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Reid remains expressionless as he pulls out the seat on the other side of him, but I feel his side of the bond relax like a muscle.
Queen Carrington joins the room next, followed by King Auclair, the crown prince of Auclair—Shane, I think, is his name—along with several Marionettes and advisors…andCam.
I stare at him as he takes the seat across from me. What the hell is he doing here? He notices my attention and winks. Once all the seats are filled, I relax against my chair. Maybe I won’t have to be in the same room as—
“What a maze it is around here!” The door flies open and bangs against the wall as Anya Vasilieva struts inside.
The brief memory I have from that night casts her as this shiny, sparkling creature kneeling on the step above me. I’d chalked it up to oxygen deprivation from getting strangled, but no, as her golden hair billows out behind her shoulders, she seems to glow from within. She’s in formfitting riding pants and a high-neck tunic like she’s prepared to step into battle. She smiles sweetly, meeting the eyes of the others in the room one by one, her smile growing an inch as she finishes with me.
“I do hope you haven’t started yet. I wasn’t certain on the time since my invitation seems to have gotten lost.”
King Auclair gives her a pleasant smile and waves at the human servant beside the door. “If you’ll grab another chair for—”
“Oh, that won’t be necessary!” Anya’s high heels click menacingly against the floor as she approaches. “I’ll just take the one beside my fiancé, if you don’t mind. I did not realize Auclair was so…progressive.At Vasiliev, the Marionettes stand along the outskirts of the room.”
The tips of my ears burn, my heart beating harder in my chest.
“You can have mine,” Reid says, already pushing back from the table.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. You’re far too important to this meeting, I’m sure. And it’s fitting for us to sit together, is it not? Your partner won’t mind.”
My nails bite into my palms as I clench my fists.So this is how it’s going to be.It’s clear no one is going to tell her no. No one gives a shit if some teenage princess stomps her foot until I go stand in the back of the room.
If only no one would give a shit if I burned her from the inside out, melting her internal organs one by one, raising her body temperature until her blood boiled inside of her, like pumping the sun that’s so deadly to them directly into her veins.
I blink, the image a little too clear in my head. Where the hell did that come from?
“Of course not,” I say, not because I want to give her my seat, but if moving gets me farther away from her jugular right now, it’s probably for the best.
“No.” Reid grabs the arm of my chair before I can stand. “My partner is as important to this meeting as everyone else. Considering she’s one of the only people at this table who has seen Westcott in the last decade, I’d argue she’s evenmoreimportant. We can bring in another chair.”
“There’s hardly room for another, Reginald,” says Queen Carrington, flicking her wrist with an unmistakable gleam in her eye. She’senjoyingthis. “And I think we’ve wasted enough time on this, haven’t we? No one is denying Valerie’s invaluable knowledge, but with all things considered, perhaps her role may look different now.”
“What are you suggesting?” Reid demands.
Queen Carrington shrugs. “Partnerships change, Reginald, as you well know, for many reasons. One being if the Marionette in question is no longer the best fit for their partner. And after all she’s been through, Valerie’s certainly not in the expected physical shape for her position anymore. She didn’t finish her final year at the academy. I’m merely suggesting we consider a reassignment.”
I suck in a sharp breath.Reassignment.I just got back, and she’s already trying to get rid of me. First with the meeting, now this. She doesn’t just want me to stay out of Reid’s engagement. She wants me out of his life entirely.
But why? Why keep my family close all these years like she was building a blood witch collection just to cast me out now?
Maybe you didn’t turn out to be as valuable as she thought, a small voice whispers in the back of my mind.
Or something else has changed.
“First of all, that’s absolutely not happening.” Reid’s fist tightens around my chair in a death grip. “And that’s hardly the most pressing matter right now.”
“I disagree. Royals are being targeted. Killed in the streets, kidnapped. There are bounties out for bringing them back alive. Having the best protection for you, and all royal vampires, should be one of our top priorities right now.”
All eyes in the room are on me, and every nerve in my body flames with heat.
Stinging, sinking, shameful heat.
Because she’s not wrong. I’mnotat my best right now to protect him, and heisin more danger than ever.
“Here, Princess,” Cam grunts as he stands and pulls his chair back. Though the words are directed at Anya, his gaze is solely on me. Anya opens her mouth to protest, but he cuts her off. “I insist. Chairs are far too civilized for us wolf folk anyway. Much prefer the corner.”
She relents and heads for the other side of the table, but not before shooting a curious look between me and Cam.
