‘Rose!’ Kyor’s face lights up as he says my name, raising his hand ever so slightly to catch my attention, as if my eyes were not drawn to him like a magnet. The sight of him causes a pain to claw through my body, but Thea and her bullshit pale in comparison to the storm Kay has unleashed inside me.
Kyor’s warm hand rests on my waist and he smiles at me for just a heartbeat before it disappears. ‘What is it? What’s wrong, Thorn?’
‘Hew. Fucking Hew. I need to speak to him. Now.’
The barest of sighs escapes his lips. ‘What has he done this time?’
‘Kyor,’ I snap. ‘Hew! Find him.’
‘Okay. I’ll grab him and we’ll meet you in the courtyard.’
As I stalk outside I realise that my green, plunging ballgown is hardly suitable for a meeting outdoors, yet whether it’s fury or the magic in my veins, the cold barely touches me. Hew will not get away with this. And I don’t care how mad at me Kay is. If she can face marrying a man like Artur, then she can marry a man she liked enough to fuck and ruin her life.
While Kyor strides into the courtyard, Hew skulks behind. The prince’s jaw is tight, anger thrumming from him. I think it’s safe to assume Hew told him about Kay’s pregnancy then.
Still, Kyor waits until they reach me and we have relative privacy before he whirls on Hew.
‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at?’ he demands.
Hew carries a glass of red wine, his lips already stained with it. I wonder how many drinks he’s had while he waited for my dramatic entrance.
‘Why are you so mad?’ Hew asks, looking genuinely perplexed.
‘What the fuck do you mean? Kay is Rose’s sister.’ Kyor gestures to me.
‘And?’ Hew frowns before his expression lightens and he laughs. ‘Oh,you’re joking? This is rich. You’re fucking the other sister?’ His laugh is enough to make me feel sick. ‘This is classic. I’m going to be honest, though. I think I got the hotter one.’
Kyor’s fists are clenched, and the static in the air is suddenly buzzing. If Hew doesn’t sober up fast, there’s a strong chance the prince will use his lightning on his childhood friend. Part of me wants to egg him on, but that won’t help Kay. I need Hew alive and unfried to marry her. To do the right thing.
I touch Kyor’s arm, silently asking for his patience.
‘You’ll marry Acacia,’ Kyor grinds out. ‘And acknowledge the baby.’
Hew laughs. ‘The fuck I will. My engagement is a political move, Ky. Your father’s the one who arranged it. He told me who I’ll marry, and I said, “Yes, Your Majesty,” because I like living. You can’t undo it any more than I can.’
‘What?’ Kyor looks genuinely surprised by this news. ‘How did I not know this?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe because you’ve been off waging wars on the Torailian and riding that wolf of yours like a pony.’
Yup, he’s definitely plastered. The Morathkians haven’t been at war with the Torailians for decades, and to refer to Elska as a pony? It’s hard to believe he’s still standing. The static in the air hitches a notch higher.
‘Korvane gifted me a year of freedom before the shackles of marriage,’ Hew continues, ‘and I’ve been enjoying my year thoroughly.’ He downs a hefty mouthful of wine before slapping Kyor on the arm. ‘Look, you can’t really be mad about the Kultavaris thing. I was just taking a leaf out of your playbook.’ With a slight laugh, he goes to take another gulp of wine, only to find the glass empty. His face crinkles in confusion. ‘Well, this needs rectifying immediately,’ he says, turning on his heel and walking back into the palace like he hasn’t just dashed every single hope I had.
Hew won’t marry Acacia. He won’t acknowledge the baby. I feel sick.
And what did he mean by Kyor’s playbook? A terrified part of me already knows he’s talking about Thea. About how getting her pregnant was enough to see her stripped of her powers and thrown out of the High Hold, his problem erased. But is Hew talking about me, too? Is making women fall for him only to ruin them Kyor’s idea of fun? It’s with panic that I recall his response to finding out I was on the dealun seed tonic. Was I wrong to assume the reaction was jealousy? Was it actually because I disrupted his plans to ruin me? Is Kyor no better than Hew?
He has to be. I need him to be. There has to be another explanation for all this.
‘Kyor,’ I whisper.
‘We’ll fix this,’ he promises rashly. ‘Somehow.’
With no more words to say he leans in, ready to press his lips to mine, and for a split second I consider backing away. But I don’t. I need this kiss. Because I need to believe in him. Believe in us. That what we have is real.
As I let my body lose itself in the moment, the kiss grows deep and desperate. His hands tangle in my gown as he pulls me closer, only for a throat to clear behind us.
‘Well,’ Korvane Knavin drawls, ‘this is not where I expected to find the two most important people at the ball.’
