Rin felt Cyrus smile against the top of her hair.
Straightening the lapels of his stiff uniform, Talor waved a hand between Rin and Cyrus, his brown eyes hard. "How did you two meet?"
Cyrus was silent, but she felt his fingers dig into her hip in question.
"On the mission I took on Sibeth. We met at a club on my night off," Rin shared in the careful sort of way a—mostly—falsified story could only be told. "He was persistent, chasing me. I kept turning him down. I never wanted to be a princess, certainly not of another planet." Rin forced herself to laugh.
"I chased her down until she had no choice but to keep me," Cyrus purred, ever the charmer.
Sabine blinked rapidly. Rin knew what it was like to be face-to-face with an incubus for the first time. It was dizzying.
Rin blew out a soft, Starstruck breath. "When he gave up the crown, I realized he was serious about wanting me. So Cyrus is not only my Soulbond, but also the male that I—I chose."
The words were true. So true, in fact, that she felt overcome by the weight of them.
But she wouldn’t cry here. Not in a den of wolves, who wished to prey upon the first slip-up, the first sip of innocence or gentleness. They’d prey upon her vulnerabilities and drain her dry, just like Cyrus could do with his withering.
Her love for him would stay just hers. Forever. As would the careful, fragile home she’d crafted with the other men who shared pieces of her Soul.
"That’s… That is wonderful, Vesperin. I am happy for you—happy for both of you," Sabine said, voice strained. Talor echoed her words in monotone, staring off into the dimly lit crowd.
Just then, President Shin came over, in a bustle of happy titters and claps on the shoulder as he passed by guests. He stood proud, hands clasped before him, as he nodded at the tense group.
"You might want to wrap it up," Rhyden intoned. From the way Cyrus sighed roughly behind her, she knew he’d heard too.
Cyrus grabbed a flute of wine in a thin, petal-shaped glass from a passing server, bringing it to his lips. His head tipped back, exposing the line of his throat. From this angle, only Rin saw the faint movements of his lips as he murmured, "Working on it, vampire."
"Talor, Sabine. Vesperin." President Shin inclined his head, reaching out to clap Talor on the shoulder. He murmured something in Talor’s ear, and Rin studied them closely, watching how Talor stiffened, brown eyes growing wide.
Rin thought she caught just the hint of something, but didn’t understand the meaning.
"—he’s here."
Who? It could mean a million things, but something deep inside her thought she already knew.
Talor turned to Rin. "Vesperin—Cyrus Soltren," he added tersely. "There’s a pressing matter that needs my attention." He leaned down to kiss Sabine’s lips, but she turned her head at the last moment, eyes narrowed, forcing her husband to kiss her cheek instead.
Rin’s gaze tracked where he disappeared to—through fluttering golden silks at another door, different than the one he and Sabine had first arrived through.
Sabine smiled up at the President, and it seemed a little too familiar to Rin.
"The decor is astonishing. The gala preparations committee truly outdid themselves this year," Sabine commented.
President Shin waved a hand. His eyes were tracking over the room, then settled on Cyrus, who was still clinging to Rin’s back. He gave a thin-lipped, tight smile. "I can’t take the credit. The theme was yours—you suggested it over dinner last month."
Sabine gave a perfect laugh, not too long or too high; it was staged to perfection.
"Is there a theme? I didn’t know," Rin interjected, throat tight. "What is it?"
They both looked at her, as if they’d forgotten she was even here. It was sobering to her. They wanted to use her for what she could offer, but otherwise, she was nothing but a nuisance, a young girl, in over her head.
"Eternity," said the President.
Suddenly, the holographic Stars and golden accents seemed menacing to Rin.
Sabine’s phone buzzed in her jeweled clutch, and she undid the clasp, pulling it out. Her shoulders tensed. There was a manic tinge to her eyes—they were a little too wild as she met the President’s, then flitted to Rin’s.
"I have to go. Excuse me." As Sabine left, she squeezed President Shin’s muscled arm.
