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I asked him none of that and allowed him to open the door again, following the guard out into the hall as he bid me goodnight.
“Sweet dreams, darling,” he called after me.
I cringed and cast him a scathing glare over my shoulder, but he only grinned back at me, sending another shiver of confusion through me. I managed a taut smile, remembering his warning about putting on a show in front of others, but I still wasn’t confident in our plan.
But was it confusion, or was it something else? I was too overwhelmed to try to figure it out.
Chapter 7
Jace
The second that Elix left, I second guessed my decision.
Where did that come from?
Impulsiveness was well-known to me, and I should have slept on the idea before presenting it to Elix, but here we were. I almost threw open the door and ordered her back to my chambers to call off the entire plan, but I didn’t. Instead, I wandered to the small bar next to the kitchenette in my suite and poured myself a triple whiskey, hoping to calm my nerves.
For a moment, I simply sat and drank and contemplated what I’d done.
This could work… couldn’t it?
Everything I’d said to Elix was factual. The kingdom expected me to give up my carefree lifestyle at some point. By twenty-five, most kings had married to secure their positions, taking on a queen to reign at their sides. It was necessary in most cases, but I had managed to circumvent the rite for far longer than most, only because I had been crowned well before my twenty-fifth birthday on a loophole. With both my parents dying when I was twenty and there being no other successors, I had become king automatically, as per Goldhaven laws. I hadn’t needed to take a queen like the other Alphas usually did. Ourkingdom had always been laxer with the guidelines, anyway, and at thirty-two, I was in no rush to marry anyone.
But that didn’t stop everyone, including Cirilla, from encouraging me to marry at my earliest convenience. I would need an heir, a successor, and the notion terrified me to my core.
Giving up the parties and free nights of orgies in my bed.
I gulped down my triple shot in one swallow and poured another, the burn tearing down my throat.
And Elix did have a good point, which I hadn’t considered: What was Saint going to say about this?
It’s fake,I reminded myself.And it keeps Elix extra insulated until we find her a proper suitor. That’s what he sent her here for, and this will ensure that.
No, this was a good idea. It was sensible. Saint would see the intelligence behind the scheme, too, once he overcame the initial shock of it. I’d make him understand.
My nose tingled, and I almost sneezed, grimacing even before the cloud of red appeared. Cirilla had arrived faster than I’d expected.
“What happened at the party?” she demanded, her violet eyes concerned.
“I’d ask where you were, but I’m afraid of the answer,” I replied dryly, downing the rest of my drink and refilling it. I silently offered Cirilla one, but she refused.
“Did you attack the mayor’s son?”
“He needed a lesson in keeping his hands to himself,” I replied unapologetically, causing the enchantress to groan loudly. I paused and added, “How badly was he hurt?”
Cirilla’s frown deepened. “Nothing that the healers couldn’t fix, but that’s hardly the point, is it?”
I whirled around to face the enchantress fully. “Hardly the point? That’s exactly the point. He can’t disrespect a guest in myhouse. Sometimes these males get too comfortable and forget themselves.”
Cirilla gnawed on the insides of her cheeks slowly. “Elix, you mean?”
“Yes, Elix. I…” I hesitated again, unsure if I should inform her of our plans yet.
But maybe I should wait until after I spoke with Saint.
Suddenly, I realized that I didn’t want to say the words aloud to anyone.
“I’ve seen much worse happen at your parties, and you never interfere,” Cirilla commented. “What made you jump in tonight?”
