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Lord Riis answered with an approving nod to the princess. “That she’d wake Lady Sayyida and Lady Marit, and in doing so, provide valuable witnesses from greater houses. Ladies who the king wouldn’t dare to kill to hide his son’s marriage to a murderous commoner.”

“The spider’s right,” Sayyida piped up from behind Saga, her inky curls blowing about wildly. Lady Marit Armenil, from the great house of the far north, nodded as if to emphasize Sayyida’s words. “Now, which of you is Neve?”

Saga must have known from her vision, but she didn’t tell the other two, and none of them could see through glamours. I raised my hand.

Saga dismounted her horse and her pure white fur cloak billowed behind her as she spun to rummage in her saddlebag. “Sorry we’re not dressed appropriately for a wedding, Neve and Vale. But at least the bride will be.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

Saga pulled out a gown.Myamethyst gown. The first thing I’d made for myself. “You can’t marry in that getup, now, can you? Even from here, you reek of blood.” Her nose wrinkled as she gestured to my blood-spattered pants and boots. “This is still dirty from the ball, but . . . I figured it was better than nothing.”

“I-I guess so,” I said.

Saga placed the dress back in the saddlebag. “I’ll keep it until we get there. You might get blood on it.”

“Right,” I replied, half amused, half nervous aboutwhat I was about to do. “So it seems we should be on our way?”

The prince, still looking thunderstruck at all that had happened as he went to his destrier, brought it over and helped me mount. The others climbed onto their own horses and when Prince Vale swung up to join me, I tensed. Then I laughed dryly at the reaction.

Back when I thought I’d be leaving Avaldenn and figuring it could do no harm, I’d given into temptation and kissed the handsome prince. Now we were about to be wed. And yet I worried about him touching me while I rode? How silly.

There were far more important matters to fret over.

As we set off through the streets, falling in line between Lord Riis at the front and Sir Caelo riding behind us, I twisted to the prince. We were close enough that if I whispered, no one else would hear over the plodding of hooves on cobblestones.

“Promise me something, Prince Vale.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“If there is ever a real chance for me to escape, let me run and start a life I would have chosen. Then you can find your soulmate and marry her. That way we’ll both be free.”

“Are you sure?” He leaned closer, filling my nose with his tempting scent of sandalwood and the first snow of winter. “Even if you run in the distant future, you may never be truly safe without my name to protect you.”

“Only time will tell that. Please, Prince Vale, promiseme. I need to believe I’m not robbing you of your one true love.”

A stiff nod. My request was, no doubt, going against his noble nature. “I promise.”

We hadn’t gone far, only three or four blocks, when Lord Riis paused and turned to take in the rest of the line. He was such a large, barrel-chested male that he commanded the attention of all. “Sir Caelo. Lady Clemencia, I have an idea and need a word.”

“Anything, my lord.” Sir Caelo urged his horse forward. Clemencia did the same, and the rest of us waited in a deserted street.

I didn’t hear the request as the Lord of Tongues spoke to the pair in private, but once they were done, the knight and my lady-in-waiting peeled off in two different directions and disappeared.

“What was that about?” I asked warily.

“They’ll return soon,” Lord Riis replied and continued to ride, sure the rest of us would follow, which we did. “With additional reinforcements. And I will send someone I trust to pick up the vampire’s clothing, spread his ashes to the wind, and clean up this scene. We’ll leave as little trace as possible.”

More people?For a moment, I was about to ask why, but as Saga rode up next to us, the question fell away. The princess looked pale.

“So it looks like you’ll be sticking around?”

“Seems so.”

For now, anyway.

“You’d better be good toher, Vale.”

A low chuckle left the prince’s lips, his body vibrating against my back with laughter. “You need not worry about me.”