The breath felt squeezed out of my lungs. “Denoren. Are they married?”
They share a family name?I thought in disbelief, that dread tripling in my belly.
Velle shook her head, and I didn’t know why I felt such relief at that.
It was short-lived, however.
“They aren’t married yet, but Erina and Luc made promises to one another. They took the same name in honor of that promise. They love each other. They grew up together at the orphanage, but when Luc came of age, he traveled to Laras. To make a name there. Her plan was to get a consistent source of credits, however she could, even if that meant marrying into a wealthy family for a time. Then she would send the credits to Luc in Laras, so that he could build a nice life for them both. Once they had enough, she planned to meet him there.”
The silence in the room was deafening. A swirling of anger, jealousy, and bitterness nearly consumed me, but I would keep it bottled and compressed. At least until I was alone.
“I admire you and your House,Kyzaire, and you’ve treated all ofus very well,” Velle finally said, her eyes holding mine. “Even though she is my friend, I’ve told her that I don’t like what she’s doing. That it’s wrong. She’s…she’s playing you. She acts like she’s innocent, but she’s quite cunning. Even the stories she writes—those are the stories that she worked on with Luc. They are her love letter to him, a way to be connected to him until they are reunited.”
It took everything in me to deliver my tone evenly and with a small, disarming toss of a smile. “I assure you, Erina is my blood giver only. We have an arrangement. One that benefits us both. If it suites her for her own ambitions, that’s her business. I care not what she does with the money I give her.”
“It’s just that,” Velle said quickly, stepping forward, making me cut her a look. “You’re…you’re aKyzaire. She caughtyourattention. You’re not just any noble but a son of the Kaalium! She knows that changes everything. She will want more. She may love Luc, but like I said, she is ambitious. She knows that a marriage to you would give her everything she ever wanted, not just for her but for Luc too. She will angle for a more permanent place in your keep—I promise you that. She’s told me so herself.”
I grinned even though it felt like a cracking stretch of ice across my features. “Then she is welcome to try. But you must really take me for a fool if you believe a calculating keeper will ascend to the position ofKylairain my keep simply because she sets her mind to it.”
A warning, more for the keeper in front of me than anything else. I knew Velle’s kind. I was willing to bet that her and Erina’s ambitions were not so different. Like attracted like. And for her to turn on her friend…well, that told me all I needed to know aboutherloyalties.
“Thank you, Velle,” Lydrasa cut in. “You can go.”
Velle inclined her head and then darted from the room, closing the door behind her. Quiet once again shrouded the room, but this time it felt oppressive instead of a reprieve. Therewas a familiar restlessness growing within me, one I hadn’t felt since the blood bond had begun.
Had Erina been playing me for a fool this entire time? Was everything as calculated as Velle suggested?
Her knowledge of Luc was damning, however. Their shared name even more so. I’d have Maudoric verify it, to find record of a Luc Denoren in Laras, but still…
If there was a chance that what Velle said was true, I needed to keep even more distance from Erina. If she weren’t my blood mate, I’d have enough reason to turn her away from the keep for this. But her being mykyranachanged everything…especially if she loved another.
The fierce rage bubbled in my chest, and I squeezed my fists tight, piercing through the flesh with my shorn claws.
“Don’t speak of this to anyone else,” I ordered Lydrasa. “And make sure Velle keeps quiet.”
Lydrasa inclined her head. I knew I could rely on her. “She won’t say a word to anyone. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Good,” I rasped.
“What are you going to do about the girl?” Lydrasa inquired.
I tipped up her chin, making her meet my eyes. Her lips curled at whatever she saw in my gaze.
“Nothing,” I purred.
Shock rippled through her. She laughed, but it sounded more like a scoff. “Nothing?After all of that? You have a serpent in your House, and you’ll just let her slither into your bed?”
“Like I said,” I murmured, shrugging one shoulder, “she is my blood giver. I like the taste of her…for now. That doesn’t mean I’ll marry her. On Raazos’s blood, Lydrasa, I already told you. We have an arrangement, one that I made very clear from the beginning. If she thinks she can seduce me into more…well, I’m always up for some fun. She’s more than welcome to try.”
“Unbelievable,” Lydrasa whispered, amusement dancing inher eyes. “Very well. You know what you’re doing. Just keep it under wraps. The nobles are already beginning to titter.”
“I wonder why,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Against her skin, I said, “I’m sure it’s your handiwork.”
“Always have to keep you on your toes,Kyzaire.”
I scoffed and pulled away, releasing her. “I’m leaving.”
“You wouldn’t lie to me about this, would you?” came the question.
