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If she offends him, it’ll be her problem.
After another moment her expression softens, her lips curling into a polite smile, and she nods.
“Of course.”
Ofwhat?
My eyes widen in her direction as she shoots me a confident smirk.
“You’re joking,” I hiss under my breath.
“Hardly.”
I debate asking her if she’s lost her mind, and it takes me a second too long to remember this is normal Ulleh etiquette. At any other event, it would be expected. Why does it bother me so much?
Perhaps it’s her eagerness to get away from me that does it, even though I’d been more than willing to get away from her moments ago. The fact that she beat me to it mocks me.
My eyes narrow on her as she gets to her feet and steps toward the noble, and I cringe when she takes him by the arm and follows his lead away from the table. A foreign fire springs to life in my chest as my gaze bores a hole through the pair, and I hardly have time to consider what it means when a heavy hand claps down on my shoulder.
“How’s it going, brother?”
My eyes trail up a meaty arm to find Oryx smiling down at me, and I try not to groan in protest. No sooner do I get rid of one headache, another finds me.
“I’m ready to get out of here,” I admit.
“Oh, it’s not that bad,” he says, jerking his chin toward the middle of the room. “She’s attractive, for a human. You lucked out, Nor.”
“She’s adequate,” I reply, refusing to give her more of a compliment. I roll my eyes and shake his hand off my shoulder. “You’re welcome to take my place. We look alike. She might not even notice.”
It’s a half-hearted offer that I know he’ll refuse.
“No thanks.” He shakes his head. “If I can’t be king, I at least plan to choose my mate.”
My jaw sets and I look back toward the dance floor where the nobleman is spinning my bride around effortlessly. Jealous heat licks my skin and despite my efforts to brush off the feeling, it burrows its way down to my core.
Am I jealous because someone else is showing her attention?
Or because I won’t have the same freedom as Oryx when it comes to choosing a mate?
Either way, the flames eating their way through my limbs become too much to handle, forcing me out of my seat. If I sit still much longer, I’ll catch fire.
“Where are you going?” Oryx asks.
I don’t have a destination in mind.
If I had it my way, I’d head to my room and turn in for the night, but my parents won’t allow that. They’ve waited years to celebrate again, and the dancing has only just begun. They’ll insist on my presence for at least a few hours until the guests disperse, and if I try to sneak off early, my mother will drag me back by the horns.
For now, I’m stuck.
“I don’t know,” I growl.
Anywhere but here.
Anywhere I don’t have to see my bride in the arms of another minotaur when she won’t so much as look in my direction. She may not have a lot going for her, but she has audacity. Audacity that, for some inexplicable reason, I find more attractive than her appearance.
My feet move before I can stop them, carrying me down the long room toward the double doors. I might get in trouble for retiring for the night, but a brief walk to clear my head isn’t too much to ask. Unfortunately, Oryx stays on my heels.
“A walk it is,” he says, his voice grinding against my nerves like a rough stone. I know he’s trying to cheer me up, but I wish he’d leave me alone.
