“I’ll see you for tea,” Eve says, giving me a reassuring smile before narrowing her eyes at Xander. “And you be nice.” She doesn’t wait for Xander’s response—a brief twitch of one cornerof his mouth—before she takes off down the hall and disappears around a corner.
I slide my palms down the front of my dress, Xander tracking the movement before his gaze flicks to Lady Mia and then back to the hall. I see his mind working, likely trying to find a way out of this. But I have questions for him, and this might be the only chance I can ask them without fear of interruption from the king.
“Come on,” I say, lifting my chin. “We might as well get this over with.”
“How thrilling it is to have a real dance partner for you,” Lady Mia says, turning to face us as I walk to the center of the room, Xander letting the door shut behind him when he joins us. “Let us start with a slow waltz to warm up.”
She claps her hands before turning to face the wall of mirrors in front of us, her eyes bouncing between Xander and I. We approach each other at the same time, Xander holding his hand out for mine. I lay one palm over his and gently press the fingers of my other onto his opposite shoulder. His touch is faint at my waist when we begin the set of steps for the waltz. Lady Mia claps her hands in time to the beat, watching our feet in the mirrors as Xander leads. It takes approximately six steps before I step on him for the first time.
“Lady Rhea, a new record for you! Focus on what I taught you. Dancing should be fluid. It shouldn’t feel like you’re checking off a list.”
“Sorry,” I say, staring at one of the buttons on Xander’s chest.
“Look at how the commander moves with such graceful ease. Copy that.”
I refrain from snorting. Looking up to Xander, I find his attention fixated on a point above my head. “How did you learn to dance like this?” I ask.
“My mother.” He doesn’t say anything more, but I watch the way his jaw clenches, his gaze flicking to mine for a briefmoment before returning. “Have you thought about what I told you?”
I accidentally step on his foot again, making his fingers tighten just a fraction around me—the move pulling at the tight skin on my hip—while Lady Mia lets out a disapproving hiss. “I have.” I take a few moments to gather my thoughts, Xander thankfully giving me the time as we continue dancing. He guides us a little farther away from where Lady Mia is still clapping, but I keep my voice low enough for only him to hear. “You say you want to help me, but how can you do anything more than I can do on my own? Won’t the king be suspicious of you? Especially around me? And with your blood oath?”
Xander’s eyes meet mine again. “He trusts me more than he trusts any of the other guards.” I purposefully run my thumb along the raised crescent-shaped scar on his palm. Xander amends his last statement. “Within reason.”
“You still haven’t explainedwhyyou would risk anything to help me at all,” I breathe through the discomfort of the brand being tugged on.
“Shouldn’t the offer of help be enough?” I step on his foot intentionally. He grimaces while Lady Mia chastises me. “Helping youleavethe Mortal Kingdom is better for everyone.”
Having satisfied Lady Mia with our warmup, she instructs us to move on to a faster-paced waltz as I give Xander a nod. If he is telling the truth about his underground movement against the king, I can’t even begin to imagine how my being here has disrupted that. “Can you communicate with the Mage Kingdom behind the king’s back?”
“Not from here, but possibly once we are back in Vitour.”
My heart pounds harshly in my chest at the thought. “Do you know when that will be?”
Lady Mia claps her hands three times in quick succession, indicating the end of the dance. She praises Xander with a brightsmile before it falls as she looks to me, her displeasure woven into each critique she gives me. I stuff my frustration down, reminding myself that she is acting on the command of the king and that my poor performance will be seen as a direct reflection ofher. She stays too close for Xander and I to continue our conversation, instructing us through another series of faster-paced waltzes that he executes perfectly.
When we are finally given a break, I pull away from him and take the small linen towel Lady Mia offers to wipe off the sweat on my brow. The brand stings from the sweat, and I bite down on my tongue to keep from crying at the fact that I can’t ever get a reprieve from the reminder that it is there.
“Well done, you two. Fewer mistakes this time, Lady Rhea. I will let the king know that this arrangement is preferred for everyone involved.” I pinch my lips together as Xander’s brows drop low, clearly thisarrangementis not oneheprefers. She tosses us both a smile before opening the door to the room and leaving the two of us.
Xander wastes no time diving back into our earlier conversation. “To answer your question, we leave for Vitour soon. In just over a week.”
Anticipation grabs hold of me, claws digging in deeply.Only a week. I don’t want to draw attention to the excitement that suddenly rushes into my veins. Being in Vitour doesn’t mean the king will be less vigilant over me. In fact, I don’t doubt he will find a way to ensure that his eyes are on me as much as possible when we return. It’s the fact that Nox is familiar with Vitour and the castle. He can find me there.
“I want to help you, Lady Rhea, not only because it is better for my interests or because it is the right thing to do, but because Ioweit to you.” He goes to rest his hand on his sword only to remember he doesn’t have it. He lets it fall back to his side as hiseyes meet mine again. “So rarely have I come across people that aregood, but you are.”
My throat tightens as I stare at him, my breaths shallow. When I finally relent with a quietokay, his shoulders relax. But then his expression hardens, shifting into the commander and the king’s Trusted once more.
“There is something else that you should know that is happening this week.”
I swallow, my fingers curling into my palms. “What?”
“The siren queen is coming to meet with King Dolian again and has…requestedthat you be there.”
Xander meets me at my door to escort me to dinner later that evening, his expression grim.
The king is already waiting for me in the dining room when I enter, Simon sitting in his usual spot across from the chair assigned to me. Ignoring the king’s gaze as I take my seat is arduous. Every part of me feels inexplicably exposed to him, despite how I’ve changed into a dark blue dress with sleeves that drape down my arms and a neckline that covers up to my collarbones. I’m only in my chair for a few seconds before two servants are there. One gathers my food, while the other pours wine into my glass.
“Drink it,” King Dolian demands, a cold lilt to his voice that makes every one of my nerve endings go on high alert.
