Marcus's expression makes it clear he's aware of just how badly he's overstepped but he nods. “Of course. We'll leave you to it for a moment, my friends.”
He puts an arm around me in a gesture I have to struggle not to shrug off, taking me from the room. Do the nobles and senators there think that we're slipping out for some romantic interlude? Just the idea that they’re thinking that makes me angry, but at least I wait until Marcus takes me into a side room before I unleash any of that anger.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demand.
Marcus holds my arm, electricity seeming to tingle along my skin.
“Stop that!” I snap at him. Him using his powers like that is too much of a reminder of some of the ways he touched me when we were together. I pull back from him, but Marcus doesn’t look apologetic.
“I know I shouldn’t have just told the others we were back together,” Marcus says. “But you must admit, it makes a lot of sense.”
“Howdoes it make sense?” I demand. “Marcus, we’re not together. You get that, right? So why tell them?”
“Because it’s what the city needs,” Marcus insists. He looks me imploringly in the eye. “Can’t you see that, Lyra? Allin was correct, together, we formed a focal point for the city. We gave the people something to rally around. Everyone in the city hadheard of us. If we stand together publicly against Selene, people will side with us who wouldn’t do so if we were apart.”
“So you want me to get back together with you so we look good to the rest of the city?” I say. “You want us to put on this false front people can rally behind?”
“It doesn’t have to be false,” Marcus says, sounding slightly disappointed. “I care about you, Lyra. You must know that. And we were good together. I know it will take time for you to trust me again, but I hope I’ve shown you I’m sincere by starting to give you details of the most corrupt people in the city.”
I sigh. He makes it all sound so simple, but it doesn’t feel like that for me. Yes, I know Marcus cares about me, and I feel plenty for him as well, but in the time I’ve been spending around Alaric recently, I’ve been remembering just how much I care abouthim.Marcus reaches out for me again, and this time I don’t pull back from him.
He kisses me softly, barely a brush of our lips against one another. “If you want, I’ll go back out there and tell the others that I misspoke. They’ll be angry with me, but they’ll understand. But if you think there’s even a chance there might still be something between us, please go along with it. Let the world think that we’re together. Let people rally around us again.”
“Let us rise up to be the First Senator and his wife?” I say.
“This isn’t about me becoming the First Senator, or about you being my wife, not immediately. I’d like us to announce our engagement again, but it can be alongengagement. It’s about giving the people something to rally around other than Selene Ravenscroft.”
I hesitate, a large part of me thinking that I should turn around and walk out of there. That I shouldn’t make my life so complex. But I also understand what this could mean for ourfight against Selene. It could help us build support, certainly bring together those senators and nobles she hasn’t controlled.
And Alaric told me to dowhateverwas necessary to stop her.
I nod. “All right,” I say. “I’ll go along with this. As far as the world is concerned, we’ll be back together, slowly making our way towards our wedding. But Marcus? That doesn’t mean weareback together. You still have a long way to go to earn my trust again.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he promises me, and then kisses me again, deeper this time, as if he might be able to convince me that way. But the attraction between us was never the problem. I pull back from him carefully, and we go back through to the others.
“Is everything all right?” Allin asks. He’s looking at me, not Marcus.
“Everything is fine. I just wasn’t expecting to announce that we were back together so openly,” I lie. “But Marcus has convinced me that we need to tell everyone.”
“And we will,” Marcus says. His hand is on my shoulder now, and flickers of electricity dance across my skin in a tingle it’s hard not to lean into. “We’ll shout the news of our renewed engagement from the rooftops. I’ll make sure the whole city knows about it.”
“That’s good,” Allin says. “Now, you must stay and have wine with us, Senator Lyra.”
I stay, because I can’t exactly get out of there now. I must stay and make conversation, try to convince them all to side with Marcus.
*
I can hear the rumors running through the streets as I head back to the palace. I listen through the senses of surrounding animals, determined to pick up everything I can.
“Senator Marcus and Lyra Thornwind are back together!”
“They’re going to make the perfect couple.”
“They’ll practically run the city together.”
I hear the same sentiments again and again as I head through the city. I’m so caught up in them that I almost don’t notice as a young woman comes up to me, dressed as a baker, her hair hidden under a caul.
It takes me a second to recognize Thalia, and she looks horrified.
