I looked up at Riyan’s face. His head was not as large as a giant’s, nor was it ugly and malformed like one. His honey-colored hair was cut short and combed back, but one strand of hair fell in his face and curled at his forehead. His eyes were as beautiful as atwilight sky.
My breath fluttered like butterfly wings, and maybe it was the wine, but I could no longer deny that Riyanwas handsome.
Riyan caught me looking at him. Even though he held me close to his chest, I wanted to shrink away from him. He then held me a little tighter, a little stronger, and my breasts pressed into the hard wall of muscle on his chest. His alleged beast’s heart pounded strongly, yet slowly, against me. A golden light like a tiny sun glowed with warmth in the center of my chest.
Time melted around us. The only ticking clock was the slow, rhythmic thump of the heart that was bound tomy own.
My lips parted. I looked at him as if I could say a thousand words in complete silence. Was themagic…actually working?
Riyan smiled at me, revealing a dimple on the right side of his face. He took in a breath and his voice rumbled low as he spoke. “You are—”
His body jerked before he could finish. He stumbled and lost his balance. The nobles screamed and scrambled out of the way as Riyan and I fell tothe floor.
Riyan squeezed me into his chest.Crack!He hit the floor. My face was pressed into his chest as we both lay in the middle of thedance floor.
The music stopped. I shoved myself out of his grip and put my feet on the floor. I gripped my arms and tried to ignore the horrified thrumming of the crowd. My head ached as my vision swam.
Of course Riyan had dropped me, he had a record of breaking promises. Stupid,drunk,liar!
Riyan slowly started to sit up as he rubbed the back of his head. Some nobles gasped and pointed at the floor—the black and white tile had a large crack like a bolt of lightning from the impact ofRiyan’s skull.
I squeezed my arms tighter and looked over at the other newlyweds as embarrassment burned my cheeks. Annalisa’s hands covered her gaping mouth. Grigory’s face contorted with rage as he staredat Riyan.
“You can’t go six hours without ruining something, can you?” Grigory snapped. He turned from Annalisa and stormed through the glass doors into theDuke’s garden.
Riyan heaved himself off the floor with his eyes narrowed at Grigory as he walked away. He followed Grigory into the garden as the rest of the crowd scrambled out ofhis path.
I gripped my arms tighter—Grigory had invoked theBeast’s wrath.
Annalisa ignored Riyan and threw her fists to her sides. “Great! My ballis ruined!”
“Quit being so dramatic, Anna!” Dinah said as she held Myles close to her. “Just have another drink andkeep dancing!”
The music started up again and people began to dance and throw their goblets to their lips as if nothing had happened. Dinah and Camille danced away with their husbands and I was trapped standing next tofuming Annalisa.
Great.
“With whom?” Annalisa replied with a growl, not accepting that her former best friends were ignoring her. “My husbandran off!”
“Get over yourself and just find someone else to dance with,” said a woman with curly brown hair who wore a large, glittering crown—Sapphira, Annalisa’s sister. Two more of Annalisa’s sisters stood behind Sapphira—midnight-haired Rubia and milk-haired Pearl. “None of our husbands are even in Lycaster andweare having agreat time.”
“Definitely a better time than if they were here,” Rubia chimed in wryly. “Maybe you should be thankful that the traitor’s grandson left so the rest of us can enjoy the ball in peace. Better hope he does not come back, or else you might get strangled in yourbed too.”
Pearl giggled at Rubia’s side. I had forgotten how awful Annalisa’s sisters were, but becoming princesses and empresses had somehow madethem worse.
Annalisa snarled and pointed at Rubia. “Yourhusband is a damn troll. Just because he is a prince does not mean heis handsome.”
Annalisa then pointed at Pearl, who flinched. “I can tell by your dowdy frock thatyourhusband cannot fill thekingdom treasury.”
Annalisa turned to Sapphira, who glowered at her baby sister with her arms crossed. “Andyourhusband, Empress Sapphira, cannot get control of the civil war in his own empire. That lineage of yours is going to end under an axe because of your dearEmperor’s weakness.”
I smiled and folded my arms across my chest. The ball suddenly became muchmore entertaining.
Annalisa’s older sisters fumed at her, but she spat venom like an adder. “The three of you can tell Emeralda, Garnet, and Amethyst too. If you are going to talk down to me because I was not the First-selected like you, or a princess like you, you can go fuck yourselves all the way back to your weak little kingdoms. Enjoy mydamn party.”
I let a hiccuping giggle escape. Annalisa glanced back at me with the familiar wickedness in her eyes but a friendly smile on her lips. Usually her viciousness was unjustified, but Annalisa had used her tongue like a sword to put her snotty sisters in their rightful places. It washerball, after all.
I looked around to see if Derrick had witnessed his twin sister in her shining moment, but I could not find him.Nor Brietta.
