The villagers back in Waterdale must not have reported my involvement after all because he was clearly surprised to see me.
“Not you too,” he said, sounding beleaguered. “I havetwoimbeciles for sons.”
The fear on Stellon’s face multiplied a thousand-fold. He flicked a glance over to me, realizing I’d been right. If he’d had any remaining hope, it was dashed when Father spoke again.
“There must besomethingspecial about this little piece of human arse,” he said casually. “I guess I’ll have to sample her myself after all.”
He raised a hand. “Take the girl into custody.”
“No,” Stellon yelled, but a group of soldiers restrained him while two others pulled Raewyn from my grasp.
The rest drew their longswords or pointed spears aggressively in our direction.
Stellon gaped at our father. “You lied?”
“I did what I had to do to protect my heir and this kingdom.”
Turning to the soldier at his right, the King said, “Bind them all and bring horses for my sons. She’ll ride in the cage.”
“No, you can’t do this,” Stellon protested. “We are meant to marry. She’s to be a princess.”
Our father scoffed.
My brother clasped his hands in front of him in a prayer gesture. His tone became placating.
“Please Father. Allow our marriage, and you won’t regret it,” he begged as the soldiers obeyed the King’s order to bind our hands.
“She’ll make a great queen, and it will begoodfor the kingdom,” Stellon said. “It will unite our lands. I promise to be the heir you’ve always wanted, if you’ll just grant me this one request.”
“And have mixed-breed grandchildren sit the throne of Avrandar someday?” Father asked, his face turning practically inside out in disgust.
“Absolutely not. I’ve already united the kingdom… all its inhabitants that matter, anyway.”
He turned his horse, the subject closed.
I watched as a wild expression overtook Stellon’s face.
“It’s too late,” he yelled. “We’ve already bonded. So you’llhaveto let us marry.”
Father jerked his horse back around to face Stellon at the same time my face whipped toward him.
What?A geyser of fury erupted inside me. It couldn’t be true. Raewyn wasmine.
Or she was supposed to have been. The matchmaker’s glamour had said it—everything inside of me confirmed it.
Is this true?I demanded of Stellon, communicating mentally. He ignored me, keeping his eyes trained on our father.
Thinking of all the intimacies Raewyn and I had shared in the past few days, I felt like I’d already been pierced through by one of those longswords.
Had she really been bonded to my brother all this time?
Only half-Elven, she didn’t have the same kind of physical restrictions we did, but could my body really have responded to her the way it did if she was alreadyhisbond-mate?
My gaze went to her, but Raewyn’s expression revealed nothing—apart from terror.
The King’s face was pure animous. His eyes burned with hatred as he stared at her. I knew without a doubt that he was visualizing pulling out his sword and striking her down personally.
But he couldn’t do it—not if Stellon was telling the truth.
