“I said I’d marry him. I didn’t say I’d mate with him,” I protested, refusing to acknowledge the urge to shudder that forced itself between my shoulder blades.
“Acorda-cruorwith another person—human or Naiad—can be made only one way,” Selena plowed on, ignoring me. “By the act of which would create life. Mating.”
My jaw jutted to the side, impatient for the conversation to end. “Does he know about this? Thiscorda-cruor?”
She gave an impatient sigh. “I’m not there for the meetings between him and Thaan. But no. I assume he does not. He’s still a human, and therefore not entitled to Naiad secrets. In fact, it would be prudent for you to treat him as though he knew nothing of your contract, as he has been instructed to do the same.”
“So, he’ll be bound to me for life, even though he currently thinks as soon as I accomplish what I agreed to, he’ll be rid of me.”
Selena’s expression cooled. Lithe and graceful, she drew herself upright, pinning me with calm command. “I’m not privy to the specific terms of your contract, but in the interest of safety for us both, I think it wise not to—”
“Thaan made me agree to kill Prince Hadrian.”
Selena’s pen dropped from her hand. “Maren,” she shot at me.
A streak of reckless pride ran through me at the thought that Thaan hadn’t wanted her to know. That I’d somehow thwarted him.
“Don’t say anything else.”
“In three years.”
She gave a long sigh, pinching her nose. “I think our lesson is over.”
“Why would Thaan and K—Nikolaos—want Hadrian dead?”
Selena’s arm dropped to the table, deadweight. Despite her brief scolding, I could see the wheels turning in her head, the question winding in her mind as much as mine.
“For Nikolaos, I think the answer is easy to see,” she said carefully, her gaze landing on a black candle on her windowsill. Its wick flickered and danced in silence. “A second born prince doesn’t need a long list of ulterior motives when he’s next in line for the crown. And Thaan is driven by power. There must be a reason he would think he could gain more of it through wielding Nikolaos rather than Hadrian.”
“Wieldinghim?”
“Of course.” Selena’s eyes shifted to mine. “Nikolaos is a pawn to Thaan, as much as you or I am.”
Oh please. Spare me. “You said Nikolaos’s motive was easy to see.”
“I did.” She picked up her pen again, twirling it slowly in her fingers. “I also believe that like you, and like myself, there are likely more layers to the agreement between Nikolaos and Thaan than meets the eye.”
Well, wasn’t that a nice little seed of manipulation. I’ll just forgive Kye for everything he’d said and done since leaving Leihani.
My jaw clenched. I rose slowly from my chair, staring her down. “I’ll see you in the morning,” I said, my voice flat and dull as sparks of anger flared within me.
“I’m sorry,” Selena said as I turned away from her. “If you need a silver lining, let it be this.Cordaeingwith the prince will bring you one step closer to fulfilling your blood vow. You might hate the idea, and you have every right to. But if you’re ever to walk free, this is the path.”
41
Aweek slid by. Between the arrow Kye had taken for me and the conversation I’d shared with Selena, I didn’t know how to feel about him. Nerves swarmed my belly as I passed his door, slipping soundlessly into my own, though I realized I’d taken to listening for the sound of his heart beating on the other side of the wall.
I’m not sure why.
The month ofTaurennosdrew to a close. Summer loomed on the horizon, and with it, a plethora of invitations to palace festivities. Balls thrown in the King’s honor, birthdays and anniversaries and special events, such as the blooming of the roses or the filling of the trees, lush and plump with ripe summer fruit.
No party compared to the summer solstice.
Selena commissioned a dress for me, which usually meant tight corsets stitched into my ribs, constricting my air all night. I cringed when she handed me the garment box, lighter and smaller than usual. But I was wrong.
Unlike the heavy gowns she normally dressed me in, the sheath of rippling blue was light and smooth, dense but not heavy. My eyes darted to hers, and she raised a brow. “I’ll help you into it.”
Ten minutes later, I gazed at my reflection for the first time in almost a month.
