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“Hypocrite,” I say angrily.
“Hypocrite indeed, my dear. I’ll try to talk him out of it.”
“You know as well as I do that he won’t change his mind. He wants to make me suffer for taking away his power. He wants to see me punished, and this was the only thing he could do to ensure that.”
“Speaking of Oberon, it seems the two of you are much closer now. Am I right?”
“You could say that.” I keep my eyes on the carpeted floor of the hallway we’re walking down.
“I may be old, but I saw the sexual chemistry between the two of you easily enough.”
“Mother, I don’t want to talk about that with you. For goodness sakes, you’re almost as bad as Father.”
My mother giggles. “Oh, Emily,” she places a loose arm around my waist. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed. Oberon is a very handsome man who seemed to fall head over heels in love with you the moment he saw you. I would say there are quite a few ladies downstairs who would like to be in your shoes right now.”
“Can they be in my shoes tomorrow night during the bedding ceremony?”
“Hmm, would you really want someone else making love to your husband?”
I sigh in defeat. “No. No, I wouldn’t, but still, Father is being cruel with his demand.”
“Then make him pay for it,” she suggests in a conspiratorial voice. “Oberon has pretty much called your father’s manhood into question. If he isn’t present for the ceremony, everyone will call him a coward. I suggest you try to focus solely on your husband and tune everyone else out when you make love.”
“That sounds impossible.” My heart continues to sink at the thought of what should be one of the best nights of my life. If Oberon’s attentions in the alleyway are any indication of his sexual prowess, I should have a lifetime filled with him satisfying every pleasurable fantasy I can think of.
“It’s your only choice, dear.”
We stop in front of the door to my bedroom. My mother kisses me on the forehead, making me feel like I’m a child again.
“Now go in and get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is going to be an exciting day. I promise you’ll have the most beautiful wedding any princess has ever had.”
“Thank you.” I give her a hug, and she pats me on the back.
“Don’t worry, Emily. Everything will work out just fine, and I have the most exciting wedding gift for you. It will completely turn your world upside down. I promise.”
With those cryptic words, she leaves me and walks back down the hallway in the direction of her own room.
Too tired to find out what she meant by her words, I go into my room and lean up against the door. With a deep sigh, I close my eyes, vainly trying to erase what just happened from my mind.
“I see my deduction was correct.”
My eyelids fly open. Kyan, the geomancer who stole the sphere from me, walks in from the bathroom drying his hands off with a small towel.
“I wasn’t sure if you would stay here tonight or go back to your house,” he says before tossing the towel onto my bed. “I’m glad I made the right choice.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask, pushing myself off the door. With quick strides, I have the front of his jacket in my fists. “Where is the sphere? What have you done with it?”
“I see where your granddaughter gets her feistiness from,” he says but it doesn’t sound like a compliment. “She’s the whole reason I came back to find you. You need to talk some sense into that girl before she ruins everything.”
I shake Kyan. “What do you mean? How do you even know Ivy?”
He holds his hands up as if surrendering to my anger and only desiring peace. Reluctantly, I release my hold on his coat.
“If you will allow me, I’ll show you that the world is unharmed.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls out the sphere.
It looks different now. The crack is almost complete.
“Are they failing the trials?” I ask. My body tingles with worry as helplessness invades my heart. “What can I do to help?”
