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Chapter 20

Tannin

WATCHING ALIYA WRITHEand bounce to the music in Jax’s arms was just amazing. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d ever been so happy. I had my doubts about Jax’s ball idea, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences I ever had.

We fit, the three of us. We could easily carve out our own private version of heaven right here in this castle, with nothing and no one but each other.

If only we could have enjoyed these moments sooner. I wished I’d stood up to Jax when we realized we were mated to her and stopped him from calling the pack, but it was too late now. That conversation would be the greatest regret of my life. And soon our frolicking freedom would end.

Jax and Aliya joined me at the buffet table after their dance finished, breathy and laughing. Jax grinned as he threw back the last glass of champagne.

“Should we get another?” he asked, holding up the empty bottle.

Aliya put her hand to her head. “No, I think I’ve had enough. In fact, I might need to sit down.”

“Yes, I think we could all use a break.” I went to Aliya’s side and extended my bent elbow in a gesture of gentlemanly assistance.

She slipped her arm through mine, and I escorted her to the den, where we all collapsed onto the couch. Me on the left, Jax on the right, and Aliya in the middle. That was our perfect pattern.

With her arm still around mine, she rested her head on my shoulder. “That was fun. It’s been so long since this place has had a proper ball.”

Jax barked a laugh. “I don’t know if you could call it proper, being just the three of us, but I couldn’t imagine better company.”

She giggled. “It’s certainly better than me dancing with Willow to the ghost of music past in my head.”

The orange tabby let out a disgruntled meow from her place on the armchair as if she disagreed with that statement.

“I know, Willow,” Aliya replied. “You are an excellent dancer.”

Jax and I exchanged a glance and snickered.

I’d grown used to Aliya’s conversations with her cat and with herself. They both charmed and saddened me. I hated the thought of her alone all that time. For that reason, I was glad we’d come to Varinya, even if our motives had been malicious at the time.

The light outside the castle was growing dimmer, and my clock was ticking. I’d made a promise to Jax and myself that I would tell her the truth before the day was over. But as we sat there in the cozy silence, I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.

She deserves to know.

I opened my mouth, but it seemed to have a mind of its own. “What was it like before the plague?”

Her features lightened, her eyes sparking with remembered joy. “Oh, it was wonderful. The castle was so full of life, and the village never seemed to sleep. I was lucky in those days to get a moment of privacy, between my maids running around, my tutors lecturing me, and my mother fussing over me. I never thought I’d miss it so much.”

“What was your mother like?” Jax asked, surprising me with his interest.

Aliya pouted sweetly, her brows pinching together. “She was amazing. She was everything I wished I could be—intelligent, confident, commanding. Whenever she entered a room, everyone would go so silent you could hear a pin drop. But she was also kind and nurturing. Several days a month, she would work at the orphanage and nursing home. She never seemed to have a shortage of patience, something I always envied.”

I placed a kiss on her forehead. “She sounds a lot like you.”

She snorted. “Hardly. I’d be happy to become half the woman she was.”

“What about your father?” Jax asked. “Was he a good king?”

She shifted beside me, sitting up. “I believe so. I didn’t see him as much as my mother. He was always busy working. But everyone loved him, and our kingdom thrived. If that’s not a sign of a good king, then I don’t know what is.”

“I wish I could have met him,” I said before I could think better of it.

If he had been alive when we got here, one of us would have killed him before we ever realized we were mated to his daughter.

I swallowed against the lump of guilt that formed in my throat. How ignorant and intolerant our prejudices had made us. We were so driven by hatred for past grievances that we weren’t able to judge a person by their character, and there was no greater crime than killing an innocent person.