“Leon.” Ilia nodded toward him. A smile slid across Leon’s lips as he glanced at me and saw my frown. This meant thebrunet siren who attacked me was Sergei. Leon’s blond hair was almost completely white. Uncomfortably pale. The complete opposite of the siren woman who stood a couple of inches shorter than him, carrying a tray of beverages.
“Amber.” Ilia nodded, accepting the glass she handed him. She silently nodded before handing Drustan a mug as well, which he accepted silently.
When she went to give me one, I lifted a brow at her as I accepted it. “What is it?” Amber glanced nervously over at the king, and that was all I needed to know.
“Wine,” she replied, before meeting my eyes again, “Do you need something else?” I shook my head. It probably didn’t matter what beverage she brought us, I still wasn’t drinking it.
“Is tonight your lucky night, Leon? Or perhaps your sister Amber will find a match before you,” Drustan spoke before sipping his drink. Meanwhile, Sergei approached the king’s other side, and the two of them started conversing in hushed whispers as they studied the crowd in front of us.
“One can only hope.” Leon winked at me then, standing next to Drustan. “Are the outsiders able to participate as well?”
I lifted a brow at him and said, “Explain to me, in detail, exactly what you feel when I talk to you.”
“Oh my god.” I could hear Audrey smack a palm across her forehead at my words, but I held my ground. Drustan grinned widely. His eyes practically sparkled as he took a sip from his mug and waited for Leon’s rebuttal.
Amber frowned at me, giving the tray to someone who looked more like a servant than a ritual participant, and shared an irritated look with her brother.
“Come.” Leon gave me a narrow-eyed look of disappointment as he held his hand out for Amber to take. She obliged, sending Drustan a small smile as her brother escorted her down the steps of the dais and joined the party.
“You don’t like him,” Drustan murmured. I didn’t respond, becauseobviously. “…But you like me.” Drustan stood taller with his words, smug. I frowned,wrong.
“When was the last time a mated pair was formed during this?” Audrey asked. She sounded reluctant about it. Like she was desperate to save the mood after I essentially gave Leon the middle finger.
“A few years.” Drustan sighed. “Though other matches are often still made for those interested in a…funnight.” He sent a flirtatious wink down to me. I scoffed before facing forward. So, no mating matches for a few years. But people still go home together and “have fun,” as he so delicately put it.
Frankly, good for them.
I was watching men and women restrain their vision, relying completely on sound waves for this ritual. The whole thing reminded me of one big game of Marco-Polo. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed that this didn’t turn into an orgy. That would have been wild to see.
Drustan’s head whipped toward me at the thought, his red brows raised and eyes wider than I’d seen, with his lips parted. He looked like he was about to say something, but suddenly, after finishing his conversation with Sergei, Ilia stood from his throne.
Everyone walking around stopped moving, including the sirens with blindfolds on. All heads turned to face their king as hushed conversations came to a stop.
“Proceed.” Ilia waved a hand over the crowd. “My son will oversee in my absence.” With that, Ilia and Sergei strode off to the side door that Liam and Caelena had left out of earlier. I caught a glimpse of the king’s expression, which looked more annoyed than anything. Panic spiked in my gut, and I hoped that Liam and Caelena had just gotten caught canoodling and nothing else.
As soon as Ilia was out of sight, hushed conversations continued throughout the party.
“Freaky,” Audrey whispered to me as she kept her eyes on the door.
To my left, Drustan stepped toward the throne before lazily falling into the seat. His father sat with a straight back, but Drustan’s posture was confidently relaxed. His legs were spread wide; his weight shifted to the side as he studied his people.
His abs and chest were perfectly on display thanks to the smallest, flimsiest corset I had ever seen.
I adjusted, reaching my hands behind me as I attempted to stretch my back out. The throne at least had a backrest. Whereas this glorified ottoman I was sitting on had no back support whatsoever. I found myself slouching in my seat often, which made my lower back ache worse. Thanks, cramps.
I wondered if Audrey was also struggling, or if this situation was just made worse with my looming period on its way.
“Come here.” Drustan’s words made me whip my head to the side to see him holding a hand toward me, over the armrest of his throne. I studied his hand, then his face.
“No thanks,” I replied. I snuck a peek at Audrey, whose wide eyes were staring at me in silent concern.
“Come here, Van,” Drustan ordered again. Something pulled in my chest toward him. Perhaps it was his sinndra, encouraging me to obey his words. I rubbed at the foreign feeling in my chest before I shook my head again, determined to hold my ground.
“Actually…” Audrey cleared her throat, leaning forward to get the prince’s attention. “We probably have overstayed our welcome. We should?—”
“I will not ask again, Vanessa.” Something dark laced Drustan’s tone, interrupting my friend. A warm shiver raced down my spine from his words, and that solidified it for me.Drustan was trying to use his sinndra on me. Just a little bit. But I could still shrug it off.
“I think we should go,” I murmured, trying not to cause a scene, while allowing us to escape.
