“I’m here because I was worried sick all day yesterday and all night. I didn’t sleep at all from worrying for you, which was only made worse when we were woken at that ungodly hour and told that you had seen the body and the message. Stella, I—” His voice broke, and he placed her hand over his heart. “I’m here because of the inquiry but also because when I saw you bleeding in that pit, fighting that beast, I could not breathe. I almost passed out. Issa pinched me at one point because I’d been holding my breath and my face had gone purple. I hate that you’re in the Gauntlet Games and I hate that it’s my fault, and now, with the Sons, you have even more of a target on your back.”
Stella was so moved by his sincerity. He’d never been so vulnerable with her. Charming, yes. Funny, absolutely. But it was rare that he let her see him so serious.
“Does she know about us? Your sister?” Stella asked.
Arden shrugged a shoulder. “I think she suspects. And I’ve been feeling so guilty about you entering to save me from this wedding.”
“It’s not your fault—any of this. You didn’t know they were going to betroth you to that princess,” Stella assured him. “You thought we would announce our relationship and your parents would be pleased, just like I did. It’s just a bump in the road—this contest and the wretched Sons of Endros making a mess of everything.”
“I felt so confident in you before the Games started, but seeing you hurt terrifies me,” Arden said breathlessly. “With Endros as the gamemaker and you and Teddy in the Games and the Sons of Endros literally murdering contestants, I—” His voice cracked. “I’m not worth this kind of risk. I wish I could get you out of this.”
Stella frowned at him. It was sweet that he wanted to protect her, but she needed to win the favor so that she and Arden could have an undeniable gods-blessed union. She hated to stir things up when he was trying to protect her, but she had to say it.
“I don’t want out.”
Arden waved a hand. “I know. But I don’t know if I can watch another challenge like that, Stella. I’ve done everything so that you can at least know your options. I asked my parents if there was a way and I went through some old books in the library?—”
“You went through books?” Stella asked, stunned.
Arden winced. “I had the royal scholars pull the original Games records, and I spoke to my father since he was there with your parents at the creation. But no luck. The only way out is through.”
“So why are you here?” she asked.
“There’s an inquiry today at the castle. I thought it would be a good time to formally announce our courtship. There will be lots of important people around, and that way, if my parents bring up the betrothal again, they will already know about you and I won’t have to keep you a secret. It’s what I should have done from the beginning. I just didn’t want this beautiful private thing between us to be ruined by all these outside opinions.”
Stella knew what he meant. He was the prince of Olney, and she would have been under tremendous scrutiny. While it had its downsides, she had liked the intimacy of having something private, away from the world.
She was so relieved and overwhelmed to finally have what she wanted that it took a moment for the practicality of it to hit her. “Arden, we can’t do that.”
He smiled like he thought she was joking. “What? Why?”
Stella lowered her voice to a whisper. “Because it will put even more of a target on my back than I already have. I have an uncontrollable heart bond with Teddy that almost took me out in the first challenge, and my mother killed Endros back when he was a god living in this realm. If the Sons of Endros realize they can hurt or threaten me to get a seat on your father’s royal advisory committee, it will only make things worse. Rett Roachelle and his friends already know about us somehow. I denied it, but I don’t need it to spread farther than that. The Sons of Endros were able to kill a man right outside the castle walls. They are bold and looking for any advantage. I knowthis is what I’ve been asking you to do for months, but this could not be worse timing.”
She watched the realization settle over him. He slumped into his seat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”
“No, you didn’t.” Stella felt like she was seeing him in a new light. Perhaps it was spending time with someone as uptight and anxious as Teddy, but Arden seemed almost naively carefree. How could he not have considered how his decision would affect her? Especially after last night’s violence.
She didn’t want to push, but his careless suggestion made her angry.
“What about Grace?” Stella asked.
Arden stilled and met her eyes. “I’ve been waiting to speak to you about that.”
“Until after you spoke to her?” Stella asked, her tone a little sharper than she meant it to be.
He looked down at his hands and she felt suddenly and violently furious at him.
“You didn’t come to see me when I was terribly wounded or for hours afterwards and I would have let all of that go, but do you know whodidcome to see me? Grace. The person you had already made time to invite to dinner.”
Arden squeezed her hands. “When you put it like that, it sounds bad, but all the families were together after the match and we got to talking. I was supposed to be speaking with Eleria, but she was not feeling well after all the bloodshed and retired to her rooms. That left me with Grace and her sisters and my siblings, but I couldn’t leave and see you because Eleria’s parents were still there and expecting our attention.”
“And you and Grace just hit it off.”
He pressed a hand over his heart. “Don’t say it like that, Stella. Gods know I love your temper, but this connection is confusing. Obviously, I’ve always thought Grace was a beautiful woman. I would have to be blind to not recognize that, but you know how it is. Wehave always just been friends because I was pining over you and she was pining over Teddy. I’d never really considered it until she was so at ease talking with me and Eleria’s parents and I have just never experienced that feeling of having a partner. And you know Grace—she’s so very comfortable in those situations.”
It was so unfair of him to compliment Grace for doing something Stella had never been in the position to do. It was unfair to compare her to Grace at all. No woman should be compared to someone who had a perfectly symmetrical face, stunning hourglass figure, and supernatural poise. Stella thought she’d done a decent job of holding her own with him at court parties and when their families were together, but this was clearly different.
“I realize the ridiculousness of asking you for your permission at a time like this—when you’re risking so much for me,” Arden said. “It’s all come as such a surprise. I know that you and I are meant to be. But there’s a part of me that worries if I don’t at least spend some time with Grace, I’ll always wonder if it was just your Aunt Des messing with you, or if I somehow missed something with a woman I’ve known my whole life.”
