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“I know you feel as though you must warn me of what I cannot do around your wife at least two millions times,” Prince Urban cut in dryly, shifting his face away so that Soren wasn’t breathing directly on him. “But I assure you, Donnelly bastard, I heard you after the first million.”
Soren pointed threateningly. “I’ll kill you myself if you—”
“Gentlemen.” Brentley stepped between them smoothly, lifting his hands. “No bloodshed on my wedding day, if you please.” He elbowed Urban companionably. “Besides, I have every confidence my new brother-in-law will behave.”
“Where is Vienne, anyway?” Yasmin asked from the other side of the room where she was fluffing at the white sleeve of a wedding gown that a frowning Allera wore.
Urban glanced over Soren’s shoulder directly at me as if he knew I’d been standing there the entire time.
I froze, immobilized.
I’d caught this man’s intense gaze from across the room before, but this time it felt different, because this time I knew why his attention always seemed so focused, so narrowed and intent on just me whenever he looked my way.
A shud
der racked my body, and I clutched Anniston closer to my chest. His gaze fell to the swaddled form in my arms, and pain laced his features before he glanced away. Then he turned on his heel and strode off to approach his sister, who was speaking quietly with the friar and trying to ignore Yasmin, who was still dusting what was probably imaginary lint off her.
“There you are,” Soren called, finally noticing me. He strode forward, and Nicolette shifted closer to my elbow, while Anniston wiggled, unsettled, in my arms.
He paused when he saw her. “You brought the babe.”
“Of course. This is a momentous occasion. We’re aligning two powerful kingdoms today. I want to be able to tell her she was present when it happened.”
Soren pressed his lips together in disapproval but said nothing. After scowling toward Prince Urban, who was still lingering near Allera, he turned back to me. “I won’t be able to sit with you through the service. I feel I must be near the king in case he has need of me.”
My relief was so visceral, I blurted, “That’s great! I didn’t want to sit with you anyway.”
A beat passed before anyone reacted. Then Nicolette started coughing ardently, probably trying to mask her true reaction. She had to spin away from us because she was so overcome. All the while, I stood there, frozen, unable to believe what I’d just spoken aloud. My heart pounded hard in my chest, because oh God, oh God… What if he took Anniston away from me because of my big, stupid, unpredictable mouth?
Soren seemed similarly immobile, blinking at me before he glanced at the agitated Nicolette, only to turn back, squinting. “What did you just say?”
“I said…” Taking a quick breath, I stalled a moment longer, my mind racing before, I once again blurted, “I said, that’s fine. At least I have Nicolette to sit with, anyway.”
He blinked yet again and cocked his face to the side as if he knew that wasn’t what I’d said but couldn’t seem to prove it, so he shook his head, dismissing me altogether. After glancing Nicolette’s way when she finally turned back to us—her face bright red—he nodded to us in farewell and turned away to stalk toward Caulder.
“Oh my God,” Nicolette gasped as soon as he was out of earshot. Fanning at her face, she gushed, “You’re my new hero, because that… That was awesome.”
“Awesome?” I choked out on an incredulous laugh. “I thought it was awful. I totally didn’t mean to say that. I can’t believe I was so brash and…and…”
“Honest?” the young princess guessed knowingly as she lifted amused eyebrows.
I cleared my throat, a hot flush consuming me. “Yes. I’m sorry. I know he’s your cousin, but—”
“Oh, don’t be sorry,” Nicolette cut in, bumping her shoulder against mine and grinning as if we now shared a great secret. “He creeps me out too. I’d probably hang myself if I was forced into marriage with someone like him.”
Her declaration caused me to straighten and blink at her. “Truly? I’d never even given such an idea thought.”
Nicolette merely shrugged as if she weren’t surprised. “Probably because your willpower is so much stronger than mine.” Her gaze strayed thoughtfully across the room. “But maybe you won’t be stuck with Soren forever.”
I followed her stare to Prince Urban, and a prickle of awareness raced up the back of my neck. Shivering past the sensation, I readjusted Anniston in my arms and shook my head. “Nicolette, you know that won’t happen.”
She sighed out her disappointment. “But it would make such a romantic story, don’t you think?” Tipping her face to the side, she kept staring at the prince with acute sympathy. “He looks sad.”
He did look sad, or rather, lonely might be a more apt description. His features were tense, showing no emotion, but the air around him shimmered with a solitary kind of isolation. When I stared at him long enough that he glanced back as if he could feel my eyes on him, I turned away, smiling tightly at Nicolette.
“We should find a seat we like before Caulder lets the rest of the guests in.”
And, on cue, the king clapped his hands, ordering everyone to their places. Once he was seated at his throne, the main doors were opened to let the masses in. The ceremony began, and Anniston decided she needed to turn fussy. But I was able to calm her by standing to the side of the room and bouncing her in my arms.
