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CHAPTERELEVEN
Irissa
I’ve lost count of how many noblemen have asked me to dance, some interrupting mid-song to drag me away from my partner, but I can finally say I’m having fun. None of the other minotaurs I’ve encountered have the sour, intolerable attitude that my husband possesses, and I’m starting to think I was wrong to think they were monsters.
Granted, I still have some animosity toward them because of the attacks on my kingdom, but I doubt any of these attendees took part in the raids. When you have money, dress opulently, and get invited to royal celebrations, what about walking hundreds of miles to other kingdoms and back to steal and attack innocent people seems appealing?
Nothing is the only answer I can come up with.
I’m going to get to the bottom of things and find out who’s been stealing from Hyatt, but it seems unfair to judge these people so harshly when they might not have any idea what’s going on. Would they treat me with such enthusiasm if they knew they were the reason my kingdom is crumbling?
I can’t be sure, but I hopenois the answer.
“May I cut in?” I hear again, and even though we’ve only been dancing for a few seconds, my dance partner, a tall, lean minotaur in a red jacket, comes to an abrupt halt.
“Of course,” he says, bowing out of the way.
My heart shoots up my throat when the next person steps in front of me and I look up to find Nor’s amber eyes staring back at me. After our spat at the high table, I doubted he would speak to me for the rest of the night.Ihopedhe would be content to ignore me until it was time to retire for the night.
Yet here he is, in all his angry, muscular glory.
He doesn’t wait for me to react before grabbing hold of my hand with one of his and sliding the other down my back to a comfortable position. Heat floods my cheeks as I regain my composure and place my free hand on his bulging bicep.
“Did you come to argue some more?” I ask, my throat suddenly tight and dry.
His hold is a little more relaxed this time around, and his expression is far less fierce.
Did he chug a gallon of wine to improve his mood?
“No.” He shakes his head, leading us in the four-step dance that I’ve gotten quite good at over the last several songs.
It isn’t as complicated as some of the dances I practiced back home, but the simple movement makes sense for a minotaur’s hulking frame. Too many quick movements might cause them to lose their balance, and although I’d enjoy watching Nor trip over his own feet and topple over, I can’t deny how pleasing it is to swing around gracefully with him.
“I’ve come to ask for a truce,” he says, causing my brows to furrow.
“A truce?” I lower my voice, not sure if I want our conversation to be overheard. Although, if it was truly a secret, Nor would drag me off somewhere more private. He doesn’t care if people listen in.
“That’s what I said.” I can tell he’s trying to fight the annoyance out of his voice, and now I’m really wondering what happened to cause this change. What the hell did I miss in the last few minutes? “I need you.”
My jaw falls limp, and I stumble over my feet at his words, but his hold keeps me upright. Otherwise, I would have fallen on my face. Where the hell is this coming from? In what way could he possibly need me? For the first time, he’s rendered me speechless, so I wait for him to proceed.
“Our marriage is what gives me the right to rule my kingdom. Without it, I cannot take the throne,” he says softly, his steady gaze never wavering. “You need me and my kingdom’s resources to help salvage Hyatt’s economy and social status. Am I right?”
The speechless feeling evaporates, and words form on my tongue, begging to be let out. My kingdom lacks resources because minotaurs viciously stole them, and now Nor is offering to return what’s rightfully ours. It’s cruelly unfair to begin with, but he’s offering exactly what I came here for. There’s no point in arguing semantics right now, especially when I’m just lucky we’re having a civil conversation.
Crude details can be hashed out later.
Nor’s truce is why I left my home.
“Yes,” I agree. “Without Ulleh’s help, my kingdom risks eradication. There won’t be anything left.”
He nods and swings me a half-turn, throwing off my steps again and leaving me off beat. As I struggle to catch up, a smile contorts his face, and I don’t know if I should be relieved or afraid. This man’s mood swings are more unsettling than a bumpy carriage ride.
“Then I have a proposition for you,” he goes on, and I’m clinging to every word.
“I’m listening.”
For the first time, his eyes dart up to check our surroundings. He swings me away from a couple to our left and drops his voice to a pitch I can barely hear over the music.
