He’s enraged that Stark is touching me like this.
“The lady is spoken for,” Stark says sharply, his hand tightening on my waist.
I’mwhat?!
That’s it.
I’ve been trying all night to act like one of these genteel weirdos. To play by the rules that the nobles and the king have set for us, to bend my manners to my own will like one of the Bonded.
But I’m not a polite woman. I’m hard edges and impulse and self-destruction. I don’t care if this world hates me for it; I wouldn’t have myself any other way.
“I am,” I tell Stark, putting my hands on his hard chest and pushing him away forcefully. He falls back on his heel but doesn’t stumble; the man’s entirely incapable of being taken off-guard. “I’m claimed by Crown Prince Killian.”
The room quiets around the three of us, people turning to stare openly now. I shift toward Killian until he’s at my back. He snakes a warm arm around my hips and I breathe in pine, letting it calm me.
Then, loudly so everyone can hear, I say, “I’m his, and his alone.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
People gasp and whisper at my declaration.
Anassa’s attention pulses down our bond, and I slam the iron wall down between us, unable to handle or process what I’m feeling at this moment, let alone how she might react.
I’m used to facing down a bloody beating, or an empty stomach, or my mother’s ravings. I’m even getting used to the threat of death and dismemberment, being part of this crazy place, participating in these insane Trials.
But the weight of the whole ballroom’s eyes on me is another thing entirely.
If it weren’t for Killian’s arms around my hips, I might have already bolted. Instead, I lean back into his solid weight for a moment, letting his reassuring presence ground me.
“Shall we?” he purrs into my ear, and the pleasurable shiver that races down my spine does wonders to dispel the anxiety about our audience.
I pivot in his grasp, placing my hands for a waltz. It’s only then that I realize even the music has died down in the aftermath of my declaration. Killian must realize the same, because he signals sharply to the musicians on their riser, andthey awkwardly launch back into the song they had been playing before.
Curious noble couples make their way to the dance floor around us, using the waltz as an excuse to come closer, examine this Rawbond who dares to touch their prince. I fix my eyes on the elegant lines of Killian’s neck, his powerful shoulders. Pretend that nothing beyond him exists in this moment.
“Your training must be going well,” Killian whispers to me and my eyes fly up to his. He’s smirking. “I’m not sure I’ve ever danced with a partner who’s gripped me quite this hard before.”
I laugh and relax a fraction. The whirling of our steps and the floating music and the tension leaving me gives me a curious sensation, as if we’re in a dream, or a vision.
That’s when it finally sinks in. No more hiding. No more sneaking. I’m his, and he’s mine—and now everybody knows it.
No taking that back.
Things are only going to be more complicated for a while. But with Killian’s strong arms around me, claiming me, it’s suddenly hard to care.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmurs, holding me close enough to kiss. His thumb traces little patterns on my waist, silently echoing the desire in his eyes. “You look like a queen in this dress.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. “For saying that, and for the dress. It’s absolutely perfect.”
His gaze on mine is steady. “It’s perfect for you. And yet, all I can think about is taking it off you,” he says.
“While everyone’swatching?” I whisper, playfully scandalized.
He grins. “Definitely not. All the delicious wonders under that dress are for me and me alone.”
Killian doesn’t let me go when the song ends. We dance the next one together, and the next, and the next. At some point I tryto find my packmates in the crowd—seeking out Izabel’s face, in particular—but when I spot her and Tomison, they’re chatting at one of the food tables, eyes turned away from the dance floor.
I should probably talk to her, find Venna too and explain myself, but just staying upright feels overwhelming at the moment.
