Cassius scoffed. “Ah, but that was before the kingdom of Nochtbend extended an invitation to the princess of Paragon. It would be quite rude for her to deny me now.”
Liam glared at Cassius, his eyes never leaving the vampire’s face as he asked, “That true, Charlotte?”
Cassius turned back to Charlie, his smile growing impossibly wider, packed with too many teeth. “Please, Charlotte, for old times’ sake. Half the court is around the fire. They’ve seen the royal carriage. Do your royal duty and say hello.”
She sighed. Refusing him now that he’d suggested the group in question were Nochtbend dignitaries could be viewed as a political offense. She put her hand on Liam’s. “I should go. You can wait here if you like.”
“I go where you go,” he said in a low, gritty timbre, his eyes still fixed on Cassius.
The vampire backed away from the door, his arms spreading wide. “Then welcome, guests. Follow me.”
Charlie stepped down from the carriage, then turned back toward Liam. “Can you see in the dark?”
“Not without a set of night vision goggles.”
“What are night vision goggles?”
He shook his head. “No. I can’t see in the dark.”
She allowed her inner light to shine as she had the first night they’d met and watched his amber eyes blink rapidly against her glow.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and flashed him a crooked smile. “Thanks.”
“This way,” Cassius called from up ahead.
She slipped her hand into Liam’s and whispered, “Stay with me. It will be fine.”
“I plan to stay with you, fine or otherwise.” His already somber expression turned darker.
The crackle of the fire greeted them up ahead. Cassius wasn’t lying. Charlie recognized several young dignitaries from the Nochtbend coven, snuggled with their dates around the fire. They all stood when they saw her and bowed, greetings of “Princess Charlie” reaching her through the darkness.
Cassius sat down on a log opposite the fire and patted the space beside him. He didn’t seem to have a date tonight, which concerned her. She hoped he didn’t intend to put her in the position of acting in that role. To be polite, she sat beside him but pulled Liam down on her other side, keeping hold of his hand.
“What’s the cause for celebration tonight?” she asked.
Cassius wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring her and Liam’s coupled hands. She shifted in Liam’s direction, putting some distance between her and the vampire, but Cassius simply leaned closer.
“Metluk and Andromeda were officially mated this dusk.” He gestured to a couple to their left. “We’ve just come from the celebratory feast to play the traditional mating games.”
“I’m not familiar with this ritual. What type of games do you play?” she asked.
Metluk lifted a chalice from the ground near his feet. “Actually, it’s fortuitous that you’ve joined us, Charlie. Cassius doesn’t have a date, and this game is usually played by couples.”
She stiffened. Exactly what she’d been afraid of.
“He still doesn’t have a date,” Liam gritted out in a voice as low as a mountain bear’s growl.
The others laughed, but Charlie felt Cass stiffen beside her. It wouldn’t do to anger him. The last thing she wanted was to put Liam in danger. She had to distract Cass from the comment and from Liam. “How is the game played?”
Cassius removed his arm from her shoulders and clapped his hands together. “It’s called risk or ruse. We go around the fire and each person chooses to either perform a physical feat or tell a story, true or untrue, about a topic of the asker’s choosing. If the story is found to be untrue, the participant must do the physical challenge instead.”
Liam’s snort cut through the darkness. “Like truth or dare.”
“What’s that?” Charlie asked.
“Never mind,” he mumbled. “Just things aren’t as different here as I thought.”
