Page 24

Her gown is pure drama, layered silks in shades of frost and midnight, clearly designed to intimidate.

Too bad I’m not in the mood to be intimidated.

“Who are you to deny me?” she demands, each syllable laced with venom. “This is Nightfall, not some tiny village of squabbling hens. I am Dauphiné of the North. My father once held many treaties here, and I was promised Alaric’s side.”

My steps are slow but steady as I close the distance between us.

I can feel Shade trailing just behind, nervous but resolute.

“Alaric isn’t a prize to be promised,” I say calmly, my voice sharp as broken glass.

“He’s not a throne or a name to inherit. He’s a person. A protector. And whether or not he ever intended to choose a consort, I can promise you one thing. He’s not into women who throw tantrums over flowers.”

Her nostrils flare. “You think you can speak for him?”

I lift my chin.

She’s stunning.

True.

Way taller than I am, with midnight blue hair and cold silver eyes.

She is svelte, thin and fit, wearing a gown that would put everything and anything on Earth to shame.

Her clothing is rich, her posture perfect, her beauty the kind you expect from a fairytale. But her beauty is diminished by her expression.

But for all her beauty, she looks unhappy.

She looks like a woman who’s been told her whole life she was owed the world.

Better than all. Beholden to none.

And it’s soured her.

“I asked you a question. Just who are you to tell me what I will or won’t be getting?” she asks, her tone dripping with venom.

“We haven’t been introduced yet because I’ve been attending to the victims of this battle. My name is Jules,” I say calmly.

“Jules? Who do you think you are talking to me this way?” she asks, snorting a laugh at my expense.

“Lady Jules is the Lady of the Eyrie, Mistress Dauphiné. She is Lord Alaric’s viyella, his Zharaya . His Dragon’s true rider,” Shade steps forward, bowing slightly and making the introduction.

I feel pride emanating from my first friend in Nightfall and I can’t say it doesn’t boost my confidence.

I lift my head, watching as Dauphiné’s haughty glare turns black with rage.

“What? Impossible! This person cannot be his Zharaya!”

“It is quite possible, actually,” I turn my head, ensuring she sees the bite mark Alaric gave me high on my neck.

“You will never be granted access to his chambers. Not since I’m the one in Alaric’s bed. I’m the one wearing his mark.”

Her nostrils flare.

“But you’re human! Not of Nightfall! Your body is too soft and fat! You are not a Demon! You are lowborn! You don’t even have magic!” She screams.

“Yes,” I say, stepping closer, refusing to flinch. “I am all those things and I’m also not going anywhere.”

She looks at me like she’s measuring me up for a fight.

“Enjoy your little romp while it lasts. But know this—power draws predators, Lady Jules. And when he’s had his fill of you, you’ll be discarded like the rest.”

Shade lets out a shocked gasp behind me.

I smile sweetly.

“Thanks for the warning. But you’re the guest here, Dauphiné.

And while I won’t throw you out completely— because unlike some people I have manners —I will have your belonging moved to one of the houses outside the Eyrie since you’ve managed to insult every single person in this household.

You will be safe, fed, and housed, but I expect you to act like a decent person while you’re under Lord Alaric’s protection, or you can go find shelter elsewhere. ”

Dauphiné scoffs, but says nothing more for a moment.

“I don’t have to. He marked me.”

I don’t shout it. I don’t need to. The words hang in the air like thunder after a lightning strike.

Her eyes drop, flicking over my form, no doubt seeing the faint shimmer of silver in my hair. The same silver that now threads through Alaric’s.

A hiss escapes her throat, low and furious. “Impossible. He would never?—”

“But he did,” I interrupt. “And even if you don’t recognize the bond between us, Nightfall does.

The Eyrie does. You’re here under Alaric’s protection, and that means you’re under mine as well.

You will be treated with dignity and fairness.

But break one more thing, insult another servant, or try to lay claim to something or someone who is not yours,” I step forward again, eyes locking with hers, steel behind my calm, “and I will have you escorted from the grounds. Sanctuary ends where sabotage begins. Am I clear?”

There’s a long, charged silence.

“Shade,” I say, without looking away from the angry noblewoman, “please make sure Lady Dauphiné’s belongings are moved, and that she and her attendant have everything they need to feed themselves for the next few days,” I say, then I meet Dauphine’s glare.

“And Shade? Make sure nothing from the Eyrie that she doesn’t need goes with her. ”

The dripping of water from a broken flowerpot and the faint rustle of Shade’s robes echoes in my ears. That, and my own heartbeat.

Dauphiné’s lip curls, but she doesn’t speak.

She simply turns her back and stalks to the far end of the solar, spine rigid with rage.

Shade lets out a breath she’s clearly been holding.

“Lady Jules?”

“I’m fine,” I say, though my heart is hammering.

“Let her sulk. She can enjoy her new accommodations and eat the food our people work hard to prepare. But she’s not going anywhere near Alaric’s chambers.”

Shade gives me a look that is half awe, half terror. “I’ll see to it, Lady Jules.”

I nod, but I don’t move right away.

My eyes linger on the shattered pot, on the beautiful flower that now lies crumpled on the floor.

A small gift, broken by someone who couldn’t stand to see beauty that wasn’t hers.

I crouch, brushing the dirt from the petals, and set it gently on a nearby table.

“Send someone to see if it can be saved,” I murmur.

Because I know how it feels to be uprooted.

And I sure as hell know how to survive it.

Then I turn on my heel and walk out.

A thousand emotions bat at me, but I don’t care to indulge in them right now.

I want Alaric to come back. To tell me that woman has no rights to him. To explain wholly what I am to him.

But right now, I have no choice but to go on. And no matter how long he is gone, this is still my place.

And I will protect it.

Until he tells me otherwise.