“Dominic’s death is not your doing.” He released her hand and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him when he said, “It is mine. They’re all mine, as is every ounce of blood I will spill in your name. You would never kill someone, even if they deserved it.” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “But you cannot ask me to change who I am.”
Violet stared up at him, her mouth opening with the beginnings of a thought, only to close again. Another man might worry she would turn away from his dark nature, but Roman feared nothing of the sort. They were made for one another. She would no sooner turn from him than she would rip out her own heart.
At her resigned sigh and disgruntled expression, he grinned like a cat. “I don’t want you to change,” she admitted, “but will you at least try alternative measures going forward? Exile to another kingdom, maybe?”
“I’ll try,” he conceded.
Violet nodded and blew out another breath. “Thank you.” She looked around them and frowned. “Where is War? I still need to finish shopping.”
The subject change gave Roman whiplash, but he recovered quickly. “I can go with you.”
“I need to pick up your birthday gift,” she replied. “I ran into Marissa before I could buy it.”
He suppressed a smile. Gifts didn’t interest him, except from her. It was another memento to put in his closet to look at when he missed her. “I’ll call War.”
There was something he wanted to ask her, but it felt insignificant in light of the Marissa scandal. Surprising her had been the original plan, but he doubted she’d want another thing sprung on her out of the blue. “I have somewhere I want to take you tonight,” he began, catching her attention. “I have a competition, a big one. The biggest one of the year, actually. Competitors from all over Eden show up.”
She must have noted his nerves because she moved to stand in front of him. “What kind of competition?”
Roman licked his lips and dug a small shape shifter puzzle from his pocket. “A shape shifter competition. I’ve been competing in them for the last year.” Heat prickled the apples of his cheeks.
Violet gingerly took the puzzle from his hand. “They have competitions? Why didn’t you tell me? I’d love to go.”
He’d been worried the idea of watching people race to solve puzzles would bore her. Hopefully she didn’t laugh at the next part. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. It was a bit ridiculous. “I compete in disguise. They call me the Masked Shifter.”
He saw it, the moment Violet rolled her lips together to fight off the laugh, making his own lips twitch. “That’s interesting,” she said after a beat.
Roman hung his head and laughed. “It’s horrendous, but I don’t want people to know it’s me.”
Violet pursed her lips. “Do people tease puzzlers? I won’t let that stand.” She lifted her chin, looking every bit the queen she was. Gods, he loved her.
He coughed to cover a laugh. “Puzzlers?”
“I don’t know what you’re called,” she mumbled, “but if you can kill people for disrespecting me, I can make a law that says people can’t make fun of puzzlers.”
Roman barked out a laugh. “An entire law?” Violet bristled and he picked her up. Her legs wrapped instinctively around him. “No one makes fun of us, princess. The competitions are quite popular, but I didn’t want people treating me differently than the other competitors for being a royal.”
Understanding dawned on her and she wrapped her arms around her neck. “Well, Mr. Masked Shifter, we better get home and get you ready.”
* * *
Violet bounced on the balls of her feet as she stood in the royal viewing box with War sitting beside her. “Did you know he did this?”
The tigon nodded. Oh, how she wished the beast could communicate more with her because she had a million questions.
Roman and Violet entered the large complex separately so as not to give away his identity. The complex was a catch-all venue where large-scale events took place, such as concerts, popular plays, sparring competitions, and so forth. Never in a million years would she have thought puzzle competitions would be on that list.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd and heads turned in her direction. Most people gave her a wide berth with War at her side, but it didn’t stop them from staring, though that didn’t explain their abrupt attention now.
“He’s nervous.”
Violet jumped and flipped around to see Queen Sarah and King Felix standing behind her in the royal box. “You knew he did this?” she asked Roman’s parents.
Felix chuckled and plopped his muscular body down in one of the throne-style chairs. “Who do you think helped him find the perfect mask?”
Violet glanced down at Roman’s table. A skeleton mask covered his entire face except his eyes. “It’s terrifying.”
Sarah sat delicately beside her husband. “Intimidation is key.” The queen exuded elegant grace. You’d never know she could rip your head off with her bare hands. Violet didn’t know if it was true, but the queen was a fierce fighter and terrifying in her own right. It wouldn’t surprise Violet to find out the queen could do it.
