His mouth twists into a grimace. “It’s the clothes. I’m not used to all this.” He messes with the collar of his jacket.
I step forward to smooth it. “No, you look good.”
Good? He doesn’t look good.
He looks gorgeous. Stunning. Delicious. Drop-dead sexy in a way that should be a felony.
I force myself to step back before I can say anything else damning. His eyes bounce from me to Zadyn.
“I’m not sure if it’s a good sign or a bad sign that you’re standing here right now.”
“We should talk,” I tell him.
He nods, leading us away. With a deep breath, I brace myself for the shitstorm that’s about to follow.
57
JACE
14 DAYS
“You didwhat?”I slam my hands down on the table separating me from Serena.
“My reaction exactly.” Zadyn leans by the council room door—arms crossed, a scowl on his face.
“Is this some kind of fucking joke?”
“Yes. My sense of humor’s gotten much darker since the last time you saw me.” Her eyes roll. “This is calledcompromise.”
“You are not going with him! It’s out of the gods-damned question.”
“You and Zadyn seem to forget that this is my decision. Not yours.”
“Masochism doesn’t suit you, witch.” I shove off the table, raking a hand through my hair and staring up at the ceiling.
Gods, give me strength.
“Look, I’ve thought about this long and hard, and this is the best solution. We avoid a war if I go with him. All you have to do is bend the knee.”
“Oh, is that all?!” I fight the urge to pound my fist through the wall. “If you think I willevercall that black-hearted mongrel king—if you think I will surrender Derek’s kingdom, go against my honor, myblood-oathtomyking to grovel at that bastard’s feet…you don’t know me. At all.”
Serena stands there, a crease between her brows. “I won’t see Derek’s kingdom destroyed because of me either, Jace. But sometimes self-preservation is worth the price of your honor. Honor doesn’t keep you alive. It’s usually the thing that gets you killed fastest.”
A long silence hangs in the air.
“Swearing my allegiance is out of the question,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Then we figure out a way to end him before it comes to that.”
“I’m assuming that look in your eye means you have some sort of plan?”
Her shoulder lifts. “I’m going to kill him.”
I laugh. “That’s cute. Real fucking cute.”
“I’m serious. If I marry him, I’ll be close enough for him to let his guard down. I can find the star and cut off his access to the portal.”
“What makes you think he won’t lock you up in blood ore chains the second he gets you alone?”
