Page 22

The morning light filtering through my quarters feels particularly cruel after the intoxicating, frustrating night with Zenthris. My skin still tingles with the phantom touch of him, and my body hums with unspent energy, the mystery of the current that not only took me over but lingers still.

I barely remember returning to the Citadel, to my bed, though the seemingly endless dreams of heat and need and fire won’t let me rest.

A bath helps little, though the cold plunge does clear my head somewhat. I’m distracted as I head to breakfast, the usual ritual of courtly discomfort at least familiar and allowing me to focus on something other than the unanswered questions that my mind and body both crave solutions to.

I almost miss that the atmosphere in the dining room, while thick with the scent of roasted meats and fresh bread, carries a sharp tang of tension.

As I take my seat, I notice the usual hushed whispers, the darting glances, the sudden, almost palpable excitement among the princesses carries a note of fear with it.

Then, I hear one of them tell the other in a harsh mutter meant to reach me, no doubt. “That’s what I heard. Queen Jhanette is on her way to court and should be here in a matter of days.”

I almost smile, though without pleasure.

Mother received my message and took it upon herself to give this matter personal attention.

Since I’ve failed to fulfill my reason for being here in the first place, any concern I have that I’ll be assassinated by rivals or someone in court now gives way to the possibility the queen will take care of things for those who want me dead.

And yet, I can’t muster any concern. Perhaps her arrival will stir the shift that is required to finally turn these tired and immobile tides.

“Is it true?” Vae confronts me with her face in a tight mask. “Is your mother coming here?”

“To celebrate my engagement, I suppose,” I say with a false, light air as I rise and shrug before leaving the dining room, food uneaten.

My spiteful stirring of their princess pot does nothing for the fact that I’ve lost my appetite.

I retreat to the baths again. I need to think and though perhaps exercise is a better choice, I’m craving a long soak in hot water and the steaming heat that accompanies it.

I select a scoop of scented salt to bring with me in the small, rough pouch, soaking it and activating the ingredients, inhaling the spicy aroma as I drift all the way to the back of the pool, lost in the steam.

She’ll be furious I’ve failed. There are no excuses I can offer. Because if I’m going to be honest, my attempts to find Altar have been half-hearted at best. My pride has to give way. I want him to come to me, I accept, and sigh over it. Foolish, wasteful. I’ve blamed him for evading me.

If I truly wanted him, I know I could take him and make him cave to me. Which is what my mother will demand when she arrives.

It’s difficult to focus, and I’m dunking myself fully beneath the water as amber eyes wink at me in my mind.

Zenthris has created a unique problem in the midst of my orders that I don’t know how to handle.

Except I do, again, if I’m honest. Whatever reaction I’ve had to him—whatever this kinspark is he speaks of—it’s just lust, pure and simple.

I’ve been devoured by that before. I’ve fallen headfirst into craving and need in the past.

It’s nothing I can’t deal with.

And yet, it feels different, and I’m trying not to lie to myself.

I stand and emerge from the water, exhaling the held breath that sustained me before sinking to my neck again, scowling as I blink moisture from my eyes. I’ve allowed this place to dull me, to numb me. Here I accused Amber of falling victim. She’d had two decades to do so. It took me mere weeks.

The heat feels good, easing the tension in my muscles, and I fall back, allowing myself to float.

I close my eyes, trying to clear my head, the gentle lapping of the water a soft lullaby.

I’ve lost track of my priorities. Time to change that.

Either I’m the princess heir of Heald or I’m not.

If not, I need to go, now. Before Mother arrives.

If so…it’s time to stop making excuses and challenge Altar with my offer.

The water shivers. It’s barely a disturbance, hardly of note. But my instincts won’t ignore it, and I’m already tense when my eyes fly open and I try to stand.

Even as strong hands seize me from behind. They wrap around my throat, pushing my head down, forcing my face beneath the water.

Bubbles burst around me, the water frothing as I fight.

Panic wins for far too long, just a heartbeat, but unacceptable.

My feet try to find the bottom, but my attacker sweeps them out from under me, and I’m deeper than before, my shoulder blades hitting the bottom hard, breath forced from my lungs.

If I don’t rise in the next few seconds, I’ll drown. Or suffocate from the tight grasp of those hands around my throat.

There’s no time to think, only to act. I’ve been trained to fight. Unless giving in is the only way to win. My attacker feels me sag but doesn’t release me. It’s agony to hold still, to wait out the grip on my neck. I’m dying, my chest imploding, lungs fluttering for a deep inhale.

I’m at the limit. I miscalculated. I need to fight. I can’t just give in and die.

But the moment I can’t hold out any longer, gathering myself for a final effort I know will fail, the hands relax.

Just enough. For two things.

The first allows me to escape. I jerk free and burst from the water and inhale a giant gasp, lunging for my attacker in the clinging steam. But I’m stumbling, weakened, choking, and fighting for another breath past the inhaled particles I draw in with the precious first taste of air.

It’s so hard to move, my body heavy as I thrash my way forward, muscles aching and weak from air starvation, the heavy pool pulling at me. When I finally throw myself over the lip of the steam bath, someone is running out the door, the thud of it shutting behind them.

Gone, vanished. But not without consequence.

I choke, not just on the weight of water, but on the sight of Bele, her fragile neck twisted at an odd, crisp angle at odds with her small body’s position, her bulging eyes empty as she stares into nothing at all.

The sight of her dead body enrages me like nothing has in a very long time, and I’m pushing past my infirmity, a new surge of energy fueling me. I’m running, naked and casting water from my flesh, down the hallway, following wet footprints that lead into the princess garden.

They’re gathered there at the far end, though they don’t seem to notice me until I’m upon them. And they’re not alone, Altar looking up from where he sits among them, his eyes flying wide as he takes me in.

I couldn’t care less if the whole court sees me this way. “Which one of you dared,” I snarl. But no, it can’t be them. They’re not strong enough. Whoever attacked me was a warrior, not some flimsy excuse for a princess.

“Clothe yourself,” Vae snaps at me. Is she really trying to cover Altar’s eyes?

That only makes me stand prouder, thrusting my breasts out in front of me. “I will,” I say, “once the Overprince has had his fill.”

Altar blushes, but he doesn’t look away.

I leave, searching for the footprints. But there’s grass here in the garden, and the droplets have dried. I check every exit and finally look up.

They fled over the rooftops. The way I exited last night.

And now I’m gut-punched and shaking. There were two things I needed to process as the hands loosened around my neck. The first allowed me to escape.

The second is now surfacing and hits me hard. I knew the hands that tried to drown me.

Did Zenthris just try to kill me?

No, it can’t be. Then Kell? Or one of their group?

Altar approaches me, his expression now neutral. “What happened?”

“Someone tried to drown me,” I growl back. His eyes fly wide again. “Someone failed .”

“So it would seem.” He’s now anxious, drawing near, looking down at me with real concern. “I’ll call the guard.”

“And they’ll do what?” I brush off his worry. Perhaps I could use this moment, take advantage of his concern, but I’m too angry. “Excuse me,” I say, ignoring the muttering princesses and their lingering stares.

“Has she no shame?”

No shame about nakedness , I think, my mind clear despite the shock. There is shame about murder.

“Remalla,” he says, his voice low. “Please, let me help. There must be something I can do.”

“Marry me,” I tell him. “Or one of them.” I sweep my arm in a wide gesture at the princesses who gasp at my boldness. “Just make a fucking decision, Altar.”

I don’t mean to blame him for this. I’m honestly more furious with myself than with him. I was caught unawares, and that is on me. Completely and utterly on me. I’m ashamed of my slip and, even more so, now afraid.

That the rogue I’m craving is the one I’ll need to kill for my revenge.

Altar takes my hand, his grip surprisingly firm.

“I assure you, I will look into this personally.” Has he even heard me?

“This attack will not stand. I’ll have patrols increased around the wing.

” As if that will matter. I just stand there, still dripping, and wait for his anxious reaction to run its course.

“From this moment, Princess Remalla, you will have personal protection assigned to you. A full complement of guards, at your door, at all times.”

What is he on about? “Altar,” I say. “Enough.” I sound like Zenthris.

The Overprince is shaking, though, and has the bit in his teeth. “But this is not a battlefield. This is my home. And I will not have my guests assaulted under my roof.” His eyes are wide and genuine, and there’s a quiet strength there I hadn’t seen before.

I catch a glimpse of Vae. She stands with the other princesses, but her eyes are slitted, watching me with a cold, terrifying intensity.

Her beautiful face has contorted, her lips pressed into a thin, white line.

She is clearly furious, jealous. I can only hope she is behind the assassination attempt.

Her vicious threats, her hatred for Heald, her ambition… it fits. If I’m honest, it fits all of them.

Why then do I fear the hands that gripped my neck are ones I already know?

The weight of Altar’s attention is a strange mix of protection and constraint. Like it or not, I have him where I want him.

And this game is far from over.