No.
She would never be ready. Not for this.
But River was here. And she would be courageous. For her father, she wouldn’t turn and run away.
“Let’s get this over with,” she said.
Ryker peered over his shoulder and nodded. He pushed down the handle and opened the door, unveiling the space Tertia had reserved for the memorial service.
The married couple stepped inside, but River…
She was frozen.
Two things struck her at the exact same time.
One: She would never, ever forgive her mother. Not for this. This should’ve been a family event, a quiet one.
Not a spectacle.
Yet, that’s exactly what this was.
Tertia was in the middle of the room, seated on a gilded chair. It was essentially a throne, and people were lined up in front of her, approaching her and offering their condolences as she dabbed a handkerchief at dry cheeks.
And two: A very familiar amber gaze met River’s from across the ballroom.
“Nik,” she breathed, his name easing out of her before she could stop it.
What was he doing here?
CHAPTER 11
Sadness Was in The Air
Nikhail sensed River’s arrival before he beheld her. His spine stiffened, and an awareness crept down his back. There was a tug inside him, ensuring he was paying attention. Warmth unfurled in his stomach, and he straightened. Pushed back his shoulders. Stood taller.
Drawing in a deep breath, he kept his hands at his sides as he turned to the entrance. A magnet drawn to his opposite pole. He’d sooner be able to stop the sun from shining than keep himself from moving. To his left, the Representative was speaking in a low murmur with someone Nikhail didn’t recognize. Her words didn’t register.
His world was centered around the gorgeous water fae standing in the entrance.
River had stopped a few steps back from Ryker and his wife. Seeming to realize his sister was frozen, Ryker reached back, took River’s hand, and gently pulled her forward. River tucked her hand into the crook of Ryker’s arm. Clung to him, as if she needed him to stay upright.
Nikhail drew in a deep breath, which was good, because as soon as his gaze locked with River’s, it was as if all the air wassucked out of the room. His heart thudded in his chest. His lungs emptied. Had they ever contained air at all?
His body strained toward River, drawn by an unseen force. He yearned to get closer to her and assure himself that she was real. It felt as though years had gone by since he’d last seen her, not mere days.
Was this how the stars felt every night when they first glimpsed the moon? Awed by its beauty, drawn by its glorious majesty.
And gods help him, but even in her grief, River was breathtakingly captivating. It didn’t matter that her eyes were rimmed with red or that her skin was far paler than it should’ve been. There was an inherent beauty about her, an inner strength that shone despite the pain she endured.
River was gripping a small black clutch in her free hand. Even from here, he could see that her fingers were digging into the fabric.
Nikhail’s feet itched to cross the room and plant him at River’s side. That was where he belonged, after all. But he couldn’t. Not right now.
After all, Nikhail wasn’t here for a social visit, and he wasn’t standing behind Tertia Waterborn’s right shoulder for the view. He had a purpose here, and it wasn’t to visit with River, no matter how much he longed to get closer to her.
Sliding his hand beneath his suit jacket, Nikhail touched the reassuring weight of the gun holstered there. It wasn’t his only weapon—he also had several knives concealed across his body, along with another gun holstered on his left ankle. They were additional resources in the extreme event that the magic coursing through his veins wasn’t enough to protect the Representative and her family.
That was, after all, his purpose for being here. As part of Chancellor Rose’s new security measures, Representativeswould have a military guard at all times. Nikhail was serving as one of the four soldiers who would remain at Tertia’s side until this order was lifted. It was the Chancellor’s hope that this would deter the Black Night from their murderous cause.