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I nod. The headache surges, pounding ruthlessly. “I must need to feed, because I can’t seem to think where she is.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth agrees, jaw tense. The warm red ring of her power lights up around her lavender irises. “It seems you forgot she remained back at the manor. It has only been a few days since we sent word of the coronation. I’m afraid she likely won’t arrive until the day before.” She releases a breath, relaxing her shoulders. “You should be more mindful that you don’t go too long between feedings.”
Rosalie always insists on traveling with me. Teasing that it’s for my protection rather than to satisfy her curiosity to see how the world has changed with time.
Surely, I would have brought her with me? The sense of wrongness rears up again, frantically drumming through my veins. I force myself to release those contradicting thoughts—
Elizabeth wouldn’t lie. There must have been a reason… even if I have forgotten what it was.
“I must have lost track of time,” I say. “I will take care of it soon.”
She hums. “See that you do. I cannot have my consort weak from starvation.” Her tone shifts from concerned to venomous. “It would send the wrong message to the world.”
I have been careless. My queen chose me to rule beside her. Now I must show that I am worthy of the position.
The corridor opens to an atrium overlooking the main hall below on the left. At the far end on the right, there are more winding hallways and another grand staircase that is heavily guarded.
Halfway, Elizabeth halts abruptly, slipping her hand from my arm. She approaches the balustrade and grips the polished surface. Small clouds of fine dust form around her fingertips as they press into the stone. It is the only indication of the fury underneath her calm exterior.
Who has earned such ire while lacking the sense to leave Nightwich immediately?
I stand at her side and follow her gaze to one of the more powerful courtiers below me.
Cassius Wellington cups the cheek of a mortal woman. The way he looks at her—it appears he’s lost his wits and, through some unfortunate circumstance, has come to care for a creature so inferior to him.
Even when he was still human, love was a game. He would seduce the daughters of prominent men, promising them the world. Only to abandon them after they surrendered their bodies to him.
No. The human must only be another one of his games to pass the time.
Still, as a court member, such behavior is beneath him. He would do well to avoid intimacy with one publicly. Others might misunderstand, thinking him weak. And that weakness would reflect poorly on our queen. It’s no wonder she is furious.
Cassius leaves, yet Elizabeth’s focus doesn’t follow him, but stays locked on the human.
I frown. If his actions are not the cause of her ire, but rather the woman, then why does she still live?
I glance at the Voice, hoping for a hint to better understand this peculiar situation.
She watches me with an unsettling expression. Her eyes, encircled by a ring of glowing crimson, bore into me. Then, the pink disappears beneath a cloud of white. In this state, she’s as fragile as fog. It’s over in the span of a breath, her irises returning to their brilliant hue, as if it never happened.
Between this, the memory lapses, and numerous small details not adding up… It makes me wonder if I am losing my mind.
Wings beat against the air in a steadythump, thump, thump.
With my next breath, I’ve forgotten what I was thinking about a moment ago. It must not have been anything important.
Returning my focus to the mortal, I regard her from the back. She wears men’s clothes that are tailored for ease of movement as well as to enhance her feminine figure.
Dressed like that, it’s clear she isn’t kitchen staff or a maid. And no guard would permit her entry if she were a mere stable hand. I cannot think of a single place within these walls where she could possibly belong.
The human turns as if she senses my scrutiny. There is nothing remarkable about her. She’s neither a great beauty nor homely, yet she possesses an undeniable, captivating quality.
My mind quiets. The constant droning buzz I hadn’t noticed before is gone. In its absence is a balm of peaceful quiet.
“Alaric?” Elizabeth says my name. “Do you know her?”
I examine the mortal’s face. It is the kind that looks familiar, yet I have never set eyes on her before.
“No,” I say. It takes more effort to drag my gaze to Elizabeth than I’d like to admit. “Should I?”
