Small praise, but I was used to it from a figure skating instructor. “Thanks, Coach.”
When we got to the medical tent, Lucien ducked inside with Ethan. I went to follow, but Magdalina blocked my way.
“I know you want to be with him, but trust he’s in good hands,” Magdalina said firmly. “It’s time for you to be concerned with yourself. A queen must put on her best appearances to the public.”
I hated to leave Ethan’s side. But I felt like I’d get in the way at the medical tent, and I wanted everyone’s focus to be on helping him.
Then I realized… Lady Magdalina had called me a queen.
Holy shit. I was Ethan’s bride. That made me a…
It hadn’t seemed real before. During the ball, the Contest, it’d all seemed like a game. A slim chance at something I’d never have. Now it was in my grasp.
I was the next queen of the Arcanea. Ethan and I… we’d rule over them all.
Lady Magdalina escorted me to my tent. She put a hand on the small of my back and said, “We’ll send Ethan along to escort you to the celebration once his injuries have been tended to. I eagerly await your arrival at the winners circle.”
She gave me a smile that seemed to hide so much more before she strolled away in that careless, elegant way of hers.
Lady Magdalina had plans for me as queen. I was certain of it.
The emptiness of my tent was a welcome refuge. It was quiet in here, and far away from people. I didn’t feel suffocated. I could recharge.
As I gazed into the mirror, I wondered what I would look like with a crown on top of my head. I was an outcast back home. Everyone avoided me and hated me there. Now I’d become the most popular woman in Malovia overnight. How was I going to handle the change? It was all too much to handle.
I’d put Ethan on the throne, yet I didn’t consider the consequences of becoming royal. Probably because before, I never thought we’d win.
Yet we had. And it was going to change everything.
I needed some space. I needed something simple and average, something comforting. I struggled out of my armor and threw my tourney colors on the floor. Once I was naked, I used the water basin and a washcloth to wipe off all the dirt and grime that had accumulated on my skin during the Contest, all the while wondering what I’d gotten myself into. I washed away the war paint, and brushed out my braid so that my red hair became soft and wavy over my shoulders.
A simple cotton dress, navy in color with long, billowing sleeves had been lain out on the bed, along with fur boots and a cloak. Gods, how I missed jeans. Or even pajama pants. Couldn’t I show up in those?
The dress felt more like a nightgown as I slipped it over my skin. It was comfortable, and soft. I thought that I could fall asleep in it. I didn’t know how I was going to stay awake during this party. My eyes were already closing shut. I sat on the bed, to try and make the room stop spinning.
So many had died today in the attempt to gain what I had. I didn’t even think I wanted it. I wondered if I was being ungrateful. Or selfish.
The tent flap fluttered open. My heart rose in hope, wanting it to be Ethan.
But it wasn’t. It was fucking Gabby. She was still wearing her tournament armor. In her hand she carried a cell phone.
I gave her a scathing look. “It’s a little late to try and kill me, don’t you think?”
Her nose wrinkled. “I’m not here to kill you, Sosna. Unfortunately, I lost my shot at that a few moments ago. I’m here to make a deal.”
I cruelly laughed as I rose from the bed. “You want to make a deal withme?I’m going to be queen, bitch. I’m in a pretty good fucking position. What could you possibly offer that I’d be interested in?”
Gabby strolled toward me. Once she was at my side, she unlocked the cell phone and went to her camera application. “How about this?”
A video played on her screen. It was surveillance of some back alleyway in Dolinska. There was a man there, facing the camera. I didn’t know who it was, until I looked closer. My stomach dipped as I recognized the face onscreen. Ethan.
But it wasn’tjustEthan. He was wearing the clothes of someone I knew— a dark cloak I recognized. Ethan fitted a mask onto his face… one of a white wolf.
Ethan waved his hand as he cast a spell. A duplicate of the Phantom, ofhimself, appeared before him.
Ethan doubled over in pain just as the clone took off. Then he turned and drew a grappling hook from the belt around his waist. He shot it in the other direction, and the line pulled him off view of the camera as he rose to the rooftops.
The truth of it all slammed into me so hard that it almost knocked me off my feet.
