"So no pressure," I replied, sipping my wine.
Ophelia smiled and reached out to pat me on the arm. I didn't think I imagined the sadness in her ancient eyes.
"I don't envy your girl of her task, Dante of House Viper," she said then, sorrow filling her tone. "I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy."
"She's not my—"
But the woman was gone having disappeared as quickly as she'd come. I whirled around, searching for her in the crowd, but didn't see a gray head among them. Brows furrowed, I set my wine on a nearby table.
Maybe Ksenia was right. I'd had far too much to drink.
Chapter Forty
Adrian
“If I die, know it was for you, my love. Build a better life for our children upon my grave. I will see you again.”
— A Note Recovered in the home of Dominic Hill
The king's breath reeked of wine.
The odor was so strong it took everything in me not to lean away from him every time he spoke. The Prince was better. I found myself leaning toward him more often than not, mostly nodding in agreement to whatever they were discussing, as if I had any idea what they were talking about. I answered with only the barest details when asked about where I'd come from or where I'd been. When the conversation drifted into why they should bother backing our endeavor, I encouraged them as well as I could without telling too much of my power, as Gryfon had warned me against.
In the end, I felt that I hadn't done a very good job of convincing them at all. If anything I'd said had gone at all toward convincing them to join us, it would be a miracle. Still, the conversation alone was exhausting and, by the end of it, I wanted nothing more than to return to my room, strip off thisdress, and fall into the massive bed awaiting me there. Instead, I found myself descending from the dais only to be introduced to countless nobles awaiting my attention by the Prince himself who'd joined me.
Hours later, I was finally permitted to retire. I gave them all a polite smile before bolting for the door. Gryfon stepped forward from where he'd been in the corner, but I waved him off. He frowned but relaxed slightly when both Zya and Kane made their way to my side.
We swept from the room with far too much fanfare for my taste but at least we were finally out. I let my shoulders slump as we made a beeline for the hall of rooms we'd been given on our arrival. I didn't let out a breath of relief until we were through the doors and into a dimly lit hallway populated by only the members of our party.
"If you don't start unzipping me now, Zya, I swear I'm going to burst," I muttered as we strode quickly down the hall.
She chuckled and reached for my zipper but then we reached the halfway point and the lights in the distance were enough to illuminate a figure waiting in the shadows. I froze, breath hitching as I recognized the form now pushing off the wall at the end, between mine and the general's doors.
"Dante," I said, coming up short.
He stumbled a bit as he strode forward and my brows furrowed.
"Are you drunk?" I asked.
"I need to talk to you," he said and, to his credit, the words weren't slurred.
Kane pushed up beside me, taking a defensive stance as if he'd have any chance at all against Dante. I placed a reassuring hand on his arm, pushing him back. He met my gaze and I nodded.
"Adrian," Zya spoke quietly.
"I'm fine," I told them both. "I'll handle this. Go to your rooms."
They exchanged a glance and hesitated but eventually strode off to their own rooms. I waited until the doors clicked shut to storm down the hall. I let my shoulder slam into Dante's as I slid my key into the lock on my door and turned it. The impact didn't even budge him. It never had.
He turned slowly, watching me in the dying torchlight as I fumbled with the lock. I pushed the door open a moment later, striding inside and waiting for him to follow. He did, closing it behind him. I whirled around, crossing my arms and glaring before he was even fully inside.
"What do you want?" I snapped.
"I think we need to…discuss everything that happened," he told me. "Properly."
"You think you're in the right state for that at the moment?" I questioned, letting the accusation sting as intended.
He frowned, the way I always remembered him doing when I'd snapped at him, pushed back. He stepped forward and I tensed, dropping my hands to my sides and flexing my fists, calling the Darkness to my fingertips in preparation to defend myself. I hated that, hated that things had deteriorated between us so supremely I feared him in that way. He noticed and raised his hands in surrender.
