Her expression turns heartbroken, and she opens her mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. Instead, she scans the room, and her mouth snaps shut with a sharp click. Her brow furrows as she comes to take a seat beside me.
I watch with a strange sense of detachment as she gives me a knowing look, twirling a finger in the air before tapping her ear twice.
The walls have ears.
The ache in my chest continues, and the room grows fuzzy. I don’t particularly care if someone is listening. What difference does it make if people hear me getting ready for a shotgun wedding?
Nymara frowns, and her hands tighten on the fabric bag. “Hello, Vivian,” she says in a cheerful tone.
Her smile is blindingly bright. She’s faking it.
“It’s my duty to help you get ready, and then deliver you to your wedding,” she continues.
“Okay,” I whisper without inflection.
She purses her lips, taking in my defeated expression. Her eye twitches, but her smile doesn’t waver. “It’s quite the affair. We haven’t had leaders fromeveryrealm attend a ceremony in over a millennium.”
I barely hear the words as I try to let my mind go somewhere far away from this place.
“Even Sin and Morgana have been invited,” she adds casually.
My eyes snap back to hers.
Nymara gives me a look that says ‘it’s about damned time’ before continuing, “It’s all anyone can talk about. After all, this ceremony is really just to show the realm leaders that you and Leon are truly the prophesied couple. Mother wants to put an end to all the rumors that you aren’t here of your own free will… rumors that have been growing much stronger since yesterday.”
Her tone is scolding, and her perma-smile becomes more of a shit-eating grin.
“Of course, mother is saying that this is a momentous occasion, and that all the leaders were invited as a gesture of goodwill. She is looking for peace, and if all goes well, the realms will no longer be on the verge of war,” Nymara notes, and her false-cheerful tone could put a Disney princess to shame. “That’s why your actions tonight are so important, Vivian,” she adds, and her entire façade drops.
Her expression turns dead serious as she slides off the bed and walks over to the wardrobe. Opening the doors, she reveals the poofy, white monstrosity of tulle that is meant to be my wedding dress. The gown isn’t even close to the options that were presented to me, and I’m sure it’s something Need or Leon chose. The neckline is modest, and the sleeves are massive and ballooning. There are so many layers of fabric that it takes up the entire wardrobe.
Nymara lifts the fabric bag off her arm, and I frown, confused. Maybe she’s going to the party, and that’s her dress?
Her intense, unwavering stare fixes on me as she unzips the bag. “Your actions tonight will determineexactlywhere alliances stand.”
She opens the bag and hangs a stunningly beautiful gown on the wardrobe door. It’s the antithesis of my wedding dress and can only be described as sin incarnate. Some strategic parts are made from a silky-looking black fabric, but most of it is thin, very see-through black mesh. There’s a plunging neckline that would reach just above my belly button, and a slit that runs all the way up one side of the loose, flowing skirt. But it’s the beads that steal my breath away. The entire dress is beaded with intertwined swirls of gold and red.
Colors that perfectly match me and Sin’s powers.
My gaze snaps back to Nymara. Her brows knit together, and it’s the only sign of how tense she is.
If I wear this dress, Need will know exactly who is responsible. We’ll both be punished or possibly killed.
I search her eyes, wordlessly asking if she’s ready to face the consequences.
She swallows and gives me a small but decisive nod.
I feel the words we can’t speak. It doesn’t matter how they punish us, because we both know this might be our only opportunity.
Our last chance to spark a full-blown rebellion.
Chapter 26
Sin’s Point of View
Rule twenty-six:Free her, no matter the cost.
I. Fucking. Tried.
