Bringing down the wards would mean… opening the Veil?
My stomach squirms. That can’t be it. Why would Iywan want to open the Veil?
Callum is called away to a brief meeting later in the afternoon—regarding stepping into Tiernan’s leadership role—and Ren stands in his place. My body and mindrefuseto settle down, so I head to the garden in hopes of stilling my mind for just a moment, but not even the fresh air helps. A steady thrum of uneasy energy pulses through my veins as a never-ending barrage of scenarios poison my mind.
A month ago, my biggest issue was choosing a suitor. Then fighting to step into my mother’s role.
I am the heir to the throne, godsdammit, yet Iywan holds so much power, so much influence over the Council.
My stomach churns as I rack my mind for solutions.
Do I confront Iywan? How far would he go to keep his clandestine meeting a secret? And what does Lord Commander Rheon have to do with any of this?
I’ve been standing on the cobblestone pathway of the garden, staring at a pitiful rosebush that’s reluctant to bloom.
I should have more concern for the kingdom, but my own plight has me in a chokehold.
What exactly does Iywan gain from his outlandish plans? What exactlyarehis outlandish plans?
“Carys,” a familiar voice says.
I spin away from the rose bush and come face to face with Eefa.
She’s in a simple brown linen dress without an apron. Even her honey blond hair is unbound from its usual braid, cascading over her shoulders and onto the full swell of her breasts. A cheeky smirk plays on her lips, and need immediately replaces the nervous churning in my stomach.
I should walk away. Right now. I should just turn and?—
“Are you off duty?” I hear myself ask.
“Yes.” She smiles. “Unless… you need something?”
Just off the cobblestone pathway, barely a few paces from me, Ren is staring off into nothingness. I appreciate his façade of not eavesdropping.
“I need plenty,” I say. I glance sidelong at Ren before turning to head inside. Eefa doesn’t ask any questions—she simply follows along, falling into step at my side opposite Ren.
I’ve never made it to my bedchamber so quickly, and as soon as Ren shuts the door behind Eefa and I, the little control I have crumbles, crushing any fighting embers of logic beneath its rubble. Eefa’s even more adept than Callum when it comes to removing my corset, and it’s on the floor in no time, along with the rest of my clothes and her overdress. We’re a tangle of tongues and limbs, breathing heavily when we finally crash into my bed.
In no time, Eefa’s expert fingers have me writhing. But as I cry out in bliss, my mind tumbles in a freefall, guilt smothering the ecstasy. I shouldn’t be doing this right now—I should be figuring things out. I should be fighting to get to the bottom of things. Maybe Iywan is right; maybe Iamjust a spoiled child.
The door flies open with a bang, and I lurch upright, my heart in my throat, tugging the sheets over my body. It gets caught under Eefa and only partially covers me.
Callum’s eyes are frantic as he yanks his arm from Ren, who apparently tried to stop him from barging in.
The words come flying out of my mouth before I can filter them. “Fucking hells, Callum!”
He steps back, blinking rapidly as he registers the scene before him. “I?—”
“Youwhat?!”
Suddenly, he can’t face me. “I thought… I heard… Apologies, Your Highness.”
The formal address somehow makes my stomach turn over. Beside me, Eefa is shaking with restrained laughter. I grumble a string of expletives as she settles down beside me, her legs crisscrossed. She’s in her shift and I am as naked as the day I was born.
Not that it’s anything Callum hasn’t seen.
“Why don’t you join us, Sir Callum?” Eefa asks.
Both our heads whip toward her.
