Page 23

Twenty-One Years Old

“I think at this point, if there’s an alliance being formed, we should all be a part of the decision-making. Bringing in strangers right now could be a little risky, don’t you think?” Zetta’s tone wasn’t harsh—it was borderline endearing.

Marlena rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the desk she’d been leaning up against. “I don’t need permission to bring anyone into the alliance I have created.

” Her eyes scanned over the people in the room.

Zetta and her husband, Miklov, stood side by side.

Miklov usually stayed quiet, allowing his wife to do all the talking.

After all, she was the Curia member, not him.

Dacian Viator stood by himself, keeping his distance. Fraus-borns tended to watch out for themselves, and only themselves. “We have been at this for a lot longer than you, girl.”

Marlena turned quickly, a snarl on her lips. “Yes, and you’ve done a great job doing nothing up until now.” Everything they’d done had never worked out. Their lineage had always been failures when it came to the important parts .

Lucius and Katrin shared a glance before Lucius spoke. “We haven’t really been doing nothing, maybe biding our time as much as we can, but we have people ready to take what is rightfully theirs.”

“Perfect. As do I.” Marlena motioned to Ivelle, who was sitting with her long legs draped over the desk Marlena had been leaning on. She twirled a piece of her long auburn hair, raising a brow and letting the hair fall back into place as she wiggled her fingers in a snarky hello.

Their conversation after Ivelle caught her and Arlet together had been a week ago, and things had started to settle between the two.

While they weren’t ready to spill their deepest, darkest secrets, something Marlena would probably never do anyway, they were at least beginning to figure out exactly what they both wanted.

Just last night, they had been standing in the hall before going to their bedrooms. Ivelle stopped before twisting the doorknob to her room, turned to Marlena, and said, “I don’t want my mother to survive.”

But would she be willing to kill her herself? And how far was Marlena willing to go?

Death wasn’t a line she’d crossed yet, but she knew she would.

She could.

I will. To get what I want, I’ll do worse.

Marlena looked around the room, catching the eye of a passerby through the open door. Who the fuck didn’t close it? And why had she just now noticed?

Khort hesitated for a second, their eyes locked on one another's. Before he continued his forward motion, his eyes scanned the rest of the people standing around the room… and then he disappeared.

Marlena cursed under her breath. “You are all a bunch of fucking idiots. If you can’t trust me, then I don’t see why you’re still here.

” Before she slipped through the threshold, she turned behind her and said loudly enough that the people in the room were the only ones to hear her, “We strike on my induction night. Everyone will be distracted by the party. Start preparing.”

Two months. She had two months to figure out her exact plan. Two months to tell Vega. Arlet. Khort.

Fuck, Khort.

She slipped out of the room and quieted her feet with the air around her, making sure Khort didn’t hear her coming up until she was right beside him.

He jumped, gasping in a sharp breath. “Gods, Marlena. You really need to stop doing that. It’s freaky.”

Marlena laughed a little, turning the corner with him. “Where ya going?”

Khort side-eyed her, slowing his pace. “Dinner with my parents and Delori.”

They were all in Fortis today, preparing for the next recruitment of soldiers for the army.

Marlena had asked for more protection around her home in Amora.

After the announcement of her succession and the introduction of Ivelle as her second, much to her own parents’ dismay, there could be backlash—people didn’t always agree with who was next in line to lead.

“You can’t be too careful,” she’d said when her parents shot daggers her way for making decisions without consulting them.

Khort’s parents had him around over the last few years for different things, teaching him slowly about all the ins and outs of what running a territory looked like… and today was both of their first times seeing the way Lucius ran his army from the frontline.

He was fucking brutal.

A great ally, but not someone Marlena would give her full trust to.

“Some recruitment today, huh?” Marlena asked, making small talk. She had to know what he’d heard.

Thankfully, he didn’t take long to break .

“Yeah.” Khort stopped, turning to Marlena, who matched his abruptness. “Why were you in there talking to them?”

Fraus, Fortis, and Ardor weren’t to be trusted. That was what they’d all been taught growing up. Watch your backs. Don’t get too close to anyone you meet.

Khort eyed her suspiciously.

Marlena’s eyebrows met in the middle, and she molded herself into the person she needed to be in this moment. “Oh.” She looked behind her, waving her hand in the direction of the room she’d exited. “That? We were just talking about the guards coming to Amora with me and Ivelle.”

Khort studied her as if he was trying to catch her in a lie, but he wouldn’t see any cracks. Marlena would never crack again. “So why were Zetta and Dacian in there then?”

Marlena didn’t have to think about the lie too deeply.

“Because I barged in on them. I wanted to make sure I was going home with the guards I requested. Now that the news of my induction has been announced and people know Ivelle is with me, I wouldn’t want anyone to lash out.

With the uprisings I don’t want anyone thinking this is a good moment to attack, to come after us when we’re alone. ”

People had lashed out during the transfer of power before. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen. Some people had nothing to lose.

She watched Khort rest and take in a deep breath.

He believed her. “You need to be careful with them, Marlena. You can’t just insert yourself anywhere.

These people, those people , aren’t interested in helping you.

If anything, they’re probably more interested in taking advantage of a young new leader. ”

“I can handle them.” She gave him a soft smile, hiding the madness starting to build behind her icy eyes.

He pulled her into a quick hug, sending Marlena into fight or flight mode. “Stop being fucking weird. Hug me back.” His laugh rumbled against her.

She wrapped her arms around him quickly, giving his back a few awkward pats.

Marlena forced him to let her go as she brushed through the ends of her hair that had been squished between their bodies.

“You’re messing my hair up.” Marlena swatted at him, taking a step back so she was no longer within his reach.

He chuckled. “See you tomorrow?”

They were all supposed to get together for early morning training with Bridger before leaving Fortis. “Yeah, tomorrow.”

Marlena watched him walk away, dropping her mask when he was out of sight. Her shoulders rolled back, and that playful, sweet demeanor fell.

I’m going to need to keep an eye on him.

Ivelle opened the door after Marlena’s first knock. She stepped to the side immediately, letting her in.

“What happened?” she asked, closing the door and locking it.

Marlena met her eyes with a serious expression. “I have your first task.”

Ivelle smiled, her eyes lighting up. Eager to serve.

“I need you to distract Khort. He has too much free time on his hands. He doesn’t need to be left wandering the halls after meetings when most of the time, I have to sneak away after them to chat with our allies.” Marlena sat on the end of Ivelle’s bed.

Ivelle gave her a fake innocent smirk. “And how would you like me to distract him?”

Marlena snickered, genuinely finding the excitement in Ivelle’s tone amusing. “However you’d like.” She winked. “I’ve heard shifters are animals in bed. ”

Ivelle rubbed her hands together, licking her lips. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

But Khort is your friend.