I cross to a chair and flop down in it unceremoniously, giving her a shrug. “You said yes, didn’t you?”
“Because you put me on the spot,” she reiterates through clenched teeth. “I’m pretty sure if I turned down the very public proposal of the Prince of Midnight, I’d be immediately executed.” She paces back and forth in front of the fire. The flames flicker and sway, almost as if they want to reach out toward her.
To be fair, her turning me down definitely would have made tonight an ugly affair. But I knew it would all turn out alright.
I lean over, nearly toppling over the chair, but unwilling to stand up to reach the decanter of clear liquor on a nearby table. The glasses are too far, so I unstop the bottle and take a swig directly from the glass neck, allowing the sweet anise flavor to burn down my throat. “If you didn’t want to go in on my proposal, why did you come back?”
The glower she throws in my direction is so intense I instantly give it a name—the purple death.
“I told you. I came here for my own reasons.”
The Ember of Midnight. I remember. I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s why she’s here.
When she entered the ballroom, I felt her. I pretended not to, but all my senses were keenly tuned into where Cinder was atany given moment. Beyond that, a need, from deep down at the bottom of my gut, urged me to do it, to put her on the spot and lock her in.
I need her.
For my plan, of course. She’s the only one that will do.
The fact I also want her is irrelevant.
Then there was the stricken way she froze when she caught sight of her stepmother and stepsisters. Anastasia and Drusilla had spent a considerable amount of time and energy throwing themselves in my path with hopes of becoming the next princess of Midnight, even before my marriage season was announced. Despite their flattery and perfect manners over the years, I’ve always sensed a cruelty that turned my insides to stone.
“Well, it’s done now,” I say. I take a longer pull from the bottle, feeling the warmth spread out through my cold limbs. Stretching, I stand again. “So you pose as my bride and get the opportunity to find out what really happened to your father.”
“While you supremely piss yours off,” she adds, heavy skepticism in her tone.
And a wee bit more than that, but the details of my plan don’t need to concern her.
“I am sorry you are trapped here now,” I add with true remorse.
To be honest, I’m still not sure how she’s been traveling back and forth between the Common World and the Midnight realm. But I’ve no doubt her ability to move freely went up in a puff of smoke the second I suckered her into an engagement.
Cinder doesn’t deserve to be under my father’s thumb, but I also can’t help but feel better about having her nearby so I can keep tabs.
Huh. I’ve really developed a noble side.
“Trapped? You think this is just about being trapped?” Her voice is a mix of disbelief and anger. “I have a life beyond this. . .this charade. One that doesn't include playing pretend with you.”
I nod, understanding more than she could imagine. “I know, and I'm not blind to how unfair this is to you. But,” I say, nearing her until there is but a step between us. “We could also reap the extra benefits of our arrangement.”
She barely contains her sneer. “What extra benefits?”
She’s so mean.
I’m obsessed.
I drop my voice to a low husk. “The carnal kind, of course.” Deliberately dragging my eyes over her from head to toe, pausing on all the most delicious spots like her lips, her chest, hips, and surprisingly her wrists, I make my meaning known. “If we are going to sell this, I think it’s a good idea for us to,” I lean in closer, hoping to drag the word over the shell of her ear like a velvet temptation, “fuck.”
A sudden blow lands between my legs, striking me in my most sensitive area. The intense pain shoots through my body, sending my head off in a tailspin. I struggle to catch my breath and regain my balance as tears sting the backs of my eyes.
“That won’t be happening, Your Highness,” she says as she steps back.
“A simplenowould have sufficed,” I wheeze, guiding myself into the nearest chair to help with the recovery.
“You’re too handsy.” She crosses her arms over her chest, reminding me of a petulant child. “And I don't fuck vampires. Your kind disgusts me.”
Between her words and her attack on the family jewels, I’d be inclined to believe her except there had been that instant when I first leaned in, so brief I almost missed it. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale as her pupils dilated to dark pools. Her heartbeat picked up speed and her scent intensified, drugging me with vanilla orchid and cedar. It made my mouth water.
