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Ianora shook her head and looked away from Mitron. She was seething inside still, and it was taking all of her self-control to keep herself from doing so. But yelling at Mitron, however horrible she had treated Ianora, would not make up for the pain in her heart surrounding Castor.
"Yes, they do," Mitron said softly. "My father was much like yours. He tried to give me away without caring for what I thought or felt. But ... Castor is not like them."
"How can you say that when he's the one who killed you?"
"He didn't," Mitron said. "I lied about how I died because I needed you to fear him enough to go into the coffin."
Violence amongst vampires was common and expected, but it was rare for vampires to go so far as to kill other vampires, especially one as significant as Mitron would have been back in her day unless they performed an incredible offense. It was more common to maim or lock them away to 'think' about their erroneous ways for a while. But Mitron backtracking on her story about Castor didn't make sense because hewasthe violent type. Even before Ianora had broken his heart and he went off the rails, she'd seen him murder without a second thought. His killing of Mitron was one of the few facts of her story that Ianora hadn't questioned.
"If he didn't kill you, who did?" Ianora said.
"My father. My failure had displeased him, and—"
"Enough of your lies! I know what that man is like. You can't twist the truth now that you've played it to my ears. I'll never listen to another word you say. I hope you're just as doomed to spend the next five centuries in this castle as I am."
Mitron flinched. "Princess, please, let me explain everything."
"No!"
Ianora spun around and hurried down the hall, only to turn around a corner and bump straight into someone. The handsome man looking down at her was far too familiar, and Ianora's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Nikolas? What are you doing here?" she said, but really, she was relieved to find a familiar face that hadn't hurt or betrayed her in some way.
"I've been looking everywhere for you. What were you yelling at?" Nikolas placed his firm hands on her shoulders. "In the future, be careful about what you're shouting in the halls. You never know who could be listening."
"I was just clearing my head, that's all. Going for a walk." She wiped the hair out of her face to get a better look at her older brother's pale face and the fine, blond locks that they both shared with their mother. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be leaving after the wedding."
"The others did, but I was not needed right away. I felt it imperative that I spoke to you first."
Ianora's shoulders relaxed. "I'm glad to see you. I was very disheartened when I thought all of you would be gone in the morning."
"I hated the idea of leaving you alone after seeing how torn up you were before the ceremony."
"Thank you. It warms my heart to see you again so soon." She squeezed his arm, pulling him close against her side and finding that her feet were guiding her away from this place. "But surely there is something more important that you wanted to talk about if you were looking for me at this hour?"
They carried on down the hall toward the open balcony overlooking the thorny, overgrown gardens outside. Sentient roses shifted to watch Nikolas and Ianora as they walked, but they kept their distance, and the roses remained silent.
Nikolas looked very uncomfortable, even embarrassed. "I wanted to make sure you were all right." His brow crinkled, and it was clear that he wasn't being entirely truthful. He looked down at the plain dressing gown Ianora had thrown on before running through the castle. "What on earth are you wearing? You're a queen now, Ianora. You can't go running around the place in rags."
"I hadn't even thought that my clothes would be a problem." She tugged shyly at the thin fabric. "I'm a bit of a mess this morning."
Nikolas pressed his lips together. "Is this Castor's doing? I'll show him the edge of a knife if he's denied you proper clothes."
"No!" Ianora said too loud, too fast. "No, this is my fault. I, uhm, have not returned to my chambers yet this morning, that's all."
It wasn't until after the defense left her mouth that she questioned why she was defending the man at all. She could have just let Nikolas stab that incorrigible man, then she could be rid of him. In his absence, she could even take over his kingdom with her brothers' help, and in one fell swoop, solve her family's problems all at once.
If only she were as heartless and bloodthirsty as her husband. How dare he try to pin all their issues on her? Ianora knew she could be considered the main contributor at first, but Castor hadn't made himself the most approachable man these past few decades.
Nikolas had eased a hand off her and held his sheathed dagger in hand. He stuck the weapon back into his waistband. Ianora hadn't seen him reach for it. "If you say so. I suppose you've had a long night. Are you ..." He cleared his throat. "Are you, erhm ... My wife, when she ..." He trailed off, and Ianora was blushing profusely that herbrotherhad dared to ask how she felt after losing her virginity.
"No, I'm fine," she said quickly. "Castor treated me well."
Even had she wanted to go into more detail about last night, she wouldn't know what to say. Ianora had been fortunate, and Castor had been attentive and gentle, leaving her feeling far more pleasure than pain. She still tingled with the memory of him inside of her earlier that morning, and the warmth on her face deepened even more.
"I understand, this ordeal with Castor has been difficult for you. In fact, that is what I wanted to talk to you about," Nikolas said at last. He paused, and then added, "If it's any comfort to you, I do not believe Mother and Father made this arrangement with any ill intent in mind."
"I heard from Castor's own mouth that Father gave me up under threat of burning down the whole kingdom," Ianora bit out. "He put up no resistance. He just gave me up, so don't you dare speak of Father'sintentions."
