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“How am I supposed to do that? I already chose Cerithia,” I sighed heavily.

Jesper’s pretty blue eyes glanced down at me and frowned.

“Give them time, Thea. It has only been a few weeks.”

“Why are you so kind to me?” I whispered. He was the only one here who seemed to not care about my betrayal, and I couldn’t understand why. Jesper gave me a soft smile.

“I’ve been given a second chance to prove to you that I can be more. I can give you the life you deserve. I’m not the pretentious prick I was before. I want to show you I can be worthy of your love.”

His words were kind, but they made my stomach twist with dread. I didn’t want him. My blood bond burned violently on my arm at his words. How could I ever trust someone again?

“You don’t need to say anything right now,” Jesper sighed. “But you were mine first. Beforehecame and tricked you, he stole you from me. I guess I underestimated how much Cassius was willing to do to convince you that he had a heart. He has a reputation as being a stone-cold, unstable man. Someone like that doesn’t know how to love anything but greed and power.”

I said nothing. Cassius could never love me; I knew this because it seemed that no one cared about me. Love was not a possible emotion for someone to feel about me; I had learned this the hard way. Even Jesper’s words meant nothing to me. There was no way I could trust him.

“Don’t tell me you don’t agree with me.” Jesper’s voice was annoyed as his hand gripped mine tighter than necessary. “You understand that Cassius only paid any attention to you because he needed something from you, right? I’m sure he’s already moved on to his next victim.”

“Stop,” I hissed. Jesper was too much; this celebration was too much.

Everyone was gawking at us, and it made me uncomfortable. My chest tightened at the looks of the other fae. I didn’t want to ruin trying to make amends with them.

Jesper’s hands gripped me tighter.

“I want to hear you admit that Cassius is nothing to you.”

“Piss off,” I snapped as I tried to leave. Jesper refused to let me go.

“You better get over this unrequited love before we...”

“Is everything alright?” Gwyn raised her brow at the scene Jesper was causing. “Thea?”

“Jesper won’t let me leave, and he’s making me uncomfortable.”

She looked at Jesper, and I expected her to tell him to release me and not talk to me in ways I didn’t like. Gwyn’s eyes were cold and distant when she looked back at me. Her lips twitched with smugness.

“You will do well to remember that Jesper is royalty and should be treated with respect. Quit making a scene.”

Jesper smirked at me when I physically flinched at Gwyn’s words. She wasn’t going to stick up for me.

“I’m royalty too. He should not be allowed to grab me like that.”

Gwyn and Jesper started chuckling.

“You are a bastard daughter, Thea; you are not royalty. You knew your place here before; do not make this harder on yourself by remaining ignorant. You are the captain of the armies, nothing more.”

Her words cracked open a deep wound I didn't even know I harbored inside of me. I glanced at them, then at the fae watching the exchange, sneering at me like I was the problem. My chest ached at the faces full of disgust.

“Am I not part of your family?” I asked.

“Of course,” she smiled, like she hadn’t said such an awful thing to me moments ago. “You need to remember your place because I will not tolerate any insubordination that you learned in Crimson.”

“I’m insubordinate because I do not want Jesper grabbing me roughly, and I do not wish to speak of Cassius.”

Gwyn’s eyes were wild with anger at the mention of Cassius.

“You should probably leave. It has been an overwhelming time for you.”

A heavy, dull pain spread through me as I turned from her. I headed for the side door of the room, trying to ignore the stares. Anger surged forward to shield me from the disappointment I felt in Gwyn. I know they were weary of me, but it was obvious that Jesper was out of line, and she didn’t stick up for me.