He scooped me into his arms and carried me into an alcove.
Five men followed us.
“Are you all right?” Teal’s face was taut with worry.
“I don’t know.” Strange magic still coursed through my veins. “What was that?”
Grayson took a step closer. “You tell us.”
Normally, I’d argue—Grayson’s tone was sneering, and he’d demanded, not asked—but I didn’t have the energy to bicker. “I connected to all the elements—I was all the elements.”
He snorted in derision, and I stiffened in Zane’s arms.
Zane looked up from studying my face. “Give us a minute.” When no one moved, he added, “Please. Can’t you see she’s overwhelmed?”
With only a few concerned grumbles, they left us.
“You’ve had quite a night. Two assassination attempts, a bonding ceremony, and whatever that was.”
I couldn’t help it; I yawned. “When you put it that way, I’m exhausted.”
He chuckled softly, gently lowering my feet to the floor. “Too exhausted to dance with me?”
Soft music swirled around our alcove.
Zane pulled me close, swaying to the music. “I had a vision of this moment.”
“Did you?”
He nodded, with a knowing smile on his lips. “I did.”
“What happens next?”
“I offer you a vow.”
“Oh?”
He stroked my cheek. “We’ll have our challenges, but I promise you this: I’ll make you happy. Every. Single. Day. It’s too early to tell you, but you should know that I love you.”
My heart stuttered.
Zane laughed. “Your face. It’s all right, Haven. Take all the time you need. You don’t have to say it back. Not until you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”
I lifted onto my tiptoes and kissed him. Slowly.
A musician hit a sour note, and the discordant sound broke the spell between us. A second missed note sent a shiver of dread coursing through me. My magic coiled around me, readying itself for danger. “Zane, do you sense anything? Your visions …”
A tremor shook the floor beneath our feet, rattling the braziers. The flames flickered higher, dancing wildly in the suddenly charged air.
I gripped Zane’s arm and pulled him into the grand hall. “Something’s very wrong. Something’s coming.”
A servant rushed past us, hurrying to the queen’s side and whispering urgently in her ear.
Her face went pale, and she rose from her throne, opening her mouth to speak.
Before she could utter a word, her favorite stained-glass window exploded in a burst of cutting shards.
People screamed, running in panic toward the doors. A woman near me shrieked as glass sliced across her cheek, blood streaming down her face. Nobles trampled each other in their desperation to escape.
