Page 44 of A Promise of Lies (Shadows of the Tenebris Court #3)

43

Bastian

H e’d spilled her blood. It was on his lips.

On. His. Fucking. Lips.

I didn’t just need to kill him. I needed to destroy him.

I was about to charge forward, when I felt it. The look boring into me. Kat’s green eyes. They burned with intensity and reminded me of what I should’ve been able to remind myself.

Play the fucking game .

I dragged in a breath and grabbed Ella. Pulling her close, I cupped her cheeks, and her eyes flashed wide for an instant as she must’ve thought I was about to really kiss her. I stopped an inch away, but my grip either side of her face hid the fact our lips weren’t quite touching.

“Ella,” I bit out, “I am going to fucking murder him. He’s marked her. He’s hurt her.”

She huffed out a breath and looped her arms around my neck, helping with our deception. “He has. But you need to calm down. I promise you will get to rip Cyrus apart, but not if you lose control.” She pulled away as though our kiss had ended, and tiptoed to my ear, clinging to me as though overcome. “Don’t fall apart now. Get a fucking grip.”

I nodded and squeezed her in a hug. “Thank you.”

When we pulled apart, Rose, Faolán, Asher, and Perry returned. With Krae calling the shots on our meeting, I was concerned this could be a trap, so they’d snuck into the nearby corridors, watching for unusual guard movements or anything else that could signal a setup. Faolán shook his head.

“All good,” Rose confirmed.

We resumed our mingling, with Ella doing an incredible job of chatting and flirting her way into every corner of the ballroom while we waited for a message from Krae. I kept an arm slung around her shoulders and let her talk, taking the opportunity to watch the exits and look for any sign of Krae or their messenger. I couldn’t help checking the grand orrery at one end of the room, impatient for this to be over—fearful for Kat if it didn’t. Cyrus’s behaviour was escalating. I needed him out of the way before it went further.

But the minutes ticked on—thirty minutes, an hour, an hour and a half…

Much as I loathed Cyrus, at least this whole scheme kept my mind occupied. As soon as things grew quiet for even an instant, my mind pinged back to last night’s realisations. Braea had killed my mother. Braea could not be trusted. What did those things mean for me? Who did they make me?

I didn’t have time to dwell on such questions. And no matter what, I still owed Braea. I worked for her. I served her and our realm. That was the only thing that mattered.

If I kept busy, I didn’t have to prod at it.

Out in the crowd, I caught a glimpse of Orpha. She’d been out checking parts of the palace the others couldn’t afford to be seen in. Another head shake.

As I continued my search for Lysander, Asher, and Perry, I spotted Celestine craning over the crowd like she was searching for someone.

Before I could work out who, a body crashed into me. Their drunken dancing had sent them flying, and I barely pushed Ella out of the way before catching them. They laughed right up until the moment they looked up and saw it was me they’d fallen into. Their eyes widened and they stammered out an apology. I set them back on their feet and gave them a little shove back onto the dance floor.

At least, it had been a dance floor earlier. Now it was split roughly fifty-fifty between those dancing and those in various states of fucking.

“Oh, we’ve reached that stage of the party, have we?” Ella tilted her head, watching the nearest couple.

But I was looking down at the note in my hand.

Dining room. Five minutes. No sooner. No later.

I marked the time and slid the note into my inside pocket. Out the corner of my eye, I caught Faolán’s gaze and gave him the nod that said we’d made contact.

He subtly shifted, ready in case of any traps we’d missed, and touched Rose’s shoulder. Understanding passed between them as I turned my attention back to Ella.

“Yes, it is that time,” I sighed. “And if we stay here, folk will wonder why we’re not joining in.” I steered the group deeper into the crowd where we’d be lost in the heave of bodies, and only then did I finally dare to look back at Kat and Cyrus.

Except his throne stood empty.

I swallowed, searching left and right for a glimpse of golden crown or crimson hair.

“Don’t you need to go?” Faolán eyed the gilded orrery at this end of the room.

“Where’s Kat? Do you have eyes on her?”

He turned to the throne. “Shit. No, not since…” He touched his chest in the same place Cyrus had bitten her. “He pushed her away not long after—I’d guess to clean up.”

Rose appeared at my side. “I can’t find Kat or the king. I heard he disappeared a little while ago and she’s just been summoned to him.”

Right as the ball turned. In front of so many people, she wouldn’t be able to slip him drugs to knock him out or find some other clever way out of the situation. “I need to find her.”

Ella’s nails dug into my hand. “That’s the last thing she would want. You need to meet with Krae.”

“But what if he?—?”

“Ella’s right.” Perry set her jaw. “We’ll look for Kat, and it will be less suspicious if we’re the ones who just happen to stumble across them.”

For a moment, my throat felt thick. “ Thank you .”

Ella squeezed my hand, rubbing the place she’d just clawed. Our friends crowded me, each one offering a nod or a touch of reassurance. I wasn’t alone and neither was Kat.

“We’ll find her.” Perry jerked her chin towards the corridor leading to the grand dining room. “Now get in there and make sure we can end this.”

Steadied by their faith, I turned and shouldered through the crowd. My shadows gathered close. They could sense the moment had come and they were as ready as I was for this to be over.

Gripping the door handles, I paused and checked the time. Get in there. Get Krae’s evidence against Cyrus. Present it to the Convocation and the queen. Get rid of Cyrus. No more need for hostages. Get Kat home.

I set my shoulders and opened the doors.