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Sebastian shoved his hands in his pockets. “Not that kind of red, and the king and his brother both have the exact same color, as did the king before him. There are others, I’m sure, with that color, and people have even dyed their hair to appear ‘royal,’ so it wouldn’t immediately give you away, but you are also a sorceress and at the right age. It’s too coincidental, and someone could look too closely.”
“Hamza’s already seen me.”
“We can tell him you changed your hair back to its natural color. I won’t risk anything. There’s too much on the line.”
I bit the inside of my lip, touching the ends of my red strands. He wasn’t willing to risk his precious gift of mortality, he meant, and he didn’t care what I had to sacrifice to get it. I blew out a tense breath, reminding myself how I was also lying to his face, and we were both being unfair to each other in different ways.
“I guess I can dye it.” My hair was something I always cherished, mainly because it was so different from everyone else’s.
“You can change it back after.” Erianna’s thick lips curved into a pitiful smile. “Once Sargon has been removed.”
“Yes, once I’m queen, it won’t matter.” My heart raced, a reaction I prayed they’d all put down to nerves rather than my body's response to lying.
Zach was the only one who regarded me with hooded eyes crowned in suspicion, but he shook it off, wanting to believe this as much as the others. Footsteps creaked up the stairs behind the door, and Anna appeared inside my room, moving to Zach’s side, and all his worries slid away in her presence.
Her light-brown hair curled into a tight knot at the back of her head, with a couple of curls falling at the front to frame her heart-shaped face. Her jade-green eyes found Zach’s, a low smile building as if he was the most beautiful thing in the world.
I remembered feeling that way once when I was with Astor. I missed it, which was the opposite of how I wanted to feel. Still, with each passing day, that love lessened, tainted by the realization that the Astor I adored never existed. It was a version of him I loved because the man I knew would have never put himself before his friends, lied to his family, or hurt me. Dying, I decided, could bring out the very best or worst in a person. When confronted with death, Astor chose his life as more important than everyone else’s.
“She’s off again,” Erianna teased.
I blinked twice, shaking my head. Even they had noticed it. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Sebastian smiled, deepening his dimples. His eyes brightened, and I couldn’t help but smile back. It was annoyingly infectious, especially when I hated him for being so selfish. “Erianna will take you to the Lake of Laveniuess while Velda is here. Take some time to strengthen your powers. You’ll need to practice with them.”
“Why, if I’m just going to become a vampire at the end of this all anyway?” I questioned.
Zach rolled his eyes up. “Because having magic is helpful, especially when you can use it.” His words bit through the room.
Erianna placed her hand on my shoulder. I noticed she’d painted her long nails a deep shade of yellow. “We will evaluate our options of how to remove Sargon from his throne and avoid an uprising once we’re at court, but having your powers could be helpful. Especially if it comes down to a fight.” She squeezed gently. “There’s a reason vampires try to capture your people. They’re afraid of you.”
“We scare you?”
“Not me,” she said with a wink, “but vampires in general. Your mom managed to escape the castle, something no mortal has ever achieved. If she wasn’t a sorceress, it wouldn’t have been possible.”
A strange feeling circled in my stomach. “Then you don’t know my mom.”
Erianna grinned. “I did.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“I’ve met her when you were a baby. It was only once, but even then, she was a badass.”
“That’s so….”
“Unnerving?” Sebastian interrupted. “Erianna looks far younger than she is.”
She rolled her eyes at him, and he smirked.
“Weird,” I finished. “Okay, I’ll go. At least I don’t have to wear that bracelet now.”
“Good.” Sebastian moved toward the door. “Velda arrives in an hour. Zach, you will come with me.”
He nodded, swaying his white ponytail, which was separated into sections with black bands. “Anna, sweetheart, you should stay in your room.”
“I will. I know what Velda’s like…” Her soft voice trailed off as it was lost in the dominant tones of those around her. Erianna spoke over her, assuming she’d finished her sentence, and Sebastian mentioned something. I made sure to look directly at Anna to show her I was at least listening, annoyed at the rest of the room. None of them, I was sure, did it on purpose, but it didn’t make a difference. Anna’s small lips curled at the corners, her cheeks blushing.
They left the room together, and Erianna followed, halting at the door. “I’ll get you a jacket. The lake is cold,” she called behind her as she sped away.
