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I snicker. “I’m too tired for your banter, Bell. Please release me so I may go tell my mother that her favorite son has chosen love over duty. Then the two of you can commiserate together on how awful that is.”
He tightens his grip but then concedes and lets my arm drop. “I’d rather you stab me than do whatever this is.”
“Well, the night is still young, Lord Erebus.” I don’t utter another word the entire way down three flights of stairs.
If wrath had a face, it would look like Priscilla Graves. She and my Uncle Atreus haven’t stopped pacing or shouting since Bell and I arrived and broke the news.
“Remind me again, Arkana, why you failed at bringing your brother back home?” She braces herself over the back of the chair, gripping it so hard the wood is close to splintering.
Finn cackles with laughter. “Because she isn’t good for anything except… well, we all know what. You know, Kana, if you weren’t a Graves, the initiates would find better uses for you.”
I gasp and start for him, but Bell pulls me back down to my seat. “Not now.”
“Are you mad? I will stab to kill tonight, Bell.”
“We will deal with him later,” he grits out under his breath.
“Finn is right,” Atreus drawls. “Be thankful you’re a part of this family, dear. But fear not. I believe things work out how they should. Finn is more suited for Nocturnus anyway.”
My mother’s face pales. She tucks a rare loose strand behind her ear. “You would know best, Atreus. But I still cannot rule out Silas. He is the rightful heir. We will try to get through to him again.”
Finn rolls his eyes. “I will be better than him. And I will take a wife of your choosing. Not some Blackwell whore.”
I gag on my own bile as it creeps up my throat. This is a disaster.
Atreus chuckles. “Come, son. Let’s discuss the list of eligible suitors we have for you to choose from.”
Like a child who’s been shown a new shiny toy, Finn lights up, ecstatic that he gets to ruin a woman’s life.
Once they are gone, my mother redirects her ire at me. “I am disappointed in you, Arkana. I really thought you were up to the task.”
I rise to help myself to a vial of nightshade. “His mind is firm, Mother. Silas wants a quiet life with Jessamine. Don’t you want him to be happy?”
Lucy Bishop saunters into the room, an exquisite beauty with pale-blue eyes and strawberry-blonde hair as soft as the finest silk. She carries the scents of vanilla and cedar as if she spends her days beside a bonfire or smoking a pipe. It’s a strange scent for a woman, but it suits her somehow.
“Lord Erebus, may I show you the gardens? I suspect our host and her daughter would like some privacy for a time.”
He narrows his eyes in my direction, but I refuse to give him my gaze. He stands and smooths his pants. “Why not? As captivating as it is to hear women bicker, I would love to get some air.”
If I had a dagger on me right now, I’d throw it at him. “Yes, make sure you take big, deep breaths near the hemlock, especially.”
Lucy stifles a laugh while my mother hisses.
He lingers for a second longer. “I am sorry for today.”
“Yes, well, we all are, Lord Erebus.” My mother groans, mistaking his apology for her predicament and not the atrocious way he treated me back at Tenebrose.
A little pang tweaks in my chest as I watch him walk out with his arm through Lucy’s. We haven’t been apart in days, and I’ve been getting used to his presence.
“Are you in love with that man, Arkana?” My mother gasps.
“You mean with my husband? That man?” I cannot hide the sarcasm. What a stupid question to ask me. I wish I could thrust my head out the tower window and scream.
“You know what I mean. A wife must be loyal and obedient. But don’t fall in love, child. The pain and agony are worse than death when it’s ripped away from you.” She slumps into her chair.
For the first time, I feel sorry for her. She looks so lost. “Father was ripped away from you, but not his heart. That you get to keep forever. I believe the pain and agony of never knowing love would be far worse than having to let it go.”
BELL
