If Brand thought he had the right to go stomping around and using others to issue orders from afar, he had another thing coming.
Nyri looked positively delighted by the turn of events, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Oh-hoo. Is he in trouble? Once, his Highness— What’s this?” Nyri skidded to a stop and plucked a folded piece of parchment from the floor, flashing her a coy look. “A love letter?”
Lunara pinched the bridge of her nose. “Hardly.”
It had been propped on the bedside, her name looped across the front in gorgeous calligraphy. When she’d seen it there, waiting… No. She refused to dwell on the way her heart had jumped with joy—right before plummeting into a wasteland of disappointment and furious indignation.
“‘Forgive my theatrics and any distress they may cause,’”Nyri read aloud, head down as she meandered into the hallway.“‘Or have caused, actually, by the time you read this. Using you was necessary, and I hated every minute of it. Please know I hold you in the highest esteem, and count you as a friend. Lyriat, Demon King of Straelon.’”She raised her brows. “Ooh, formalanddramatic. What did he do?”
At the very least, he’d surprised her. She’d never have guessed the bastard was a master thespian. His act—if that’s what it had been—deserved a standing ovation and any ensuing accolades. Truly.
She could only assume his aim had been to ‘use’ her to suss out whether any of the others in the room were the supposed imposter. How it would help him do that was beyond Lunara’s scope of understanding.
Arrogant prick.
Mostly, she was fuming over still having no idea whether Brand had known Lyriat’s plan, which could’ve been cleared up hours ago if he’d bothered to show his face. If hehadknown?—
You’ll what, glare at him? Throw a fit at anImperial Son?Or have you finally come to your bleeding senses and decided to leave?
They turned another corner, into the grand, glass-lined corridor leading to the great hall.
“Hello?” Nyri snapped her fingers in front of Lunara’s face. “Are you going to tell me, or do I have to pull it out of someone else? Bal wouldn’t budge, but I’ll put it together eventually. People were in a right tizzy this morning.”
“Well, I don’t?—”
“I still can’t believe I missed it, and for what! Bloody kitchen duty. Even Hedda put me off. I was sure she’d be the one to spill the sordid details. She’s soft with me like that. Sometimes. When no one is looking.”
“Nyri.”
“Brand was especially tight-lipped. I don’t know if it’s meant to be a realm secret or— Wait, is it? Something so shameful we have to keep it hidden from the other realms? Shite, I hadn’t thought of that. And there I was, blabbering on with his brothers right there?—”
“Nyriadne!” Lunara yanked her to a stop outside the ornate double doors.
Nyri blinked wide, mahogany eyes at her, a flush of crimson crawling over her rounded cheeks.
Lunara drew in a deep breath and offered an encouraging smile. There was no part of her that wanted to stifle even a drop of the young Demon’s spirit, but this was spectacularly poor timing for a chitchat. “Forgive me, my friend. First of all, I don’t know whether I can talk about what happened. I’m guessing not, though. Second, did you say“brothers”plural? As in, more than one of Brand’s brothers is here?”
She threw a fleeting glance towards the silent guards as her chest constricted, the vice squeezing tighter and tighter until it left her dizzy. If it was Araxis…
“Yes.” Nyri looped her arm through Lunara’s and dragged her into the great hall. “His Highness arrived last night during supper.” She giggled and lowered her voice. “It was almost enough to stop everyone’s gossip about you lot.”
Right. Okay. Another Imperial Son. Not a problem. She’d just… um…
Oh, no, please. Do go on. By the way,once again,the portal is right through those doors.
No. Running would implicate her more than anything else.
Fine. Change your name, your hair. Anything. Shite, changeeverything.
Lunara snorted. No amount of tonics or spells would be able to hide how starkly she resembled her mother—save for having her father’s exact hair color. Besides, any number of Sorcerit would be able to see right through that trick. Not to mention she’d met Araxis, long ago. He’d recognize her immediately.
Shitting stars, she’d have to face him.
Why hadn’t she told Brand the truth when she’d had the chance?Why hadn’t she trusted him? He’d pestered her enoughin the chasm, open and waiting, butno—she’d had to go and give him the silent treatment to protect herself. Now, she was about to be outed to her Imperial mate as a treasonous liar by the highest powered creature in all of the damned Evesong!
Or, you know, ask which brother it is before your halfwitted arse jumps to conclusions.
Blessed moons, it was all she could do not to smack herself in the face.
