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Asmo shakes his head, yanking again on the laces. “We’re doing two. Suck it in.” I start to turn, but his hand presses against my back and he jerks hard, making me lose the air in my lungs. “If you can laugh, it’s not tight enough.”
“Says who? The crypt keeper?” I try to glare at him, but the moment I start to look over my shoulder, his hands straighten up my neck.
“No. The man pulling your strings, Puppet… Arms up,” he commands, and I roll my eyes hard enough to crack an eye socket.
“Yes, master,” I say, layering in the sarcasm as I lift my hands above my head.
He adjusts the fabric, tying it quickly in the back before holding up his hands. “Done. Now, all that’s left is for you to control the mop on your head.”
If looks could kill, the one I shoot Asmo would put him ten feet deep. “That’s a natural mop, thank you… But yes, I will.” Swirling my hand, I snap my fingers and it’s instantly tamed into blown out waves. My eyes are lined with black wings, and my lips painted red. The dresses’ fabric has gone from bubble gum pink to a dark emerald green and Asmo’s jaw drops.
“Could you not have snapped yourself into it?” he asks, pressing his lips into a thin line.
“I’m sure I could’ve figured it out with time, but I can only alter things that already exist with my witch magic, and as far as creating goes, I haven’t figured out how to pop things into existence and get them onto my body. They sort of just emerge wherever. Even if I could, I would’ve rather watched you struggle.”
His nostrils flare for a moment before he breathes out a deep breath. “Well, then. Your court… It won’t work.”
“And why do you think that?”
“Because my brother put my name on it and I’ve been very clear about my wishes. I want a quiet life, Alice. Away from all of this.”
“Why didn’t you tell him that?”
A thick black eyebrow arches over his white eye. “Do you think he’d listen to me?”
“I doubt he’s going to listen to me about it. Kai is very…stubborn.”
“Alice, the man is smitten with you. You could destroy all of Hell and he’d still bat his eyelashes your way. Have him pick someone else. Literally anyone else.” He hands me a crumpled piece of paper and I take it, unraveling it to find three names. “Here are a few suggestions.”
“On that note… Are you ready?” Finn calls from across the room. Nodding, I turn toward the door, only for Asmo to snag my wrist, stopping my exit.
“Don’t forget the crown,” he says, picking it up from the vanity.
“As I told Finn, I don’tdocrowns,” I seethe, narrowing my eyes and hoping I could melt it. If it weren’t a family heirloom, I would.
“Well, you do now. You just killed their king, Alice. Not to mention you’ll be announcing your engagement to the realm’s mortal enemy.”He’s got a point.“They welcomed you with open arms because you beheaded their tyrant. Let’s not shove their generosity in their face by being an ungrateful wench.”
My teeth nip into my cheek to keep from snapping at him. I know it can’t be easy being here of all places, or seeing the person he knows to be his soulmate with someone else, but calling me a wench is crossing a line. I lift my glare from the crown to settle on his single amber eye.
“By the fucking gods, Alice. Just listen for once. I’m trying not to command you, but you don’t make it easy,” he adds, throwing his hands up. I pluck his mother’s crown out of his hands before he can drop them and place it on my head.
“Happy?”
“Ecstatic,” he says, a slight twitch pulling at his lips.
Twisting, I stomp toward the door, Finn in tow. “Don’t make a big deal of it. I was growing tired of your voice. Nothing more,” I say, pushing out into the hallway.
“I’m sure,” Asmo calls after me, but I don’t stop until me and Finn are clear across the castle.
28
Alice
We stop in front of the vast carved wooden doors, held with iron hinges the size of a full-grown person. Finn pats me with his tiny hand. “Wait here. You’ll be announced. Okay?”
I nod, standing in the middle of the hall as he lets go of my arm, leaving me to slip inside. The moment the door cracks, muffled voices float through it, their words swarming me like bees. Even as I try to push their concerns away, their worries… the thoughts of a woman not possibly being able to hold this position borrow in the pit of my stomach.
I’m making the right call… They would’ve never accepted me alone, but with Kai by my said–enemy of their realm or not–they’ll get in line. This union will truly bring peace, uniting all seven realms beneath one royal family. Ours.
