Page 159 of Captive of Secrets and Storms

I only half hear the words.

Rian walks around the edge of the maze, on his way back to the viewing box. The muscles on his back bulge and depress with each step.

My fingers prick with the urge to caress his skin.

“—especially now that he’s declared his interest in Iris.”

My eyes fly to Helen’s, and the triumphant gleam that greets me makes my gut churn.

“What…” I pause, a frown pulling at my lips as her meaning clicks.

She said Rian entered the maze to compete for Iris.

I thought she meant figuratively…

“What are you talking about?” I finally ask.

A flicker of fake surprise mars her perfect face. “Oh dear. Did you not know?”

I press my lips together, aware of the web she weaves, but too invested to resist walking right into it. “Know what?”

Her neck straightens, and her hateful smile widens. “Entering the maze is a formal declaration of intent. Prince Rian has publicly announced his interest in seeking a bride in Virendrell. And there is none more eligible than my beloved daughter.”

The power within me recoils, condensing into a small, burning knot lodged behind my sternum.

That’s bullshit.

Rian is the Shadow Prince. He dragged me from Verdanthia on a mission that only the Gods know the details of. He wouldn’t be sidetracked by finding and claiming a bride in Virendrell.

Not after our kiss.

A kiss he called a mistake…

No.

Mistake or not, Rian wouldn’t do this.

But despite my confidence, my heart slams hard enough to bruise.

Rian reaches the top of the viewing box.

He takes his place among the honored guests, accepting praise with an easy smile that rings hollow even from here. It’s too smooth, too practiced, like armor he’s slipping on.

Iris glides forward.

The crowd parts for the mayor’s beautiful and composed daughter as she closes the distance between herself and the prince.

My fingers curl into fists, nails biting into skin, grounding me through pain.

Rian takes Iris’s hand.

The world narrows to that single point of contact.

He lifts her fingers and presses a slow kiss to her knuckles, his attention fixed entirely on her face, as if no one else exists.

And Iris⁠—

Her smile blooms, bright and victorious, catching the last of the fading sunlight.