“No!” Cobalt and I shout at once.
Aspen seems unperturbed by our outbursts and returns to his meal, fork in hand. After taking a few bites, he says, “It’s what the council thinks is best for the treaty to remain valid. A marriage must still take place.”
“Then Evelyn can marryme,” Cobalt says. “There’s nothing in the treaty that says who the marriage should be made to, only that it is made to a fae of the hosting court.”
Aspen fixes his brother with an indignant stare. “Yet, I am king, so I decide who she marries.”
Cobalt’s shoulders heave, and I expect him to shout. Instead, he lets out a growl of frustration and storms from the room.
“You get your way yet again.” My voice is quiet, filled with iron. “Another potential bride. Another waiting victim. Another way to punish me.”
He throws his fork down, letting it clatter on his plate. “If I wanted to punish you, Iwouldn’tmarry you. Is that what you want? For the treaty to become invalidated? For war to rage over the isle? For every person you love to die?”
“You could allow me to marry Cobalt instead. The treaty would remain valid.”
“I could,” he says, face smug, “but I won’t.”
My fingers curl into fists, nails digging into my palms. “You have no claim to me just because you’re king. I am not a thing to be owned.”
He closes his eyes and rubs his temples with a groan, as if I’m the impossible one. His words come out strained through his clenched teeth. “I’m starting to believe war wouldn’t be the worst idea. All I do is maintain the safety of the isle, yet I’m repaid with treason at every turn.”
“Treason? You’re out of your mind! No one is committing treason against you. If you had any sense at all, you’d see the real terror to the isle is you.”
He rolls his eyes. “I don’t care what you think of me. The choice is yours. Either you marry me, or the Fair Isle reverts to war. I’m getting tired of caring one way or another. What’s it going to be?”
Fury roars through me, making my limbs tremble with rage. “I hate you.”
His face twists into something between a glower and a menacing smile. “So much that you can’t fathom marrying me for the sake of your people?”
I lean toward him. “So much that I will carve out your heart if you try to take me to your bed. I’ll marry you. I’ll sign the contract. But don’t think for a moment we’ll be anything more than cold allies.”
His expression doesn’t falter as he brings his face closer to mine. “So you accept my proposal?”
I hate the way my eyes are drawn to his mouth, the way he drags his tongue over his bottom lip, as if he’s savoring the anger radiating off my skin. I want to shout at him, to slap the smug look off his face as his eyes rove over me, claiming me.
But I’ll never be his.
With some effort, I push away from the table, away from him. Even when I turn away, I can still feel his eyes burning into me.
* * *
The coolness of the hall outside the dining room is a welcome comfort. I didn’t realize until now how warm I’d become. Sweat drips down my neck and beads at my forehead. I quicken my pace, not quite knowing where I’m going. My only thought is to widen the distance between me and Aspen, to forget his words, to shake his face from my mind.
I don’t even see the pair of arms that reach for me from the shadows of the hall. With a squeal, I leap back and draw my dagger, only to realize it’s Cobalt.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says, palms forward in surrender as his eyes dart from me to the dagger.
“It’s all right,” I say, releasing a heavy sigh and returning my blade to its sheath beneath my skirts. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I came out here to cool my rage, then decided to wait for you. We need to speak in private.”
I nod, and he takes my hand. We move quickly down the hall until he pulls me into a room and closes the door. The room is small, curtains drawn shut, revealing mostly shadows and a few sparse furnishings.
“It’s an unused parlor,” Cobalt explains. “Used to be my mother’s. Don’t sit on anything. It hasn’t been dusted in years.”
I make no move to contradict his request, and we remain by the door. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
He takes my hands in his. When he meets my eyes, his expression falls. “I’m so sorry about all of this. I can’t imagine how you must feel right now.”
