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George cleared his throat. "If I may ask, Your Highness..."
"What is it?"
"We were wondering about the princess—-"
There was a moment of silence, and then she heard Lysander answer coldly, "Estrella won't have any part in tonight's offensive."
"Ah." George's bewilderment was audible in his voice.
"If there's nothing else—-"
Since Lysander's tone made it very clear there better not be anything else, the lieutenant quickly snapped to attention and left as soon as the prince dismissed him.
Lysander and Fina were alone now, and Estrella couldn't keep her hackles from rising at the scent of lust radiating from the spymaster. How could she have not noticed this before? How could she have been so blind?
"I'm sorry for that," the prince was saying. "I know you think it's best not to let the people know the truth, but this farce has gone on far enough. They must be made to know you are the real hero of the Miller Mine battle—-"
Estrella almost choked. What was Lysander saying?
"I shall speak with the men—-"
"Please don't, Your Highness!" Fina was clearly panicking.
As she should be, Estrella thought furiously, since the other woman had obviously fed her husband a pack of lies. Fina had done nothing but watch that night, and not once had she interfered, even after seeing Estrella literally fight for her life several times.
And at that time, she had been such a huge fool, believing the spymaster when Fina told her it was for Estrella to prove her mettle. Now, she wasn't so sure at all.
"It might affect the men's morales and cause them to make mistakes," Fina was saying in a rush. "And besides it doesn't matter anymore. I've gotten used to it, and I believe they'll eventually discover the truth on their own—-"
"Either way, how you're being treated isn't right. If I could afford to lose you, I'd have you serve in a wealthier court."
"You should've married me," the spymaster said jokingly, "then my services would've been free."
Estrella waited for Lysander to reprimand the other woman for her insolence.
But the prince didn't say a word.
LYSANDER SHIFTED INTO his other form as soon as he was able to make a plausible excuse to leave Fina's presence. He loped into a run, his otherworldly speed turning him into a blur that had even Fae soldiers in the area gasping.
But no matter how fast he ran, he was of course unable to outrun the outraged demands of his inner beasts. It was spitting mad, wanting to know why he had not disabused the spymaster of all hopes about replacing Estrella. It had wanted Lysander to put Fina in place and tell the woman in no uncertain terms that she had been speaking out of line.
But where was the honor in that, Lysander growled defensively, when Fina had been his original choice?
The beast growled back and sank its claws into Lysander's soul to make its thoughts known. You owe her nothing. The woman never knew she was your first choice. The claws sank deeper, and Lysander's physical body shuddered in pain. Be true to yourself. You cared not about hurting her. You chose not to admonish her because of fear. You fear the strength of your feelings for your mate. She has disappointed and failed you, and yet you love her still. You fear what may happen if she betrays you—-
A howl tore out of Lysander's throat. You know the prophecy as well as I do. Of course I damn well fear what will happen if I give free reins to my feelings. With a furious shake of his head, Lysander broke into another run, climbing up the steepest edges of his property. But the beast would not be silenced. The mating bond does not require love. Those feelings are all your own.
What the fuck are you getting to?
The beast pulled its claws out. It is not for me to speak. You'll know soon enough. But by then, it might be too late.
Chapter Twenty-One
Estrella was in a daze as she slowly made her way back to the tower room. As she made no attempt to conceal her return, the guards outside her door sputtered in surprise at seeing an easily recognizable white wolf climbing up the steps. Protocol would require them to inform a higher-up about her "escape", and she could already tell from their uneasy expressions that neither of them were looking forward to doing so.
Back inside her gilded prison, she found herself continuing to move in autopilot as she shifted out and dressed herself. Throughout it, the spymaster's throaty drawl played over and over in her mind—-
You should've married me, then my services would've been free.
Just thinking about the words made Estrella sick to her stomach. It was something she could easily imagine a black widow would have used to lure someone in its web. The invitation in Fina's words had been unmistakably and shamelessly blatant. There was no way for anyone to misconstrue the woman's meaning, and no one would've questioned the prince's right to admonish Fina for it.
