Behind us, I heard a shrill cackle and saw the other Silver Court caster giggling his ass off like a demented hyena.
Sin edged closer to Harpyn, and the cold fury in his eyes twisted something in the pit of my stomach.
“Sin, stop,” I said, trying to pull him toward me, though his focus never left the male turning blue in front of him.
“Cennux Dreisin, now is not the time,” a smooth yet firm male voice said.
The blond who stepped up to Sin was dressed in the crisp white uniform of the Gold Court, and he strongly reminded me of Dey with his unblemished good looks and charming smile.
“Back off, Vankin. This is between me and him,” Sin snarled, and I started to worry that he might actually kill the Silver Court asshole.
“You know what happens if you are caught injuring a fellow competitor before the games,” Vankin said. “You’re my only real competition, Dreisin, don’t get yourself disqualified.” The golden male gave me a pointed look and tilted his head toward Sin.
I placed a hand on Sin’s shoulder and said, louder this time, “Sin, stop.”
Slowly, so incredibly slowly, Sin turned his head to look at me.
“He’s not worth it,” I said in English.
I doubted Harpyn had more than a few seconds left, but the grin still hadn’t left his face. He didn’t even struggle. Unhinged was an understatement.
Something softened in Sin’s eyes as he stared at me, and with the slightest twitch of his hand, the water dropped away from Harpyn’s neck.
Vankin’s hand flicked out, and the falling water reversed course to slip back into Sin’s glass. I nodded my thanks to the water caster and pulled Sin away, leaving Harpyn gasping for breath while Vankin tried to see if he was all right. Harpyn justshoved Vankin away from him and blew me another kiss before wandering off.
Once I had Sin away from the others, I whispered furiously, “What the hell was that all about?”
“Nothing,” he said, turning away from me, and the small action cut me deeper than any words could.
“Please don’t shut me out, Sin. I thought we were past that.”
Sin flagged down a servant and snagged a glass of Cevisa, drained it, and followed it up with a second. Then a third.
“So you’d rather stand here and get drunk than talk to me? Thanks, Sin. Way to make a girl feel special.” Ice was warmer than the look he gave me, and I felt like I was staring at the old Sin. Closed off, detached, and absent of all affection.
“I told you I had secrets, Rain,” he said gruffly.
“Yeah, well, I get a feeling that this isn't one you’re forced to keep but that you’re choosing to keep. Am I wrong?”
His eyes shifted away in confirmation.
“You almost murdered him, Sin.”
“He insulted you.”
“This wasn’t about me and you know it,” I argued. “What did he mean when he said you should have learned your lesson after the last one?”
When he refused to meet my gaze, I grabbed his face and roughly pulled it back to mine. “Tell me,” I demanded.
“Don’t, Rain. Don’t go there. What’s between me and Harpyn has nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?” I released his face and threw up my hands in exasperation. “You know, there’s an awful lot about you that supposedly has nothing to do with me, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe you aren’t the best person to be making that call. Come find me if you ever decide to let me in.”
I found Cam and Ram on the other side of the hall, but only had a few minutes to wish them luck in the games before Dey arrived and whisked me off to my seat near the head of the table.
My father made an elaborate speech in which he introduced me and told everyone about his arduous search and what a joy it was that the lost princess had been returned home. Thankfully, I had to do no more than give a little wave.
He proceeded to drone on about the games with lots of pomp and circumstance. It started out fairly interesting with him describing the origins of the games—a chance for the courts to vent aggression so that they may live in harmony—and ended with their purpose today. Every hundred years the courts all came together to discuss the health of all Rivella, deal with any mutual threats, and ensure that the throne was being turned over to the next generation. Apparently when you can live for centuries it becomes dangerous for one ruler to remain in power too long, so they enacted a law that no king could reign for more than a hundred years. Maybe that’s why my father was so desperate for me to separate the lines. His only legitimate heir was trapped in a magical coma.
