The matron waved a dismissive hand. “Once we’ve confirmed the king’s arrival, I’ll notify you when it’s time to perform on stage. Try to stick to the damned routine, will you? Afterwards, we’ll escort him in here. That will mean the plan is still in place.”
I toyed with my costume’s beading. “What is he like? What does the king… desire?”
“He’s tall, dark-haired and fair skinned, with a beautiful face. Many would say he is the most attractive man in any room.”
“I meant as a client. What do I need to do to…” I swallowed down the rising bile. “To seduce him?”
“Some days he’s quiet until you’re alone in a room with him, other days you can’t get him to stop talking. The Black Rose—Yarah—has become a confidante to him. He’ll share with you his dark, twisted desires, and you must indulge him.”
“Yarah,” I murmured. The matron never specified how her end came about. I could only hope it was quick and painless.
“You’re one of us now, so you might as well know that Yarah was not really her name.” She uncrossed her legs. “It was Thusiah. Mine is Allory, and our leader—the man you had the privilege of meeting—is Markus. You’ll quickly discover more false or abbreviated names given to you.”
“Why couldn’t I know that before?”
“You’ll learn for yourself soon enough.”
“Does it have anything to do with my foot?”
“You mean the gift we bestowed upon you? You should be grateful. We wanted to brand you sooner, but your brother was… insistent that we wait until you proved yourself to Markus.”
I bit back a snarl at the mention of Basil. I couldn’t trust a word out of their vile mouths.
Allory leaned forward. “Zephyr will have hidden his agate stone with a scarf, but the magical neckband won’t be easy to remove. Only a Chosen can take it off.”
“Then how do you expect me?—”
She held up a finger. “But someone a Chosenwillinglytouches, skin to skin without any barriers, will be granted the power to remove the neckband as well.”
“So I only have to touch him?”
With a stern shake of her head, she corrected, “Hemust initiate touch with you. That is the only work-around to the gem’s magic that’s imbued into the band.”
“Right.” I breathed up at her with sarcastic confidence. “How do you know this?”
“We’ve done our research. Now, his blue agate-colored eyes will be subdued,” Allory continued. “And the glyphs on his body will be well concealed. Should they alight in color, that means he’s attempting to use his power?—”
“What of his guardians?” One guardian alone was dangerous, but two… if anything went wrong tonight, I was absolutely fucked. “A royal never goes anywhere without both their solar and lunar guardians.”
“Chosens—especially guardians—aren’t a problem down here.”
As I pondered what Allory meant, she glided to the vanity and picked up a brush. As she swirled it in a container of glitter, she ordered, “Come here.”
I did as commanded, my shoulders stiff with reluctance.
She dusted powder across my exposed body and went on to explain, “Get him to kiss your skin. Licking would be ideal, but a kiss will suffice. A concoction has been ground into this dusting and will render him unconscious in minutes. If he doesn't kissor lick you, then the same tonic in the wine should be enough to do the same. It’s his favorite, a red blend imported from south of the Equator. You’ll need to make him drink at least a few sips, but no more than a single glass. Too much will put him to sleep permanently, and we don’t want that yet.”
“Why tonight?”
“We don’t know when he’ll be willing to be alone with the Black Rose again. His guardians might talk sense into him. He’s only been king for a year now and is still getting used to his power and responsibilities. From recent conversations with Yarah and Markus… Well, we believe he’s likely to break his oath of celibacy with you tonight.”
Allory’s calculating gaze shifted to the black petals strewn across the decadent bed. That hadn’t been here last time.
My entire body seized with cold dread.
“He won’t be out long, so you’ll need to switch his necklace fast and put the true agate here.” She pulled open the second drawer of the vanity. Beneath several folded scarves lay a replica of the agate stone, a gleaming navy-blue gem cushioned at the center of a thin, gold neckband.
The edges of the blue gem glinted from the soft hue of the wall candles. The lace-like patterns looked impossibly real.
