Page 19 of A Vow of Embers

“I agree,” I said. I hated to do so—the idea of getting Quynh to a ship in the middle of the night had occurred to me.

He leaned back in his chair and studied me. Like he was getting ready to deliver his final blow. Having to pretend to like him, including kissing him, was already bad enough. What else could he possibly say?

“You will not embarrass me,” he said.

“What if I do it accidentally?”

“You are too clever and calculating to do so.” It almost sounded like a compliment, but I knew he didn’t mean it as one.

“I will do my best to not embarrass you.”

“And to that end, you will agree to every order and command I give you and you will not argue.”

That made my spine bristle, as he had to have known it would. It was probably why he had done it.

My spirit rebelled at the idea of taking orders from this man, of having to do everything he told me to do.

Stupid girl, it’s for Locris!Demaratus said in my head. I closed my eyes briefly. I could do this. For my nation and my sisters.

“I will do whatever you tell me, as long as it doesn’t contradict the terms that you agreed to with the high priestess.”

Prince Alexandros looked delighted. I wondered how far he was going to take this and got the distinct feeling that I was not going to like it. He took the piece of lead and crossed out the first line about Quynh being let go and initialed it. Then he wrote in his demands and I focused on keeping my hands to myself. If I tried to choke him on the very first day, it would not bode well for me following our new rules.

“I’m surprised you didn’t try to negotiate me cutting off my own head and giving it to you,” he said.

“If you want to give me your head on a spear, I would happily accept.” I tried to keep the acid out of my voice, but given the smile that hovered at the edges of his mouth, I hadn’t been successful.

He seemed to enjoy upsetting me.

“You do understand that by me signing this, I am giving you my word to do everything that you have requested and that my word is unbreakable? And that I expect the same thing from you?”

I bit the inside of my cheek so that I wouldn’t roll my eyes. He claimed that he had killed men for questioning his honor yet he seemed to have no problem doing so to me. “I will keep up my end of this unholy bargain.”

Prince Alexandros finished signing the contract and then slid it over to me so that I could sign it. I carefully read over what he had added and it was exactly what he’d said. I signed it, too.

It was done.

He had bought me and my cooperation and I hated it.

I didn’t want him to be king but I wanted Locris to be free much, much more. I folded up the contract and put it back into my breastband. The relief I felt was so palpable that I was trembling slightly from it.

His eyes followed my movement, and then with a wave of his hand, he asked, “Do you have something else to wear when we get married?”

I glanced down at my tunic. “I think this will be fine.” Maybe Maia would let me get one of the green ones the other acolytes got to wear. She’d done it during the festival.

Which immediately made memories flood back of everything the prince and I had done in this very house that night. Without meaning to, my gaze landed on the bed, something I had been avoiding since I had arrived for this meeting.

Alexandros got my attention by taking in a deep breath and then putting both of his hands over his eyes, as if steadying himself. “You cannot get married to the prince of Ilion in the same outfit that prisoners wear.”

I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t my concern, but I had agreed to go along with his ruse. He was right—the prince’s bride couldn’t get married in a black tunic. “I have nothing else.”

“Did you bring anything of value with you? Other than your sad little pot of dirt?” He asked it in such a pitying tone that I could feel my hackles rising and I spoke without thinking.

“My grandmother’s black pearl necklace was the only thing of value that I’ve ever owned and I sold it to make sure that I was chosen for the tribute race.” My eyes went wide and I clamped my mouth shut as I realized what I had just said. Another secret that I hadn’t even shared with my adelphia. The only people who knew I’d bought my way in were Demaratus, Quynh, and the selector.

And now Prince Alexandros.

Some part of me desperately wished that I could rewind time and undo it. I hoped that maybe somehow he hadn’t heard me, or that he wouldn’t make the connection, but none of that was to be.