“We should stop,” she whispered. Surely their connection must be evident to everyone. Surely it was their love that had saturated the air, turning it sweet and heady.
“Just a little longer.” His eyes were solely on her. Nothing else existed. There was a dangerous invitation in his gaze to lose herself as well. “We only have a few more moments before it ends.”
“What ends?”
“The song.” There was so much more left unsaid.
“Cullen,” she breathed, searching his face and not liking what she found. “What is it?”
“I—”
The music stopped. Her feet touched the ground once more as his magic gently released her. And, in the void, a new voice appeared.
“My dear, should we dance?”
My dear?Eira found herself face-to-face with a woman whom she’d seen around Noelle on occasion. Her sharp green eyes, her dewy, fawn complexion, her spiral auburn hair carefully pinned looked drastically different than how her practical clothes on the training grounds.
Lavette, Alvstar’s daughter. Her father was the man Cullen had been speaking to in hushed tones the other day. Eira’s head plummeted out of the clouds as she began to realize that while she had been so focused on Ferro’s threat to Cullen, she hadn’t considered another game was at play that would take him from her.
Cullen’s eyes drifted to Yemir, who was standing next to Alvstar. The two men looked on with large smiles.
“What’s going on?” Eira asked—no,demandedof Cullen.
“We…” He couldn’t seem to make up his mind on who or what he wanted to look at, but it wasn’t Eira, that much was certain. “Our fathers, that is…”
“There will be an announcement soon,” Lavette said kindly. Though Eira could feel discomfort radiating off her as well. Both of them wanted to dance around whatever this was, not touching on the topic outright. And not because of some kind of announcement. But because there was palpable dread hanging over both their shoulders. The music swelled once more. “Shall we?”
“I suppose.”We must; that was the other half of the sentence Cullen so clearly wanted to say.
Eira stepped away as they danced, distant, stiff armed, and with forced smiles. She crossed over to where Yemir hovered, wondering if he was about to cause her to make a scene. He gave a nod of his head as she stood next to him at the edge of the dance floor and for half the song they pretended to ignore each other. But Eira could feel him steeping in a horrible smugness.
“Not interested in dancing any longer?”
Eira considered it a victory that she wasn’t the one to break the silence. “My head is feeling a bit light.”
“You seemed to have quite the array of partners.”
“It was a fortunate surprise.” She should be searching for Ferro. But all she could look at was Cullen and Lavette.
“Perhaps this will be good for you, Eira. No one here knows of your past transgressions. You could make a smart match and live on Meru as you’ve always wanted.” Yemir could wrap manure in a compliment if he had to. “It does seem to be the time for politically savvy matches.” Alvstar chuckled on the other side of him. “First our princess, and now—ah, well, best to wait until the announcement.”
“What did you do?” Eira whispered, dangerously quiet, eyes still on Cullen and the woman.
“What I had always planned on doing.” Yemir looked down at her, speaking just quietly enough that Alvstar wouldn’t hear over the music. “I made an advantageous match for my son that will secure our family’s political advantage not only in Solaris, but now in a new, key trading partner as well.”
She pressed her lips tightly together, not trusting herself to speak.
“You didn’t actually think…” He chuckled. “I don’t know what my son has told you, but he’s always known his position and has accepted it gladly.”
No he hasn’t, she wanted to scream. But those were words Cullen had to say to his father. They were meaningless if they came from her.
“But I suppose such infatuations can’t be helped for a young man as eligible as—”
“When was the engagement arranged?” Eira asked, done sidestepping around what was now so painfully obvious.
“About a week ago.”
The wind was knocked from her. Eira placed a hand on her lower stomach just to remind herself that she was still breathing.A week ago.
