I ignored the ice creeping through my chest and nodded. “Yes.” And then, because the question had been circling my mind for hours, I asked, “What might you call me for?”
“Any number of things.” Another shrug. “To talk, to entertain, to assist me, whatever I feel like.”
The ice seeped deeper into me. “Entertain?”
Raeth laughed. “I’ll keep my hands to myself, Hania, I promise you that much. I don’t need to give anyone orders for that.”
My voice came out smaller than I meant. “Oh.”
“Though, if you ever feel the need to get away from those pesky human thoughts I’m sure are always running around your head,” he added, tapping one finger to my forehead, “just ask.”
I jerked away a step. “No, thank you.”
“Well, wouldn’t want your selkie getting jealous, now, would we?” That finger moved to flick the end of my nose before he turned away. The familiarity of the gesture made needles of annoyance prickle through me, and I leveled a glare at his back.
“I thought sirens were supposed to be charming, not irritating.”
He flashed me another smile that I was sure could melt the hearts of half the women in the Court. “We’re whatever we need to be to get what we want, darling. It’s called being noble.”
Noble or not, I didn’t like it. I didn’t want to work with someone with so many secrets, or so silver-tongued. Who made no pretenses. I took a deep breath and said, “I’m not here to entertain you. I’m here for my brother. I don’t know what these mysterious reasons of yours are, but if they keep me from that you’ll have to find somebody else to use. And Aven is going to get me out of the Nest, and I promise you it won’t be pretty when he gets to you.”
He was unfazed. “I’ll deal with Aven, don’t you worry. And as long as freeing your brother doesn’t interfere with my plans, go ahead.” He lowered his voice, taking a step toward me, and I instinctively backed away. Adrenaline flooded me at the look in his eyes. “But I suggest, Hania, that you remember I was generous enough to give you my protection, and, as I’m sure you’ve learned, I have very few reservations about putting every servant in this Court exactly where I want them. So, while you’re doing your work, you’d do best to make sure you do my work first. We wouldn’t want anybody suggesting to the Queen that her pet’s worn out his welcome.”
The threat echoed through my mind and did nothing to thaw the cold fear in me. I nodded and looked down at the glass in my hands. Part of me wanted to gulp down the entire thing right now, to get away from what was happening. “Can I go?” I asked. “Or is there more you have to tell me?”
“That’s all. Enjoy the Nest. Has Azali given you trouble yet?”
I held out the glass and he took it. “I can handle Azali.”
“I’d hope so.” He turned away, busying himself with a set of stacked papers on a table. I made for the door but paused with my hand on the knob.
“Raeth.” He glanced back. “Aven isn’t going to give up on claiming me that easily. And I’ll play my part, because I don’t want to be executed, but I will be doing anything in my power to get to him as soon as possible.”
“Duly noted. Have a lovely day, darling.”
I knew my day was going to be anything but lovely, but that was all I knew. As I closed the door between me and the siren Lord, I wondered how in one conversation he’d managed to do nothing but create more questions and worries than I’d had before.
“Are you ready for your first feast?” Kieras asked under her breath, smoothing her skirt.
I tried not to fidget with my gown or hair. Raeth expected me to follow their rules, to be one of them, and that meant looking the part. But I couldn’t compare to his girls, and the entire Court knew I was human. I could feel the eyes on me already. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.”
“Take a breath and relax, Hania. It isn’t so bad. Drink, dance, socialize. And if you don’t know what to do, watch Raeth. He’s all you really need to worry about.”
“Oh, I’m sure there’s more to worry about than just him,” Azali said as she breezed past us, pushing through the doors. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from replying, and, with a look that said to let it go, Kieras pushed me through ahead of us.
The hall was stunning. Moonlight and candlelight fought in a glittering dance across a marble floor and the jewelry of the nobility. The high, open arches let in the night air, full with the scent of flowers I had no names for. Tables along the edges were laden with food of all sorts, but the majority of the massive room was left open for dancing and talk. The fashion was as exotic and elegant as any I’d ever seen, long, layered skirts and fitted bodices in jewel and pastel tones, light and airy, fluttering like mist and flower petals with every movement. Dark suits and tunics were trimmed in silver or gold, blue or violet. The hall was crowded with sweeping skirts and gems sparkling in time to the echoing music. I was too dazzled by the sight to move until Kieras took my arm and hauled me another step forward.
Eyes fell on us as we weaved along the edges of the crowd, and I kept my gaze ahead, never meeting them. But I felt the weight of them on the back of my neck. Whispers cropped up around us.
“That’s her.”
“How odd of him to claim her.”
“Just another dirty human, I’m sure we’ll get to see her killed soon.”
“Ignore them,” Kieras whispered. “Chin up. You were chosen by the Lord of Sirens. They’re only jealous he pays more attention to you than to them.”
Chosen by the Lord of Sirens, yes, but why? I hadn’t gotten an answer. Raeth hadn’t so much as looked at me in the three days since he’d summoned me to his room.
We settled near a back corner where we could watch Raeth lounging on the dais at the front of the room. He was deep in conversation with the merrow Lord, Namak, though his attention travelled across the crowd as if to keep an eye on the nobility in attendance. Azali was already draped across his lap, his hand lingering at her hip in a silent show of possession, but I knew better than to think it meant he wouldn’t demand I work at some point during the night. Whatever work that meant. Kieras plucked a full glass from a table and sipped at it, but I didn’t touch anything left out to eat or drink, Raeth’s warning ringing loud and clear in my mind.
I half-listened to Kieras pass on rumors of people whose names I couldn’t hope to know or remember, nodding at the right times, but my attention was on the dais. Not on Raeth, though I watched him for any sign I might need to jump into action to avoid his wrath—Aven sat on the other side of it, scanning the crowd as he drank from a silver-lined glass. From here he looked bored, or maybe distracted, and my feet itched to cross the room to him. But not here. Not now.
Was he searching the crowd for me? Was that what his mind was on? Or was something else worrying him? I hated that I didn’t know.
A flash of movement pulled my attention from him to Raeth, who said something to Azali and stood, one arm wrapped around her waist. She looked far from happy with whatever he was telling her, but I caught the silent warning on his face from here and she gave a bright smile before stepping away. Kieras perked up a fraction.
“Is he looking for someone else?” I asked her.
“Maybe. He usually circles around and speaks with all of us among his other duties before he…well, decides how to end the night.”
I didn’t need more explanation than that. He’d promised to keep his hands to himself when it came to me, which meant that I didn’t need to think or worry about how Raeth ended his nights. So long as he was a man of his word.
He stepped down from the dais and the crowd engulfed him. Kieras smoothed her skirt with her free hand and straightened her back. “Kieras?” I asked as the pit of my stomach twisted with nerves.
“Hm?”
“I know you said this position is better than a lot of others, and you’re grateful for it. But is he really…” I couldn’t find the words for my question.
One corner of h
er mouth twitched into a smile. “Do you mean to ask if he’s good? If he’s safe?” I nodded. “He’s a siren, and a nobleman. He can be as safe or as dangerous as he chooses to be.”
That was far from a comforting answer, but I suspected she hadn’t intended it to be. “Thank you,” I murmured, and she patted my arm as one of Raeth’s other girls bounced up to speak with her. I didn’t listen to them exchanging senseless Court gossip—who was dancing with who, what they though it meant—and skimmed the crowd. Those who caught my eye glanced at me with displeasure or irritation before turning away. A few children stared but hurried off with whispered giggles when I looked toward them.
I’d never blend in here. I would never go unnoticed.
Across the hall, my gaze found Aven again and, this time, his caught me. For an instant, there might have been nothing between us. His eyes flicked over me as if to ensure I was whole and well.
“What’s so interesting, Hania?”
I jumped at Raeth’s melodic voice and whipped around, almost knocking the drink from his hand. My heart leapt into my throat, and I faltered over my words. “Oh. I’m sorry, R—Lord. I’m sorry. Nothing.”
His eyes glittered with amusement and he held the drink out to me. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
I risked a glance to the dais, but Aven was gone. I forced myself to turn to Raeth, to take the drink, but I didn’t sip it. I didn’t trust him and especially not after he’d put the idea of poisoned drinks in my head. I focused on his question instead, searching for an answer. Play the part, whatever lies it took. “Yes, Lord, thank you.”
“Kieras, Jolin, would you excuse us?”
Kieras and her friend both inclined their heads and set off to find another spot to watch the party from. As soon as they were out of earshot, Raeth sipped from his own goblet and turned to watch the crowd. “I haven’t poisoned it, you know,” he said. I glanced down at my drink, then to him, but said nothing. I had nothing to say that would be considered proper here. “I have no reason to want you dead, Hania, not presently.”
“Presently?” I echoed.
He ignored me and lowered his voice, but, quiet as it was, the threat was clear. “I wouldn’t dream of drinking alone.”
I took a sip, not tasting whatever the wine-dark liquid was. Every inch of me was on edge, ready for danger. A siren stood beside me like we were old friends and my selkie had vanished. A thousand ideas of the terrible end this night could come to plagued my head.
Raeth gave me one of his practiced smiles and surveyed the crowd. “You are the talk of the Court tonight, you know. I must have had a dozen people ask me about you.”
“And what did you tell them?” That ever so subtle flash in his eyes pointed out my mistake and I added, “If I may ask, Lord.”
“I told them I have every intention of keeping you to myself and seeing what happens.”
I took another sip of my drink, since I didn’t feel like I was about to vomit or collapse, and tried to read him for the thousandth time. It felt like all I could do when I spoke with Raeth was study him in search of some answer I couldn’t find. “What are you hoping will happen, Lord?”
He tapped one finger to my chin, tilting my face up as if to study me in return. “Maybe I haven’t quite decided yet,” he answered. “Maybe I like having something nobody else does.”
I stifled the urge to yank away from his touch, but couldn’t help a scoff under my breath. “I don’t believe you do anything without an outcome in mind. And whatever your laws, I don’t belong to you. Lord,” I added, forcing the word out with the brightest smile I could manage.
I half-expected him to strike me for my tone. Something flashed across his expression that made me steel myself for it, but then he chuckled and released me. “Hania, I cannot wait to see where this takes us.”
That made two of us, except where there was excitement and intrigue in his voice, I was filled to bursting with bubbling impatience and anxiety. I sipped my drink to hide it. Already the alcohol, or magic or whatever was in it, was easing a sliver of my worries, like a thin mist in my head, letting them drift out of sight for the moment. Maybe that was what was making me so brazen.
It also pulled a stabbing truth from me without my permission as I murmured, “As long as it takes me to my brother, I’m almost inclined to say hope for whatever you want.”
I didn’t want to give Raeth that power. I didn’t want him thinking I’d lie down and let him use me for whatever his plans were without a fight. And, if he was using me for his own amusement, I didn’t want him believing I wasn’t plenty exciting to keep alive. But every day, every hour, that passed reminded me Tobin could be on his last.
“Well, darling, I’m happy to see you getting into the spirit. And happy to say you won’t have long to wait.” He nodded toward the grand entrance, where the crowd was stepping out of the way and inclining their heads. Raeth reclined against the wall as if he couldn’t care less, swirling the remnants of his drink as he watched with hooded eyes. I wished I could be so relaxed, but my heart drummed in every inch of me, and I craned my neck to see through the crush of bodies.
Marassa swept into the room in a cloud of coral skirts and citrus perfume. The ensemble drew attention to her youthful appearance that didn’t suit her demeanor at all, turning her softer and sweeter. But her eyes remained as cold as ever. The crowd fell silent at her entrance, but knowing snickers dotted the room as the person following her came into view.
A ragged sob broke from me at the sight of my brother. Every inch of him had her written across it, from the tall Court-styled boots to the midnight-blue cloak draped across his shoulders. The candlelight caught on the embroidering in the lush fabric, and I knew that it was expensive but not a luxury. A long string of pearls, identical to the ones woven into Marassa’s hair, looped around his neck like a collar and leash. But the focal point of it all, the thing every gaze that passed him lingered on, was the brand seared across his bare chest. An intricate spiral, like a seashell, burned across his chest and up to his shoulder with the center point resting over his heart. It flashed raw and only half-healed, and every tiny motion he made had him flinching or clenching his jaw, but never making a sound. I suspected the bruises dotting the side of his face had warned him against that.
But I only let the one sob escape. Just one and then the heartache gave way to fire boiling in my blood.
I was going to kill her. Kill her and every one of her guards and the entire damn Court if I had to.
“Easy,” Raeth breathed beside me, one hand on my arm. I resisted the urge to jerk away and run. “Unless you’d like to get both of us killed here and now.”
He was right, of course. If I tried anything with Marassa so close it would end in disaster. I closed my eyes and drew a deep breath and smoothed my expression into something I hoped looked calm. When I opened them, Tobin’s tired, cautious gaze had found me, and my heart fell apart.
For what felt like hours, I couldn’t breathe, staring at him. I read every thought in his face—why was I here, what was I thinking, how could I come after him? I read the silent plea for me to go, to run home as fast as I could. But I gave him a tiny shake of my head, not daring more than that. I hoped he understood. And then Marassa’s slim hand slithered around the chain of pearls and tugged, and he and I both jumped. Tobin’s head spun to her, and I saw the start of a sharp word on his tongue before he silenced it and lowered his eyes. I watched as he disappeared behind the crowd.
Aven had found his seat again, and I concentrated my attention on him, controlling every breath. Even from across the room, the look in his eyes lessened the pressure in my chest. When I was sure I wasn’t going to burst into furious tears, he looked away to greet Marassa as she stepped up to take her seat beside him. Tobin took a place behind her, head down.
“Let’s go then, shall we?” Raeth asked, stepping forward.
Every ounce of respect and submission I was supposed to show vanished. “What?”
; He didn’t flash me that warning look, but his reply was enough. “As a member of the High Court I’m expected to socialize with my fellow Lords, and of course my Queen. It wouldn’t do to spend my night hiding away in this corner, albeit with company like yours.”
I almost dug my feet into the floor, stiffening at his hand seized my arm. “I think you’d rather have me stay here,” I said as quiet as I could to avoid the onlookers overhearing.
He gave me another perfect smile. “Absolutely not. I can’t trust you not to jeopardize my mission and yours, what with that lovely fire I see has been lit under your skin.”
I couldn’t imagine that fire would do anything but rage out of control if I was forced to stand there beside Marassa. Beside my brother. “I’m more likely to jeopardize it up close.”
Raeth paused, sea-green eyes catching mine. “You’re smarter than that, darling, aren’t you?” The words were sweetly said, but a threat nonetheless. A reminder of what power lay in his throat and tongue, and I swallowed any response I had and followed him to the dais. Every eye in the hall watched us, although the entire crowd struggled to pretend otherwise.
Everyone but Aven and Tobin. Aven stared across the room, face carved into stony indifference. Tobin stared at his boots, jaw clenched. My insides felt as if they shriveled and fell to the floor.
Marassa smiled as Raeth took his seat in that liquid way he had, like tides and starlight given a man’s form, and accepted a fresh drink from a meek little serving girl flitting between the High Court. “I see you are enjoying your new company,” the Queen commented as she sipped from her own glass.
“Immensely.” I gritted my teeth against a dangerous reaction as his gaze slid to Aven. “She’s been quite entertaining.”
Namak sneered at me with an unpleasant kind of amusement that made me shift a fraction closer to Raeth while Marassa gave a delicate laugh no doubt reserved for these very situations. I couldn’t keep from watching Aven, though; he forced all tension from his shoulders and cast Raeth a flat look. “I’m glad my fortunes have been kind to you, Tiraethsi.”
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