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The entire room was deathly silent for a few seconds. Then gasps, exclamations, laughter, and chatter erupted in the ballroom around us. But I only had eyes for the four men before me. I watched without breathing as each handsome face became a blank mask, the surprised wonder of winning sliding into the stilted politeness of unhappy shock. Yep. It was sinking in that I had lied to them this entire time. And they were just as angry as I had feared they would be.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I gestured at the servant who stood waiting off to the side. He stepped forward, wheeling along a small cart covered in silks. It held the ceremonial gesture that was expected of me—and my first attempt at an apology.
"My lords," I said, trying my best to keep my voice even and warm. "In appreciation for your efforts, I would like to give each of you a gift."
My hands started to sweat as I took the intricately decorated sword and scabbard from the attendant and passed it to Bach. "Lord Bach, I present you with this enchanted blade. May it serve you in your role of protector of those in need."
Bach reached out stiffly and took the sword from my hands, his expression and his voice devoid of any emotion. "My lady."
I moved to Adder next, presenting him with his gift, even though my instincts were telling me I should probably just cut my losses and run right now. "Lord Adder," I said, willing my voice not to crack. "I understand that your skill with a bow is well known. The string of this bow is woven from unicorn mane and dragon's beard. It will never break."
Adder took the bow with a curt nod, not speaking at all. But his dark blue eyes were full of icy rage. I drew in a slow breath, trying not to be hurt. He had every right to be angry.
I moved to Mirri next. His gold eyes met mine, and when my voice wobbled, he gave me a sad smile, as if to say even though he was mad at me, this sweet man still empathized with my guilt and pain. "Lord Mirri," I said, pausing to clear my throat when my voice almost broke. "To you, I gift these rings." I handed him a decorative wooden box containing a set of four matching bands. "The charm on them will allow you and all who wear them to always find one another, no matter the distance." I met his eyes and saw that he understood. This gift would ensure he could never be parted from his true family—the men at his side.
Moving down the line, I stopped before Fife. The beautiful champion's face formed a happy, eager smile for the onlookers, but my chest clenched when I saw that it didn't reach his furious green eyes. Fife was a performer. He knew how to pretend. But he was seething.
"Lord Fife," I said, my voice wobbling and going breathy with fear before I squared my shoulders and carried on more firmly. "Your lovely name and your rare magical talents inspired this gift." I opened the slim wooden case and showed him the filigreed silver flute inside. "It is designed to amplify your magic. With this, you can use your bard skills and your cleric magic to create new and powerful enchantments."
I closed the case and handed it to him, tensing when his fingers slid over mine. Pure energy jolted through the touch, zapping me with a prickling sting that left my hand numb. "Thank you for your generosity, my lady Prize," Fife said in his charming, magical voice.
I nodded and stepped back, blinking back the tears that had sprung to my eyes. This was a disaster. I expected them to be angry, of course. But now I was afraid they wouldn't be willing to see past my deception at all. And it hurt me far more than I expected. I had grown attached to the idea of these men as my bonded mates. The thought of them walking away was like a dagger to the heart.
The queen stepped forward one last time, gifting the room with a joyful smile. "Thank you for your service, and congratulations, my lords. Since the identity of the Prize was kept secret, it is customary to allow you twenty-four hours to decide whether you will accept your victory and all that it entails. Now," she clapped her hands sharply and gestured to the musicians. "One last dance to close out the evening."
The music started back up and the guests returned to the floor for one last dance, or to the tables for one last cup of spirits. It was a moment for celebration. But the champions of the night turned and left the room without so much as a backward glance at their unwanted prize.
I smiled and nodded politely to those I passed but refused to be pulled into conversation by the throngs of curious, gossipy nobles around me. Making my way to an alcove at the back of the room, I ducked behind a tapestry and fled through a hidden door, escaping into an antechamber that was used by the royal family.
Amaryllis followed me, and she watched me warily as I flopped down into an overstuffed chair and put my head in my hands. "They hate me!" I groaned. "I finally found the perfect partners, and they can't stand the sight of me. I never should have gone along with this stupid tournament idea!"
But then I never would have met them in the first place.
Ama patted my back in sympathy. "I'm sure they were just taken by surprise," she said cajolingly. "It was a big night for them. They didn't expect to win. Then your identity shocked them. They haven't had time to digest what just happened. Give them half an hour and they'll realize that the girl they were about to give up everything for is actually their prize, and all will be forgiven. After all, it's what you all want, right? Everything will be fine. You'll see."
Chapter 44
Everything was not fine. The next day, I stood in the royal secretary's office, trying my best to keep from wringing my hands or yammering like an idiot. The secretary had called for me a few moments ago, and I waited in front of his desk as he shuffled through papers. "Ah, here we are," he said, pushing a stack of papers my way.
The men of Raven team stood silently off to the side. They hadn't spoken, and neither had I. But I could feel their eyes on me, and the air felt weighted with tension. The secretary smiled at me as if he couldn't sense anything odd. Maybe he just chalked the awkwardness up to the fact that, as far as he knew, we were all strangers to one another.
"The gentleman have all sighed the bonding contracts, Your Grace," he told me happily. "All we need is your signature to make it final!"
I let out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding as I stepped up to the desk and took the offered pen. They had accepted. Until that moment, I wasn't entirely sure they would, even though I had told myself a million times that they were reasonable men who would make the right choice for the people of Elfhaven and Larkwood, and that we could work out our differences.
I scrawled my signature in all the places indicated by the secretary, then handed him back his pen. He waved a hand, and the pen floated away to its home in the ceramic holder in the corner of the desk. Then he tapped the papers together and stood, giving me and the men a sincere, if distracted, smile. "Perfect. I'll just take these off to be formally filed and we are all set. Congratulations, Your Graces."
He hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with my new soon-to-be-bonded partners.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out the moment we were alone, turning to face the men, my hands laced together before me to keep from giving in to the need to wave them around and pace.
Bach gave me a curt nod. "Noted." His blue eyes were still cold with anger, despite the fact that he had agreed to be bonded to me. "If you will excuse me, my lady, it appears the royals wish to speed this marriage along, and there is much to do." The moment the words were out, he strode across the room and out the door without a single backward glance.
Adder tossed a cold, dismissive look my way and followed him.
I forced myself to stop twisting my hands together and squared my shoulders as if that hadn't hurt like a punch to the gut. Mirri came over and stood before me, his warm golden eyes studying my face for a moment, no expression on his own handsome features. Then he leaned in and kissed my cheek, using the motion to whisper near my ear, though he didn't sound much happier than the others. "We will figure it out, one way or another." Then he, too, left the room.
Fife studied me from across the room, his pretty crystal-green eyes raking over my body as he tilted his head in curiosity, a silky black curl falling artfully across his forehead. "Why do you look so surprised, Duchess?"
