At that, Hélène’s eyebrows shot up.“Oh, please.Always so wrapped up in work, aren’t you, Seb?I’m not on the clock rightnow—no reason to spoil the party by talking shop.”Their eyes fell on Kieran.“But then again, I am being a bit rude, aren’t I?You must be the one I saw back in Yarrowport.I’m Hélène.Sebastian and I used to, ah…work together.”
Work together?Kieran’s head tilted to the side.Why does that statement feel so loaded?
“You tried to put a listening bug on Sebastian,” Kieran said, fighting to keep his voice even.“And you work for Elias.So what do you want from us?To capture us?Kill us?There are a lot of witnesses here for that.”
“Pfft—you’re no fun either.Like I said, I’m off the clock,” Hélène repeated, seemingly on the verge of a laugh.Their eyes moved to Kieran, looking him up and down.He might have assumed they were checking him out if it weren’t for the glint in their eye.That made it feel a bit more like they were a jungle cat preparing to sink its teeth into his neck.“Clearly, neither of you knows what it means to enjoy a party.I suppose I should get going before one of you pops a blood vessel.See you around, Seb.Stay sharp.”
Something about those parting words seemed to make Sebastian tense up even further, and for a moment, Kieran wondered if he was going to attack.But before he could, Hélène stepped out of the room, vanishing into the network of hallways—so quietly that Kieran found himself wondering if they’d cast a spell to silence their steps.
Kieran put a hand on Sebastian’s arm.His muscles were still tensed, and from the distant look on his face, his thoughts seemed to be absolutely swimming.
“What in the world was that?”Kieran asked.“How did you know them?”
Sebastian set his jaw.He straightened, seeming to realize he could relax, and exhaled through his nose as his shoulders fell.After a beat, he met Kieran’s eyes, expression unreadable.
“That,” he explained, “was my ex.”
Chapter Twenty
Kieran didn’t have a chance to ask Sebastian if he was serious, because the next moment, the chime of a bell resonated through the icy halls of the palace.
“Honored guests,” a low-pitched woman’s voice said, echoing from the walls themselves.“Please join us in the banquet hall for our celebration’s opening ceremony.All are welcome, and we look forward to seeing your beautiful faces.”
Immediately, a flurry of movement began outside the room Kieran and Sebastian had settled in.They stood and went to the entryway, where crowds of witches were making their way to the banquet hall.After a quick exchange of looks, the two stepped into the crowd, following the witches forward.They wound up pressed in on either side by moving bodies, Kieran doing his best to keep his elbows out so they didn’t shove him and Sebastian into each other.
Under his breath, Kieran whispered, “I thought you said you’d never been in love.”
Sebastian nearly slammed to a halt, only continuing when the crowd behind them pushed.He started, “I neverlovedHélène.In fact, I barely tolerated them.It was purely physical outside of work—”
“And what waswork,exactly?”Kieran arched his eyebrows, looking at Sebastian askance.“Because when they brought it up, you seemed really worried—”
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder briefly, then lowered his voice.It was so quiet Kieran had to strain to hear it over the din.“Iwasworried, Kier.Hélène isn’t someone you want to tangle with, and if they’re working for Elias, it means we’re in danger.”
Kieran repeated,“Danger—”
“Oh, thank goodness, there you are,” a familiar voice interrupted.Kieran felt a hand brush his elbow.He looked up to find that Delilah had slid in at his side, clasping Briar’s hand on the other side.“I didn’t realize this was going to turn into such a crowd.Let’s keep an eye out for Ariel and Santiago.”
Kieran’s eyes darted between Delilah and Sebastian, his question for Sebastian still on the tip of his tongue.When his eyes met Sebastian’s, he shook his head, then mouthed,Later.
While Kieran managed to smooth his expression and nod, all he really wanted was to scream.
It didn’t take long for them to run into Santiago and Ariel in the hallway, who joined their trek to the banquet hall.They turned into a hallway where the ceiling tapered off, revealing an open view of the ice spikes that composed the apex of the castle.The soaring space sat in the very center of the castle, the rest of it built up around the ballroom-like hall.
Pale, silvery lights bobbed in the air over the tables.Each was decorated with centerpieces made of ice, ivy, and white roses.Crisp white cloths covered each table, and the chairs gathered around them appeared to be antiques, with fine woodwork and soft velvet cushions.Staff walked around with trays of drinks and food, greeting diners with sunny smiles as they took their seats.Soft music came from a band seated at a stage at the center of the room, elevated so they looked out over the hall.The entire space smelled of mulled wine, roses, and burnt sugar.
Getting tables was something of a free-for-all.Kieran spotted one that was empty and led the others over to it.All the while, he found his eyes wandering the hall, looking for Hélène’s half-shaved head.Kieran had seen Sebastian face down dozens of mercenaries and never once show anything but mild annoyance.But with Hélène there had been something…different, some understanding of their skills that Kieran simply couldn’t grasp as an outsider.It was the first time he’d sensed any hesitation in Sebastian at all.
They took their seats.Briar immediately loaded a small plate with meat skewers as a waiter walked by with them.She offered one to Delilah before digging in, unaware of anything else.Not long after, more food was brought out, the staff stopping at each table to offer different dishes.Kieran found himself taking food but only nibbling at it, his stomach still twisting as the image of Hélène’s face burned in his brain.
He wanted to tell himself it was simply because of Sebastian’s comments about their work and skills, but if he was being honest with himself, that wasn’t it.Because he was beginning to realize that the writhing ball of emotion in his gut didn’t just come from fear.
He was, despite his best efforts,incrediblyjealous.
Which I shouldn’t be,he reminded himself as he took a sip of water, the condensation cold on his fingers.He said himself that he never loved them.Plus, Sebastian and I are just friends who kiss sometimes.It’s not like we’re together.I have no reason to be comparing myself to someone he was in an actual relationship with.
Kieran snuck a peek as Sebastian cut a slice of beef with razorlike precision.When he took a bite, his eyes flickered to Kieran.He cocked his head in question.The way the magic lights shone on him made his eyelashes cast spindly shadows over his sharp cheekbones.Somewhere along the way, it seemed he must have brushed up against someone wearing something sparkly, because there were a few silvery metallic flecks in his black hair that Kieran yearned to reach out and brush away.
Just as he wanted to take Sebastian back to the ship and kiss him until his lips ached.As he wanted to know his every secret, to be the confidant he could always trust to understand him, no matter how dark or unwieldy those secrets were.He wanted more than just stolen kisses and whispers whenever everyone else had gone to bed.He wanted to be here, now, holding Sebastian’s hand in front of all these people so it was obvious that he was his.
