Page 91 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

I held Alex’s hand as we headed for Darius’s room after we’d spent the night together, holding each other. He had a lovely boyish smile that started a flutter in my chest, the hint of a blush coloured his cheeks, which was something, considering how pale he was.

Deadly pale, Darius was sitting up on his bed, surrounded by trays of food and silk cushions, just as he liked it. Myrtha sat on a chair next to him. She wasn’t faring well either, if the dark circles around her eyes were any indication. Why having been saved by Darius had caused her such strong turmoil was a mystery to me.

“Good morning.” I kissed Darius’s cheek. “How are you?”

“Much better.” He sipped a cup of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. “I don’t look great, but I reckon my magic will be back soon.”

Alex pointed at the fog. “I’m looking forward to your recovery when you can work on that abomination. The servants need to come back, and I’ve had enough of Esmeralda preaching to me.”

“Darius hasn’t recovered yet, but you’re already pressuring him.” Myrtha glowered. “He needs rest. For once, we should solve our problems without his magic.” Her aura was light brown with annoyance, but a flash of yellow happiness sneaked through when she stared at Darius.

I glanced at Alex. Myrtha had changed her attitude towards the mage.

Alex folded his arms across his chest. “Let Darius decide what he wants.”

“I want a chocolate cake.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “With whipped cream and more chocolate. And I want to be made an earl of the Dark Court, like Lord Morquen.”

“What is the point?” Alex gave a shrug. “It’s a title, and you have nothing to prove to Morquen.”

Darius’s hair became more dishevelled on its own. “I want to be an earl. In fact, I wonder why you haven’t bestowed the title upon me a long time ago. Do you take me for granted? And I don’t understand⁠—”

“Fine. Fine.” Alex held up a hand. “You’re an earl. From now on, you’ll be an earl. There. Done. What has changed? Nothing.”

“Well…” Darius sipped his tea slowly. “I hope the allowance for my personal expenses will increase, for starters.”

I squeezed Alex’s hand. “Of course. Alex will be thrilled to increase your allowance.”

He grumbled. “As thrilling as an entire day on a sunny beach. He’ll spend everything on new waistcoats and silk pillows.”

“Oh, shush.” I sat on the bed. “I was thinking that I want to give a ball.” I smiled, even though Alex stared at me with a worried expression and Darius frowned. Only Myrtha brightened. “The fog is losing its power, Darius is getting better, and Rothbart is secured. It’ll be an opportunity for everyone to rejoice and be jolly.”

“Yes!” Myrtha clapped her hands. “We haven’t used the ballroom in years. It’ll be fantastic, as soon as Darius gets better.”

I patted Darius’s hand. “Of course.”

“A ball?” Alex scrunched up his face.

“Why not?” Myrtha sounded like her old self. “We used to have such wonderful balls here, with flowers and champagne.”

Darius made a noise, half snort, half chortle. “I agree. We need some balls here!”

Myrtha glared at him. “What are you? Twelve?”

When Alex opened his mouth to protest, I stood up. “Let’s see how Lucy is faring.” I hooked my arm through Alex’s and led him out.

“A ball is going to be a lot of work,” he said as we walked down the corridor.

“But it’s what the court needs, and we’ve never danced together.”

“For a good reason. I’ll tramp on your feet, step on your skirt, and look like an ogre.”

“I don’t believe that.”

We stopped at Lucy’s room. For safety, she was resting in a bedroom at the end of the east wing with silver bars on the door and windows. It wasn’t the most charming view, but if she rose as a feral vampire, she had to be contained.

Graves stood up from the chair he’d been sitting on when we entered. Tension snapped between him and Alex, but Graves offered a bow of his head anyway.

“How is Lucy?” I didn’t know why I was whispering. Lucy couldn’t hear me anyway.