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“I’ve already chosen her. I’ve taken her. She’s suitable.”
Mother arched one brow, but swept over to the side table to pour herself a drink. “Her bloodline is excellent. But as a woman of power, placed at your right hand, and to face down the entire Fold? Your smiles will only get you so far with the ladies, Vane. The men need to sense strength they are threatened by, or they’ll undermine you and strip your power.”
“You leave the men to me.”
“I plan to, but she must have the wherewithal to stand alongside you and add her defense against any challenge. She must be your ally, not your weak spot.”
“She’s not.” I smiled wickedly.
Mother rolled her eyes. “Dear gods, were your father and I this insufferable when we were young? I cannot believe that we were.”
“I’ll leave you to consider that as you nap. I’m going to take Grace from that fucker and—”
“Breckon isn’t your match. You’ll have no trouble taking her.”
“Breckon isn’t the fucker to whom I referred,” I said, my heart racing. “I know you have your claws in the king, and though I know I could best him man to man in any capacity, I am not impressed that you obscured his investment in Grace. Obviously, I knew something was amiss when I saw how he fussed over Breckon. But now, I understand the truth. And crown or no crown, I will not leave myself defenseless against the moment he determines he’s no longer willing to wait and play seconds. I’m not giving her up to him, Mother. You should have told me.”
She didn’t freeze, but she did slowly take a drink to give herself a moment to accommodate the fact that I knew about her little arrangement. I kept my face stern and glared at her until she spoke.
“I would have informed you eventually,” she said airily, flapping her free hand as if the fact were nothing significant. “I wasn’t even sure there would be need. And there won’t be, if you’re established as Dominus, and she as your Pair with evident strength. But potential isn’t enough, Vane. You need to be seen as formidable together.”
“That’s the difference between you and me, Mother. I don’t waste time trying to convince arrogant men to fear me. I know I’m formidable whether they recognize it or not. They will learn the day they’re stupid enough to underestimate me.”
Her gaze flattened and she took another sip. “A very pretty speech, Vane. But a wise man learns that it is altogether better to avoid challenge than to be forced to defend one.”
We stared at each other for a long moment, then I shook my head. “If you truly believed that, you’d stop challenging me yourself. You’d come alongside, lend your power, and—”
“You believe I haven’t?” she asked, and the faintness of her tone implied disbelief. But she was a consummate actress. I didn’t react. With a deep sigh, she placed her drink back on the sideboard, then folded her arms. “I move the pieces in the dark, in the shadows, behind the whispers,” she said quietly, her lips tight as if she were hurt. “I test this girl because I want to make certain she deserves the crown you will inevitably hand her. But every step I take is with the goal of placing your feet on the dais above all of them, Vane. You know that.”
“Do I?”
Her lips thinned. “This evening, the binding words will be spoken—the preparation for the vows. The king is fascinated, but wary. He wishes to see someone else walk into this blessing first—to be certain it even exists. To ensure that I don’t lie,” she said with tight smile and a mocking bow of her head. “Tonight, both Burk and Breckon will learn that if an unworthy man attempts the vows with the old blood, it will break him.”
“Break what?”
Her smile broadened. “When Breckon attempts to bind her and she’s already vowed to you, it will hurt him. It might send him mad. It might kill him. At minimum, it will cause great pain until he surrenders his grip. There’s no way to know for certain. The response to that failing will be determined by how intent he is, and how weak. Breckon believes all that is needed to create the bond is the binding words. He is clueless about true power. You are not.”
I nodded once, giving her the point. I’d been raised in the intricacies of the rituals, the Cruor power, and the sanctity of the rites. And I’d embraced it until I was nearly eighteen. It was why I’d been overcome when Grace gave me the Cruors’ vow. The Cruor power literally rode my blood. My mother had made certain—no matter what it cost me.
“The moment they learn her blood is alight, I’ll reveal myself. I’m not allowing that idiot to claim her.”
“They won’t know she’s alight until I tell them so,” Mother said coldly. “I am the only one who possesses the gift—though others may see symptoms of her state when their blood responds to hers, I don’t believe they’ll recognize what they’re seeing.”
“I don’t give two shits what they think.”
“Once Breckon has attempted to vow to her—and her vow to you denies him—even if he isn’t killed, the symptoms will be clear to anyone watching. Clearly unpleasant.” She bit the word off with delight. “The king will be wary. And if he’s stupid enough not to question, I’ll make certain he does when I offer Grace to him—”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she raised a hand and rushed on.
“—only because I know he’ll balk. The man isn’t unintelligent, but he is overly cautious and has never trained himself to face pain. He is a coward. With evidence at his feet of the power of her blood, and the strength it would take to make use of it, he’ll dither. It is his way. And then, when he’s frustrated and without answers, I will offer the solution. Namely, my son.” She opened a hand toward me like jester revealing his triumph.
I shook my head at her. “They all believe I’m dead.”
“And they’ll believe me when I tell them you are not,” she said tightly. “As proof, I’ll invite all of them to witness the wedding ceremony. Let the entire Fold watch as two truly powerful bloodlines vow—and her blood is miraculously sparked. When the king realizes he’s allowed someone with greater power to overstep, he’ll grow wary again. I’ll assure him that once you’re done with her, he can have her, just as we’ve arranged.”
I huffed, pretending to be smug. “But I already have her. And I’m not giving her up.”
“I’ve told you before—let others believe your ideas are their ideas, and they will defend you on your way. The king is already committed to taking second access. Let him see the risks and decide that he’s wise to watch another man keep her and breed her first.”
