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The woman I’d just learned I was expected to marry.

“I’m going,” I said, opening the door.

Rush followed me out into the hallway, returning to his station next to my room. “Have fun tonight. Don’t get into too much trouble.”

His advice echoed my mother’s from the other day.

But this time I didn’t have a charming response.

Tonight, if it meant some relief from the pressure that had been put upon my shoulders, I’d seek out all the trouble that I could.

- CHAPTER NINE -

HAWTHORNE

Evening fell quickly. I killed a lot of time by simply wandering around the city. I strolled along the water, I kept pace with people heading to work, or back to their homes. I had no direction, and I was happy to float, seeing where I would land.

But when the sun began to set, and a darkness brought the lights out across the overhangs on the buildings, I let instinct lead me toward a more sinister path. I’d worked in my family’s strip club for a very long time. I knew where to find the seedy sort of fun that I was chasing. I had a sixth sense for it.

Long, skinny alleys threaded through the town, pushing me toward the red-light district. This section of the city was nothing like the rest of it. There were no sweet-smelling cafés, no children jumping across aged wood as they chased each other on the docks. It was a whole new dimension.

Flickering lights hung above doorways;GIRLSGIRLSGIRLSdeclared one in pink. Another just had a gigantic red blinkingXabove the door. And God, the womenthemselves. They posed in the windows or strolled along the sidewalks in lingerie that left their best features on display. They were impervious to the cool evening air.

There was no pretense here. That was good.

I was done dealing with dishonesty for the day.

Outside one of the clubs, I slowed to get a better look. There was a trio of women gathered by the entrance. On the other side of the door was a huge man wearing sunglasses even though the sun was long gone. He said nothing, acting like some sort of stone gargoyle.

One of the woman, a redhead with her hair hanging loose and wild, turned to face me. She threw her hips sideways, exaggerating the dip of her waist. “Hey there, honey,” she purred. “Looking for something even sweeter?”

I inhaled the scent of the air, the familiar energy that reminded me of the Dirty Dolls and the dent I’d left permanently in the VIP couch. I knew it would be soeasyto reach out, take this woman’s hand, and let her lead me into the club. I was under no illusion that this would be anything but a transaction. I didn’t mind. I liked things to be straightforward.

The woman smiled at me, and I found myself thinking so oddly, so out of the blue, of another woman’s smile.

Nova.

I shook myself, trying to clear the clinging memories of that girl, of her connections to my enemies. And how plush andeffortlessour first kiss had been.

“Come on, big boy,” she said, taking a step my way. She even looked a bit like Nova. Her tall heels clicked on the cobblestones. When she reached for me, I saw her nails wore a glossy, chipped pink polish. Her hand brushed down my shoulder, across my chest. She must have felt the shape of my gun, because she stopped with her palm right on top. “You seem like adangerousman. I like them with some bite.”

“I don’t know if I’m dangerous,” I said dryly. Swallowing, I tried to dig deep and find the natural, flirty sarcasm that had long been my defining feature. “Just stressed out.”

She puckered her mouth, cooing at me. “Poor baby.” She brushed my sleeve up, revealing my tattoos. “I can definitely help relax you. But it might involve getting you a little more tense first, if you get my drift.”

Picturing myself—how this evening was about to go—made me feel wooden. And not in a good way. Everything I’d set out to do tonight was abruptly pointless. The idea of hooking up with a stranger didn’t appeal ... it actually unnerved me.

Stepping backward, away from the woman, I caught the flash of disappointment in her eyes. “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to waste your time.” I turned, nearly running back up the street. I power walked away until the flashing lights of the clubs stopped bouncing off the street under my feet.What the hell is wrong with me?

I didn’t owe Nova anything, but I couldn’t stop feeling like a piece of shit for considering paying for some play tonight. It didn’t make any sense! And besides, even if I did feel guilty, even if I would rather have been around Nova, it didn’t matter. She was a Valentine ... part of a plot to get me to marry her damn aunt. I didn’t have all the information, but I was smart enough to know I was a fucking pawn.

Rush had helped me realize the full truth: The Valentines needed me to marry Austere. If I did, they could keep their control of this country. Having the queen in their pocket would give them access to enormous wealth, I was sure of it. They’d do whatever was necessary to maintain the status quo. That included working with my father to arrange a marriage between the royal blood—my blood—and Austere.

And if I refused ... I knew they weren’t above killing my whole family.

I’d been called lazy in the past. Unambitious. And it was probably all correct.

But I’d never risk the lives of the people I cared about.