His mother bustled into the room in a flurry of pale pink skirts. “We need to discuss the situation with your mate.”
Roman led them to the small dining table in the corner of his sitting room and pulled out a chair for his mother before he and his father joined her. “I assume you have a plan.”
His father leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, looking deceptively relaxed. “We have, and the council agrees.”
Roman wanted to slam his fist on the table. The fewer people who knew about this until they had the logistics figured out, the better. “You didn’t think to check with me before involving the council?”
“The council helped concoct the plan,” his mother explained, pushing an stray piece of hair out of her face. “And we agreed.”
Roman looked between the two. “Why do you both look as if you’re delivering a death blow?”
His parents exchanged a wary glance, and his father answered, “Because we know you won’t like it.”
“I’ll not marry Vivian.” Roman asserted and stood. “End of discussion.”
“Sit.” His mother tapped his chair. “I would never force you to marry when you’re in love with another.”
The tension in Roman’s shoulders loosened a fraction as he eased into his seat. “Then what is it?”
“You’ll marry Violet,” his father began, “but to everyone else, she will be Vivian.”
Roman shot to his feet again. “No,” he snarled. “I’ll not have my mate pretend to be someone she’s not. Especially not her unworthy sister.”
“Vivian is your mate,” his father snapped. “This is a compromise that allows you torisk your kingdomwithout them knowing.”
Over Roman’s dead body would he hide Violet behind Vivian’s mask. “No one in the capital would buy it. Everyone knows the twins are night and day.”
His mother adjusted the sleeve of her dress. If she was avoiding his gaze, he really wouldn’t like the next part of theirplan. “Vivian will leave the kingdom, and Violet will train with your father, Edgar, and me to pass as a warrior; learn to act and dress the part of Vivian publicly. We will announce Vivian’s retirement as a warrior in lieu of her taking over as queen.”
Roman scoffed and moved to the center of the room before he threw something. “I never took you two for fools.”
His father straightened and leaned forward. “Watch it.”
“No,youwatch it,” Roman returned with a lethal note in his deceptively calm voice. “I will marry Violet. If our people refuse to kneel before her, I will cut them off at the knees. They will have no choice but to kiss her feet.”
A searing pain tore through Roman, and he cried out, clawing at his chest as he lurched toward the table to steady himself. His mother screamed and jumped out of her seat to kneel at his side.
The sound of her voice was a distant murmur, muffled by the blood roaring in Roman’s ears. He couldn’t speak or breathe, and he gritted his teeth against the sharp pain. Were the gods punishing him for his disobedience?
A sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead. How long would their useless punishment last? Not even the greatest pain imaginable could force him to give up Violet.
It didn’t make sense that they’d punish him early, and fear gripped him. What if something happened to War? He closed his eyes and reached for hisfamiliar,greeted by nothing but darkness and silence.
“War?”he bellowed down the bond.
The beast’s vision blinked open until Roman stared out at an array of colorful trees. He watched through War as the cat jumped from a tall branch and ran toward the palace. Roman breathed a sigh of relief.
“What’s wrong?”War demanded.
“I don’t know. My chest feels like it’s being destroyed from the inside out, and I was worried something happened to you.”
“I’m on my way.”
A vague awareness of his parents yelling his name and his mother’s hands fumbling over his torso teased at the corners of his mind. The pain dissolved as quickly as it came, and he sat back on his heels, panting.What just happened?
“Roman, speak to me,” his father’s strong voice ordered.
Roman pushed to his feet. “It was like being ripped apart from the inside out. I thought something happened to War, but he’s fine.”
