The others had stopped at the end of the maze of alleyways, a wide street opening before them. The prince scanned me, his gaze lingering on my flushed cheeks before tracing the rapid pulse of the jugular down my neck. He frowned before glaring at Clement, who stepped into his regular position at his shoulder without a word, hand falling to his saber.
I trailed after them again, content with bringing up the rear as my mind remained firmly back in the alley with Clement. Was I just a fun distraction for him as well? He kept telling me to leave, that he’d help, but not once had he suggested going with me. That was for the best though, surely? I couldn’t have him endangered by my lifestyle, and if Siobhan caught a whiff of my attraction, he’d conveniently end up as my next mark. That was exactly the kind of retribution she would love. I touched my mouth, the imprint of his lips lingering, and my heart squeezed. No, it was better this way. We shouldn’t let it be anything deeper.
Incense swirled into my nostrils, and I jerked my head up. A slender cathedral towered above; its spire lodged within the gray sky. The large double doors were flung open, a walkway of sheer diamonds glistening like ice led to a circular vestibule.
The temperature plummeted as I stepped inside. Once my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I scanned the room. Circular stone benches four deep spread around a central altar. A large wicker casket, jarringly out of place amongst the stone, rested in the middle. The place was empty.
My feet dragged as I followed the others. My life had been spent chained to the devil, not the Goddess. Would she be able to sniff me out? Perhaps summon thunderclouds of lightning to rend the air, cracking down to split the very stone beneath my feet and bury me under a pile of rock. Siobhan would not save me unless it benefitted her.
Lilyanna squealed, the sound ricocheting in the quiet. I jumped and flung my hand over my chest. She turned sharply to the prince, her eyes bright, her golden braid flying over her shoulder. “Is this the surprise? To have the banns read?”
He nodded. His lips were pressed tight and his smile forced. Was he nervous? Maybe he was worried about retribution for keeping that woman after the priestess had deemed her free of magic, only for her to die. Good.
On cue, the priestess emerged from the far recess of the chamber. Today, she wore her shimmering veil with the diadem nestled in her gray hair. Her robes were still black, the diamonds glistening like slime. At least you knew what you were getting from this side of the divide. There’d be no teasing, no flirting, and certainly no rendezvous in the Red Blush.
Flanked by his two guards, the prince moved to the right side of the altar. I hovered behind Lilyanna on the left and the priestess took the center.
“What’s going on?” I hissed.
“Quiet, Tam.” She swatted her hand at me. “This is important.”
The priestess began to chant, and the wicker basket trembled.
“Lilyanna, what is?—”
She half-turned, keeping her voice to an irritated whisper. “This is it. It will cement the match. When released, the patterns they make are omens for happiness, prosperity, fertility.”
“When what is released?”
She shushed me again and focused on the now jerking basket. A muted hiss filled the air.
My skin prickled. I raised my gaze from the altar and slammed into the emerald eyes of the prince. The rest of the room fell away, a furrow of silence connecting us. The corner of his mouth twitched, plunging my stomach into my feet.
Did he know Lilyanna was having doubts? That she spent every free second following some superstition or other. She couldn’t just let fate dictate her path for her, she wanted to make sure she’d done everything she could to win the Goddess’s favor. If she made it to the actual wedding, she’d have gone further than any of the others.
The lid slid off the basket and tumbled to the floor. My attention snapped back to the altar, breath rushing into my stagnant lungs. How long had I been trapped in his stare? I breathed deeply, reining in my pounding heart.
Three emerald snakes slithered out of the basket. They wound upward, swaying to the melody of the priestess’s chanting. I inched nearer to Lilyanna who had pressed so close to the altar, I suspected she could hear the sound of each individual scale rustling over each other.
The chanting stopped and the snakes paused, their lengths stretched vertically as if suspended from an invisible pulley in the ceiling.
The priestess nodded toward Lilyanna.
“Dear Goddess,” Lilyanna said, her voice eager and strong, “we have gathered here today to ask for your blessing. What knowledge can you bestow upon us as to our future marriage?”
The snakes held still. I glanced at Clement who’d paled, his knuckles white on the hilt of his saber. Bryn seemed not to be faring any better, her body tipped back, neck extended as she put as much distance between herself and the snakes as she could.
The prince still watched me, but I didn’t dare meet his gaze again. My skin froze wherever his eyes alighted.
One of the snakes swiveled, its red eyes coming to rest on Lilyanna. She leaned further forward, her fingers gripping the edge of the altar as her body quivered in excitement. “I’m ready, Goddess,” she whispered, “show me.”
The snake lunged. Long, white fangs flicked forward, driving for Lilyanna’s face. I shoved her sideways, grabbing the snake in mid-air, my fingers tightening behind its head. It whipped its body back and forth, rough scales colliding with my arm. Furious hisses scorched the air. I scooped the lid from the floor and shoved the snake back into the basket, squashing the other two in with it. The snakes immediately calmed.
Even the priestess regarded me with a wary look, her hands scrunched into the fabric of her veil.
I let out a long breath and wiped my hands down my trousers. Nobody moved.
The prince cleared his throat. “Where did you learn how to do that?” His face tightened, the vivid color in his eyes dulling back to a dark green.
