I wanted to cut his arms off.
Sorley led Brighid up to the dais, and she shot me a withering glare.
‘Don’t cause trouble,’I’m sure it said.
Breathing in, I turned to Reese. I’d been so focused on Sorley, I hadn’t noticed how he clenched his sword hilt, how his eyes crackled with hate.
Reese’s father turned away, leaving us be. But the brother remained.
“Oh, my dear little dirt crawler,” he tutted. “Are you planning to disrupt another gathering?”
Reese exhaled heavily. “Oh, Raild. You are the last person I ever want to see.”
“Every year, your tongue grows bolder.” Raild’s orange eyes flicked off his brother onto me. He peered down his nose at me—it was sharper than Reese’s, slightly curved. “You’re learning bad habits from him, dear.” He paced around me, pausing at my side. “Tell me. How much do you know about my charming little brother?”
“Raild,” Reese warned.
“I’m talking to her, not you.”
Keeping my head high, I didn't let him see a flicker of doubt. “I know enough,” I lied.
“Is that so?” Raild glanced out at the ballroom. “He might have all you lesser-born fooled, but some in Forlaith remember who he was before—and the mutilated bodies he left in his wake.”
Heat burned against my back. I turned to look at Reese, but his gaze was set on his brother.
Raild sneered. “Dirt crawlers will always be scum. That’s why.” He grabbed my chin. “He prefers whores.”
A blade sang through the air, slicing for Raild’s hand. The Solheart lord yanked his arm back, barely avoiding the radiant rapier.
“Don’t touch her,” Reese seethed.
Fear danced in Raild's eyes, but for only a moment. Clutching the hand he’d nearly lost, his mouth slowly curled back up. “That anger of yours is going to get you killed one day. But for now.” He glanced around. “It’s drawn a scene.”
The ballroom had fallen silent. All eyes had turned on us—on the Paragon who’d drawn his blade.
I grabbed Reese’s hand and pushed his rapier down. Red-hot fire burned my skin—even covered by a glove, his radiant prosthetic hurt me.
“He’s not worth it,” I whispered.
Reese glanced at me, then reluctantly shoved his sword back into its sheath. “Crawl back to father, Raild.” He turned his back. “You’re not going to get anything out of me.”
Looping my arm through his, I followed him away from the dais to a quiet corner. We paused beside a table littered with plates of food. It smelled divine: plates of Lavaire’s spiced meats, golden bread from the Forlaith fields and bowls of coffee cream. Earlier today I was so looking forward to dinner. Now, I had no appetite.
Reese scowled at the gathering of Solhearts, notably Lord Sorley. The Solheart lord looped an arm around Brighid’s waist and pulled her close.
“I can’t do this,” Reese said. “I’m going to kill him. Maybe Raild, too.”
“Why didn’t you mention them?” I demanded. “Your family?”
“I don’t think of them as my family. My father only recognized me when I became a Paragon,” he snarled. “Raild is the one I warned you about—the Lecovair member who hates me. I’ve never known what his problem is.”
“Really? I never would have guessed. He was so polite.”
Reese didn’t respond. His hand tensed around his blade, gaze searing into Sorley’s back.
“Why don’t we step out?” I touched his back. “The garden looks empty—we can catch our breath and—” I lowered my voice. “Refrain from turning this wedding into a massacre?”
He refused to budge, so I leaned my weight into his side. He made a noise that sounded like a growl, but turned and marched outside.
