Page 15 of What Fury Brings (Wrath and Fury #1)

A servant greeted them as Olerra strode into the breakfast room. Usually, she preferred to eat with her soldiers, but for the foreseeable future she needed to be seen by important people in court. More important, her prince needed to be shown off.

Olerra prayed he would behave as she looked over her shoulder to see if Andrastus was keeping apace with her. His eyes were as round as eggs as he took in the room.

Finely dressed women were seated all around the table, their men standing behind them or curled up at their feet.

The men all had their armbands on full display, the design meant to show which woman had claimed each.

Most men wore matching jewelry in other places.

Earrings, necklaces, nipple clamps, other piercings.

They were done up in various amounts of makeup, from kohl-rimmed eyes to glitter in their hair.

Olerra hadn’t bothered with makeup for Andrastus yet. Mostly because she was too worried he’d smudge it on purpose. Baby steps.

“Behave,” she whispered to him, “and I won’t ever have to put another gag on you. It would be a shame anyway. That mouth is too pretty not to have out on full display.”

He seemed startled by her flirtatious words, but she didn’t retract them. His lips were the perfect color of pink. They looked darker when compared to his ivory skin and near-white hair.

Focus , she told herself.

Ydra intercepted them. Olerra was relieved to see that she’d shown up. Unlike the rest of the noblewomen, she didn’t bring boys from her harem to court. In fact, Ydra’s harem was the least traditional of the bunch.

Andrastus had a scowl for Olerra’s second-in-command, but once Olerra touched his arm, he turned the scowl on her.

“Remember,” she said. “Smiles and flexing. Your life is on the line. Make me proud today.”

Andrastus had a pained grin for Ydra, and Ydra rolled her lips under her teeth, trying not to laugh at him.

“Well met, Prince,” she said. “I didn’t know you knew how to smile.”

“I’m still not certain he does,” Olerra said.

Andrastus’s jaw clenched.

“I do not envy the work ahead of you,” Ydra said to Olerra. “Oh, and before I forget, remember the matter you wanted me to look into?”

Olerra was staring at Andrastus’s left bicep. She wanted to run her finger over the armband but knew that she was already walking a fine line with him after last night. And her instructions for today.

“Hmm?” she responded. Gods, it was so hard to focus with him dressed like this. She wasn’t prepared for this level of attraction to her soon-to-be husband. She would just need to stop looking at him.

Olerra turned her attention to Ydra.

“Daneryn has returned from his travels. He’s here.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “Why? When?”

“It would seem—”

Ydra was cut off by the appearance of none other than Daneryn himself.

He was alone, though his mother must be in the room somewhere if he was permitted at the queen’s breakfast table.

He was taller and broader than when last she’d seen him a couple of years ago.

He had light brown skin, just a shade lighter than his mother’s.

His head was covered in brushed-out black curls, each one perfectly shaped. His eyes were bright green.

And they were looking at Olerra with such hurt that she almost looked away.

Daneryn spoke first, a bold move that was outside the bounds of propriety. She allowed it this once.

“Princess,” he said. “I heard of your latest skirmish with the Brutes. Congratulations on another victory.”

“Thank you, Daneryn.”

“I am relieved to see you unharmed.”

Olerra tried not to roll her eyes. The only reason Daneryn wanted her unharmed was because he’d wanted her for himself for years.

The son of a countess, Daneryn was twenty-two years old.

He was also the only nobleman of Amarra over the age of twenty.

During the coup led by Glen’s father, the queen’s own brother, Daneryn was fortunate to have been studying abroad with his sister, a rare opportunity afforded to a man.

As he was absent from the court and none of his direct relatives had been involved in the revolt, he was innocent of having any hand in it.

But the son of a countess held no interest for Olerra, not when she could have a prince. Besides, she always knew she would need to kidnap a husband, like her mother before her. Daneryn was the easier route and would not show her strength to the nobles.

When he’d returned from his studies a couple of years ago, Daneryn had immediately set his sights on Olerra for two simple reasons. She was the highest-ranking woman in his kingdom he could marry, and she wasn’t so cruel as her cousin.

Olerra had liked the attention, but she hadn’t been ready to get close to anyone and risk her secret. So Daneryn had left for more studies and sightseeing.

Until now, it would seem.

When Daneryn looked at Andrastus, his eyes nearly watered, and Olerra wondered if she’d misunderstood how genuine his affections truly were. Either that or he was an excellent actor. She really should find out more about those studies he’d had abroad.

“You said you weren’t ready to marry when last we spoke,” he said, lowering his voice.

“I wasn’t.”

“But now you are? You’ve taken a Brute ? One of the very men you’ve been fighting against for so much of your time as general?”

Andrastus seemed interested in the conversation, and she didn’t like that one bit. Olerra decided being nice wasn’t getting the job done. She hardened her voice. “I am a princess, and I will choose whomever I see fit.”

“It’s not too late. You haven’t wed him yet.

Wed me , Olerra. I would be better to you than this ill-tempered man.

Keep him for your harem if you must, but I am the best choice for husband, and everyone knows it.

Look at how he’s fidgeting with those manacles.

Olerra, I would be honored to wear your chains.

I’ve ached for your onyx on my arm since the day I could perform. ”

As declarations of love went, it wasn’t bad. However, Daneryn was beginning to draw the attention of more people around the table.

“If I ever decide I want to have this conversation with you, Daneryn, it will be in private. Not near a breakfast table where all can hear. Do not accost me like this again or I won’t be so lenient. Do you understand?”

His head fell. “Yes, Princess. My humblest apologies. Is there any way I might serve you today?”

Andrastus looked sickened now. Daneryn’s submissiveness was truly abhorrent to him.

It would have pleased any other woman, but Olerra knew Daneryn was a social climber. The second he found out about her lack of goddess-given power, he would tell the highest bidder. Andrastus might do the same thing, except she held his freedom over him like a knife. He was the better choice.

“No, Daneryn. You are dismissed. Do not seek me out again.”

The man walked off, his shoulders drooping with disappointment.

“What the hell was that?” Andrastus asked.

“Nothing,” Olerra said. Then she hooked her arm around one of his and began to lead him in a slow walk around the grand table. Olerra didn’t stop until they came upon four older women, conveniently seated together.

While the entirety of the nobility held Olerra’s future in their hands, it was really only four individuals whose favor she had to garner, as they held the most sway over the rest. The first was a lost cause, being that she was Glenaerys’s mother.

Shaelwyn obviously wanted her daughter to be queen.

As the richest woman in Amarra, she had huge sway over the nobility and their votes.

The second was Enadra, who was the former general over Amarra’s armies. Being older than many of the other nobles, she garnered respect from the masses. She’d trained and fought with Olerra her whole life, and so Olerra already had her vote.

Then there were the two wild cards. Cyssia, who was childhood best friends with the three royal siblings: the queen, Olerra’s mother, and Glen’s father. Having an attachment to all of them meant that she wasn’t swayed to either cousin’s side yet.

Finally there was Usstra, who had her hand in a lot of pockets.

There wasn’t a soul in Amarra she didn’t know.

Aside from being well-connected, she was also a great source of information to the spy networks.

How Usstra knew what she did, no one knew.

Nor did anyone know which of the cousins she was favoring.

Olerra tried to gauge their reactions to Andrastus. Shaelwyn’s sneer was to be expected. The others were considering. Good. There was still time to win more of them over.

She winked at Shaelwyn, because she knew it would irritate her. To the others, she said, “I’ll catch you for breakfast another time. For today, the queen has first rights to meet him.”

And they continued on.

Sanos knew he was being shown off. There was no other reason to circle the room.

Olerra wasn’t taking him anywhere. No, she paused when women oohed at him and adjusted him as she liked.

Moving his arms to flex his muscles. Changing the angle of his neck.

Giving everyone in the room a spectacle.

No one halted their conversation, but they were all riveted.

When they stopped at the head of the table, before the woman who must be the queen, Olerra took his chin in one hand and tipped it up.

He couldn’t take it anymore. Sanos jerked from her grip and tried to step back.

Olerra responded by pinching his nipple. Hard.

He felt that pressure travel all the way down his body. It made him both shiver and frown at her. He hated the way this woman affected him.

“Soften your brow.” She placed a finger over the V between his eyes.

“Stop fucking touching me.”

“We’re almost done. Behave. ”

Oh, but he loathed the way she barked orders at him. He felt his temper sweep over him and push aside all sense of self-preservation. Sanos took a swing at her, trying to connect the hard metal at his wrist with her jaw.