“Let’s go,” I whisper into his ear.
He nods.
We move down the hallway, knocking on Oak’s and Maines’s doors. To no surprise, we find them together in Maines’s room.
Like mine, her room is adorned with rich velvets and silks, but of a dark violet hue, with ivy weaving through her space—as if inviting the forest inside. My jaw drops at the beauty before me.
“You should see mine,” Oak says, noticing my stare. “It’s lined with bookshelves. It’s like they knew exactly what room to put me in.”
“You won’t stay in your room at all,” I say.
He laughs, shooting a glance in Maine’s direction. “Alone? Absolutely not.”
Silas steps in. “We can go through our rooms later; we need to head to dinner.”
“Nice to see you too, buddy. An explanation would be nice," Maines sasses, brushing past him in a flowing gown of deep purple. “But, I’ll let it slide since you look stressed as fuck.”
Silas doesn’t respond, but turns on his heels to head back into the dim hallway.
We head down the grand staircase toward the Great Hall. Hux, Larkin, Warrick, and Fen wait outside the large double doors adorned with jewels and serpents. They, too, wear clothes as fine as ours, and nod as we approach. The men are dressed similarly to Silas and Oak, while Fen wears a dark green gown that hugs her beautiful curves, leaving nothing to theimagination. Her curled black hair falls to her side as she moves toward us with a deadly grace.
“You ready?” Fen moves in front of her brother, brushing the shoulders of his tailored suit.
“Fuck no,” Silas replies.
“Too bad,” she says.
I glance toward Larkin, whose stare could burn straight through me, and quickly turn my head—that’s a conversation for a less stressful moment. Focusing back on the double doors, Warrick knocks, and I suck in a breath as they open.
It’s time to meet the King of Andorwood.
Chapter 7
The wide doors open into the Great Hall, and I do everything I can to keep my jaw from dropping. The black marble floors are adorned with silver and gold lines, resembling a metallic river. The ceilings are high and arched, with dark wooden beams steadying the tallest windows I’ve ever seen. The stars in the night sky blend with the room, and I feel like I’m standing in the dark clouds for a moment.
Silas stands next to me with Maines and Oak on my opposite side. Fen and the others confidently move into the room, proving they’ve done this many times before. I glance at my oldest friends, both sending aholy shitlook in return. My eyes cut to Silas, but his gaze remains focused ahead, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.
He grabs my hand, giving it a hard squeeze, before entering the room. He leads me toward a long, wooden table in the middle of the room, always with his body in front—as if protecting me from something I can’t see. The table is situated under a dark chandelier with high-backed chairs surrounding it. The large room is punctuated with intimate sitting areas along the far walls, each lined with small couches and tables for post-dinner drinks. Place cards line the table, indicating our exact placement for the evening.
Scanning the seating chart, I’m near the head of the table next to Silas, with Larkin on my other side. Across the table sits a name I’m not familiar with, and next to that sits Fen. Oak takes a seat next to her, followed by Warrick. Maines sits on the opposite side of Larkin, followed by a large empty table after her.
“Where is Hux?” I lean into Silas.
“He’s near the cliffs. Someone has to keep watch while we endure this evening’s torture,” he whispers, moving his chair closer to the table. “He rarely attends these things.”
“Lucky him,” I whisper back.
The head of the table, followed by the seat immediately to its left, remains empty. I can only assume for Silas’s parents. My stomach churns with anticipation, and every sound has me on edge.
Fenmore and Oak have a hushed conversation sitting next to one another, and Warrick and Larkin talk across the table. I lean around Larkin to find Maines sitting alone, glaring at Oak, speaking quietly with Fenmore.
“Maines,” I hiss.
She snaps her head in my direction, and her cheeks turn a light pink. She knows she was caught glaring. “Yeah?” Maines replies.
“Are you alright?” I stretch my neck further in her direction, earning a huff from Larkin.
“I’m fine,” she snaps.
