediate problem, wouldn’t it?