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An obvious deflection.
“No.” I shake my head. “You’re hiding something from me.” If anyone were to look our way, they would think we are having a friendly chat about some inane topic with the way we’re both grinning like idiots.
“What makes you think that?” It isn’t quite denial laced with saccharine sincerity, but it also isn’t an admission.
And there it is again, the flash of worry in his green eyes. The heightened urge to allow my temper to take control is doused.
“Please,” I beseech, stepping closer. “I can tell something is worrying you.” Laughter from around the corner echoes, soon joined by several chattering voices. “You said you would be there for me, so let me do the same for you.”
Cassius drops the pretense. “You have enough to worry over as it is without adding to the burden.”
He falls silent as the group of three lesser vampire women rounds the corner.
And among them is Alaric’s ex-employee, Elise Holmwood. She is different from when I first met her, and it is somehow both subtle and very noticeable. Skin that has changed from a healthy peach has become the color of watered-down milk with the barest hint of blue and nearly transparent. Her red hair is done up in a fashionable style that appears an even more vivid shade than I remember. The powdery pink of her dress seems to exaggerate both.
Elise meets my gaze before I can avert my eyes. The placid features of her face contort into a promise of violence.
I doubt anything will come of it since she hasn’t tried anything since our last encounter. And anyway, I prefer to wander the back halls whenever possible, where I can move about, unnoticed, and as unmemorable as every other human in this castle.
“Thank you for your concern, but it is a trifling matter.” Cassius tells me once we are alone.
My smile falters. His is a shade too bright. I see through the lie. I don’t think anyone has ever dismissed something as unimportant and meant it. He must realize I’m not fooled, because his mouth presses into a thin line.
I nod. A silent agreement not to push further for the time being. He has his reasons for putting this subject off, and I will respect that.
Cassius’s cool palm cups the side of my face. “We will talk later.”
That is a promise I have every intention of holding him to.
For the second time, I watch him walk away. I remain where I am for a moment longer. Something builds in my chest. A feeling… one I cannot begin to describe or put a name to. It settles deep within my bones, tangled with a sense of importance.
A movement from the corner of my eye draws my attention to the open atrium on the second floor.
Elizabeth stands at the balustrade, looking down. Her golden hair is twisted and pulled to the side, cascading over one shoulder, and tied with a thick, black ribbon at the end. The golden strands are stark moonlight against her black dress.
The Voice stands a pace or two back and off to her right, appearing like winter personified.
But it’s Alaric on her other side that steals the breath from my lungs, and I cannot force myself to turn away.
He looks exactly as he did the last time we were together. The sensation in my chest expands. It’s almost too much… too many emotions twisted up into an impossible knot.
I squeeze my eyes shut, swallowing the sensations threatening to overwhelm me.
Ever so faintly, I feel it—though I am not entirely sure if it is real or merely the product of longing—the soft, rhythmic echo of his heartbeat.
When I open my eyes again, both the sensation and Alaric are gone.
CHAPTER SIX
ALARIC
Nothing makesthe passing of time slow to an achingly unrelenting pace, quite like listening to nobles and gentry acting like spoiled children as they ask for endless favors.
It was the same as every other night since I arrived at Nightwich and accepted my place as consort. Yet today, I couldn’t seem to recall any specifics from previous sessions or what to do without prompting from the Voice.
Ever since I woke as the last rays of light vanished, a sense of wrongness has followed at my heels like a shadow. A persistent itch inside my skull, plaguing me, setting the world askew.
My queen and I stroll leisurely through the halls—a much-needed reprieve after the past several hours. A strange, prickling sensation travels up the back of my neck. One I haven’t felt since I was human. I glance furtively at the surroundings, alert for any sight or sound that is out of place but can find nothing.
