* * *
Violet paced the length of her room, too nervous to eat lunch with the rest of her family. What had she been thinking giving Roman that stupid bracelet? She’d meant it to be funny, but in hindsight, it was dumb.
Anxiety crept over her skin thanks to something she dared not utter aloud. She wanted to be Roman’s mate. She’d harbored a crush on the prince since last year, and something inside of herknewthey were meant to be together. Would he be upset if the gods bonded him to her?
Violet flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Last night, she’d prayed to the gods to make them mates.Pathetic.
Mates could feel each other’s emotions, and that morning, Vivian had claimed she’d felt someone else’s emotions. Violet’s stomach soured. She and Roman belonged together, she could feel it, but a small seed of doubt bloomed in her gut. Even if Viv had lied about feeling something in her chest, Violet didn’t feel anything.
After her declaration, Vivian had looked at Violet with triumph, as if she’d won a game Violet didn’t know they were playing. Vivian treated everything between them as a competition, and Violet hated it. It had never been that way until the day she’d accidentally hurt Violet, trying to teach her to sword fight. If Violet could go back, she’d have never agreed to train with Vivian that day. Or ever.
Since then, there’d been a rift between them, one that hurt deeply. She didn’t understand why her sister blamed her for their father’s reaction; Violet hadn’t asked their father to yell at Viv. But since that day, Vivian had tried her hardest to make her look bad. Not just in front of their parents; in front of everyone.
A commanding knock on their front door startled Violet from the memory, and she sprang off the bed. Everything in her buzzed with excitement.Oh my gods.
She tried to act unaffected as she walked into the family room and watched her father cross to the door. Her father, Edgar, was tall and broad like most fae, with dark golden-tan skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes that creased at the corners from laughing. He had a proud, prominent nose and heavy brows. He was an unshakeable force.Usually.
Today, Violet noted the way he wiped his palms on his pants and took a deep breath before reaching for the door handle. No one in their household voiced it, but they’d all been anxious for today, as had every family with a child who shared a birthday with the prince.
Her father opened the door to reveal King Felix and Queen Sarah on the other side. Violet sucked in a sharp breath, and Vivian cut her eyes in her direction with a cruel smirk.
“Hello, Edgar,” King Felix greeted politely. Felix was bigger than Violet’s father, with light brown hair, medium-beige skin, and Roman’s light brown eyes. He smiled politely at Violet’s mother. “Meri, it’s good to see you.”
Her mother dipped into a slight curtsey. “Likewise, Your Grace. And you, Your Grace,” she said to Queen Sarah, who had discreetly moved between Meri and her husband.
The queen possessed flawless skin the color of Roman’s, dark sandy-blonde hair free of grey, and hazel eyes that always seemed to sparkle. Everyone’s gazes moved to the door when Roman walked in, his hair styled neatly for once. His gaze collided with Violet’s, and when his lips tipped into a small grin, she almost fainted.I knew it.
But when he turned and moved farther into the room toward Vivian, confusion, realization, and horror took turns assaulting her. Violet watched in slow motion as he bowed to her twin and said something, to which Vivian nodded. Violet would never know what he’d said because embarrassment and heartbreak blocked out her surroundings.
She approached the others with forced happiness. “This is exciting.”
Vivian’s condescending smile made Violet want to hit her, an urge she’d never had before. “I get to be queen, Vi. Can you believe it?”
The thought of being queen hadn’t crossed Violet’s mind. She’d been too focused on getting to spend forever with Roman. She begrudgingly admitted that Vivian would make a great warrior queen—someone who could fight alongside Roman to defend their kingdom. Violet could never have lived up to that role.
“It suits you,” Violet forced out and faced Roman. “You two will chop people down together like the heroes in adventure books.” She made a slashing motion in the air, and Roman twisted his lips to unsuccessfully suppress his laughter.
The adults joined in, and Vivian’s eyes cut to Violet, her mouth curved down in a vicious frown. Before anyone else noticed, Vivian’s smile slipped back into place.
“What happens now?” Vivian asked.
Their father gestured for everyone to have a seat, and their mother offered to make tea.
“It’s tradition in the Tropical Kingdom to keep the identity of the heir’s mate hidden from the public until after they graduate school,” King Felix began. “Once we reveal Vivian as the future queen, all eyes will be on her, and we don’t want that for any of the children.” He patted Roman on the back. “It’s bad enough my boy has to go through it.”
The king spoke the truth. It was well known that royal mates were not announced until after they finished school. Their classmates were used to Roman by now, as were most of the warriors and palace staff, but that didn’t stop them from falling over themselves to gain his attention. The townspeople gawked on the rare occasions they saw a royal in town.
Queen Sarah leaned forward conspiratorially. “Felix and I understand more than anyone how it can sometimes be hard to hide your affection for one another.” King Felix’s eyes shone with so much adoration that Violet had to focus on something else. The thought of Roman showing her sister affection made her heart twist.
“But we ask that you are discreet,” the queen continued. “It’s as much for Vivian’s safety as it is for her privacy.”
“Violet,” her father reprimanded. “Are you paying attention?”
Dear gods, I know you didn’t answer my prayer last night, but could youpleaseopen the ground to swallow me whole?She waited and sighed when the floor beneath her stayed intact. “Yes, sir. We can’t tell anyone that Viv is Roman’s mate.” She lifted her hand in a small salute, and Roman coughed to cover a laugh.
Her father muttered something under his breath, and Queen Sarah looked as amused as her son. Violet ignored Vivian’s glare, knowing her sister hated any positive attention Violet received.
The adults droned on while Violet lived through the biggest disappointment of her life. Eventually, the Covingtons left, leaving her with a sister who wouldn’t stop yapping about being the future queen, digging the knife a little deeper each time.
