Betrothed

by Lola White

  Adam snorted. “That doesn’t stop you from mistreating her.”

  “Words, boy! Nothing more lethal than words.” Alexandru shook his head. “Look elsewhere for your villain.”

  Eliasz glanced around at his Family, his eyes flat and uncompromising, giving away nothing more than angry concern for his betrothed. He put his arm around Ileana. “Come on, I think you’re ready to leave.”

  Still at the door, Silviu agreed and stared at Georgie meaningfully. “He’s right, Georgeanne. Let’s go.”

  She gave a slow nod and backed away from the table, suspicion still glinting in her eyes. Just as slowly, the other two Davenolds trailed after her. Drawing level with Silviu, she took his outstretched hand with a reassuring smile.

  “That was quite enough excitement for me, so early in the day,” Georgie said calmly—loudly—as she turned to Eliasz. “Are you free to give us a tour of the grounds?”

  Eliasz flicked a glance at his father. “I have about thirty minutes before I’m needed in the negotiations with our Fathers.”

  She smiled brightly as she tugged Silviu toward the door, leaving Eliasz and Ileana to follow in her wake. “That’s just enough time to show us the fishpond I heard so much about last night. It’s a well-known fact that aquatic things soothe frazzled nerves, so I suppose we could all do with a look at it.”

  Stepping out into the hallway, Georgie glared over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Not a word from any of you until we are assured of privacy. My bedroom is just at the top of these steps.”

  * * * *

  Georgie ushered them all into her room, waiting impatiently while Adam closed the door, muttering in synchronized practice with his twin. A golden sheen spread over the wood and shot out to cover the walls. A silencing spell, to keep their conversation private.

  Silviu dropped Georgie’s hand and leaned back against the far wall, wedging his wide shoulders into the narrow space between two armoires. “Explain.”

  His voice cold, his face inflexible, Ileana had only seen her brother this angry once before—ten years ago, when he’d woken up and learned that Georgie had been whisked away from him in the middle of the night. It had been terrifying to experience. She glanced around, but the rest of the group seemed oblivious to Silviu’s restrained rage.

  “The knife came out of nowhere,” Georgie growled. “No one could have seen it, or someone would have given some sort of warning.”

  “Conjured, then.” Eliasz’s arms tightened around Ileana. “It almost hit you?”

  “It almost slammed straight into my skull.” Ileana pressed against Eliasz, taking in his warmth, accepting his comfort. Easing the churning acid in her belly at the same time she fed his dominant ego, and the need she felt humming just under his skin to take charge of something.

  “It almost got Georgie too,” Christiana said. “It was so close.”

  Eliasz went rigid. “You and Georgie are in competition for your Family’s power, Christiana. Why should I believe it was a Levy when it could just as easily have been you?”

  Christiana rolled her eyes. “Georgie is impervious to magic. It would be stupid to try to kill her with it when I know it wouldn’t work. And, if I did try to kill her, it wouldn’t be a failed attempt in the middle of the Levy breakfast table.” The devious woman smiled. “If Georgie dies by my hand in your house, trust me, no one will doubt the Levys would be to blame. I’d make sure of it.”

  Ileana’s mouth dropped, but Georgie took it all calmly, not even noticing Silviu’s anger ratcheting skyward. The Davenold heir waved her hand. “She’s right.”

  “You think it was my grandfather.” Ileana didn’t ask, just put the observation out there in case she was wrong.

  “Could be.” Silviu carefully kept his turbulent eyes from his betrothed as he looked around at their small group. “He may not have meant to even come close, just cast enough suspicion on the Levys to give him an out.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Georgie said. “A way to reject the betrothal on the grounds that Ileana wouldn’t be safe in this Family.”

  “She’ll be safe.” Eliasz’s growl rumbled over Ileana’s nerves, plucking at them in a way she didn’t mind at all.

  Adam shot a hard look at Ileana and raised his eyebrows meaningfully at Georgie. “Could be a Levy who doesn’t want the match to be successful.”

  “Like who?” Eliasz demanded.

  With pleading eyes, Ileana silently begged Adam to keep his mouth shut. She didn’t want to tell the other man of Eliasz’s talent—wasn’t sure if it was secret or not, though she couldn’t imagine him admitting such a thing to her if it were. She knew very well that Eliasz would have known if a member of his own Family had plotted her murder under his roof.

  That thought struck deep, to her core, bringing a new wave of arctic ice. Ileana stiffened and pulled away from Eliasz, sudden doubts spinning in her brain. She dropped Adam’s perceptive gaze and left him to make his own decision.

  The Davenold man instantly picked up on all the emotions clogging her skull. He turned on Eliasz with bared teeth, a mocking parody of a smile that spoke volumes of his own anger. “Like Anne Gage-Levy.”

  “My cousin?” Eliasz shook his head, his attention locked on Ileana as she pulled farther away and wrapped her arms around her body. She refused to meet his questioning gaze.

  “She wanted her daughter to marry you.”

  “I know. My father refused.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  Eliasz met Adam’s suspicious stare with one of his own. “I didn’t need to. Both the Levy Father and mine objected to the match. That was fine by me.”

  “Why didn’t you want her?” Georgie took a sliding step forward, clearly scenting prey.

  “I was twenty and she was a child. Besides, she’s not strong—not in magic or politics.” Eliasz shrugged. “Even as a girl she was too spoiled, only thinking about herself. I want a wife who will benefit me.”

  His words had Ileana’s shoulders sagging in relief. It wasn’t the most romantic declaration she’d ever heard, but it sounded like the truth, and that was even better than flowery explanations. Eliasz wasn’t trying to kill her, wasn’t hiding a Family plot of murder.

  Georgie glanced over her shoulder at Silviu. “Constance travels with Daniel. A match with her might make him choose you to fill your Family’s Council Seat, Eliasz.”

  He scowled. “A match with Ileana would benefit me more, as you both know. My goals are more long term than just getting the Seat. We’ve discussed this.”

  “You have?” Adam asked.

  Georgie waved his question off. “You have a new Father.”

  “So what?” Eliasz shrugged. “Daniel’s had the power for a long time, now. What difference does that make?”

  “The old Father refused the match with Constance, but would Daniel?”

  “I think he’s looking for a way to stand against the Njele-Ngozi alliance. Graves is separate from his Family but still influential within it. And Daniel wants an alliance with you, Georgie, and knows he can get it through my connection to your betrothed’s Family.”

  Georgie cocked her head. “If Iley were dead, would he give you Constance?”

  “I don’t think so.” Eliasz leaned back against a low dresser, giving serious thought to the matter. His eyes darkened and paled. Fascinated, Ileana drifted closer to him and he caught her hand, tugging her between his legs, loosely wrapping his arms around her waist. When he spoke, it was to her. “I want you.”

  She leaned against his body, a warm ribbon of relief unfurling in her cold chest.

  “Let’s not focus solely on Ileana,” Christiana warned. “Most witches out there don’t understand that Bane doesn’t just mean no magic, but impervious to it, as well.”

  Eliasz raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  Christiana made a disparaging noise. “Exactly what I just said. My Family is the only one with firsthand experience of all that Bane is, though I assume the
Lovaszes also have a good handle on the ramifications.”

  “We do,” Silviu agreed. His tone was still too soft. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

  “The knife shot straight at their heads,” Christiana said patiently. “Georgie pushed Ileana away, and the knife slammed into Georgie’s imperviousness and slid off, narrowly missing her forehead.”

  “It was strange,” Ileana admitted. “Like it just…changed course in mid-air.” She looked at Silviu, trying to convey a silent message. She’d seen the sparks, the magic, but only her brother would know about that.

  “Impossible,” Eliasz breathed.

  Christiana shook her head. “No, that’s pretty much how it works. Watch.”

  Without further warning, she flicked her fingers at her cousin and a silver lance shot from her palm. Ileana watched the magic in surprise as it sailed through the room, slammed into the same field the knife had, and slid past Georgie’s ear without harm. The spell faded in a shimmer of sparks.

  Silviu cursed, Eliasz tensed. Ileana struggled to keep her expression blank as several observations sank into her brain. First, Georgie was protected against magic. Second, Christiana had conjured the lance without words, in a spell strong enough to reveal the magic to everyone. Third, the woman hadn’t even hesitated to lob her magic at her cousin’s head.

  Ileana felt Silviu’s anger rise to unconquerable heights.

  Georgie was calmly considering, as if her cousin hadn’t just tried to kill her. “All right, our list of suspects grows, then.”

  Knowing the signs of her brother’s impending explosion better than anyone else in the room, Ileana tried to catch Georgeanne’s eye. Her subtle warning of Silviu’s anger was lost as Georgie fixated on her own thoughts, ticking her list off on her fingers.

  “Alexandru could have done it, either against me for vengeance, or Ileana to prevent the betrothal. Anne, or even Constance, could be angling to get their claws into Eliasz, as he is a hell of step up from their lowly position in the Family. To be fair, it could have been Christiana, but I doubt it.” Georgie threw her murderous cousin a quick grin and continued. “Just to round things out, it could even have been Daniel, but I agree with Eliasz’s opinion, so I’m unconvinced. Anyone else you guys can think of?”

  Silviu glared at Christiana. “Where were you?”

  “Sitting next to your grandfather, babysitting.” She smiled. “Keeping an eye on him in case he has another…spell.”

  “Where were my father and brother?”

  “Not down yet.”

  Silviu glanced at Ileana but she only shook her head. Beyond the room, a clock struck the hour, deep bongs ringing out through the house. The silencing spell kept their noise within the room, but didn’t block the sounds from beyond. Ileana looked at the twins with new respect. It was a difficult spell to cast.

  Eliasz stirred and released her. “I have to go. We’re working on the agreements this morning.”

  Georgie’s lips twisted. “Better get it all worked out as quickly as you can.”

  “Sealed with blood, too.” Eliasz dropped a quick kiss on the top of Ileana’s head and strode to the door.

  Ileana watched the door swing closed behind him. “Now what?”

  Chapter Ten

  Silviu

  “I want to speak with you, Georgeanne.”

  His sister winced, but Silviu ignored it, too focused on pushing back the ice flowing through his veins. Anger distracted him even as it honed both his thought processes and his instincts into predatory sharpness.

  He could have lost her. Could have lost them both.

  “Why?” she questioned, driving him mad. “You thought of something else?”

  It took effort for him to keep his voice even. “Yes, I have.”

  “Well, what?”

  “It’s not about breakfast.”

  “Oh.” She shrugged. “Then it can wait. We need—”

  “No.”

  Ileana’s eyes went wide as the Davenolds all froze. Silviu doubted that any man had ever said such a thing, in such a tone, to Georgie before. He didn’t apologize or smooth over his demand with pretty words. He simply waited, unable to even look at his betrothed lest the rage boiling in his belly push free of his control.

  Ileana nodded toward Adam and Christiana. “Let’s give them a minute.”

  Adam lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s wise. One of them is bound to kill the other, if we leave them alone.”

  Christiana perked up and linked her arm through her twin’s. “In that case, let’s go take a walk in the garden, hmm? Maybe he’ll do our dirty work for us.”

  Georgie waved them away. “It’s fine, go on.”

  Brave words. They only poured gas on the fire.

  Silviu clenched his fists, resisting the urge to strangle Christiana, resisting the urge to tie Georgie to his bed and show her exactly what it would mean to marry into a patriarchal Family. He strove for calm instead, focusing on drawing a deep breath as the others filed out of the room.

  A flick of his wrist locked the door. He didn’t trust himself to move otherwise, just yet.

  “If it was your grandfather,” she said brightly, “he’ll figure out that he can’t use magic against me. If it was directed at Ileana, we’ll have to step up our guard.”

  “Georgie.”

  “Having Eliasz on our side would be a great advantage, if he manages to claim the Council Seat, Silver. The Levys are the biggest—”

  “Georgie.”

  “What, Silviu?” She threw up her hands. “If you’re not going to help, I don’t see why—”

  “Stop.” He clung to the wall, fingers literally denting the plaster as he fought his need to put his hands on her.

  “What?”

  “You almost died.”

  “I did not! Don’t be dramatic.”

  His gaze swung toward her, meeting her eyes directly for the first time since looking her over in the breakfast room. She blinked at him, lashes fluttering, confusion darkening her black gaze into a mesmerizing hue. She took a step forward, slid back, her hand flinched at her side as if she would lift it toward him, but thought better of it.

  “You’re mad.” She was surprised. “Angry.”

  “Fucking. Livid.” His voice was barely audible.

  She shook her head. “Why?”

  “Because someone magicked a fucking knife at either your head, or my sister’s, and I don’t know who did it, or which of you was the target.”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Her eyes widened. “Don’t you think I’m capable of figuring it out?”

  “I do. That changes nothing.”

  Her chin lifted and the challenge in her gaze ripped into a part of him he’d only barely understood existed. Her expression threatened all he was, all he believed and all he held dear. He felt his control fracture as if it were a thin sheet of glass, cracks spreading out, racing into the corners of his soul.

  “I am a Davenold heir. I am more than capable of taking care of myself, as well as my Family.” Her eyebrow lifted, and it was the last straw.

  He shattered. “You almost fucking died!”

  Silviu shot from the wall as if catapulted toward her. His fingers curled around her upper arms, surprising a shrill squeak from her. Without thought, he lifted her, her weight nothing, her small size to his advantage, and threw her onto the bed.

  He followed her down, lust the furthest thing from his thoughts. His instincts screamed to make her understand, to make her bend to his will so that he could keep her safe. The need pounded in his skull and thumped in his chest. His blood was a boiling cauldron of seething fear, rocketing through his veins in alternating waves of hot and cold.

  He battled it without success. He straddled her as she bounced on the mattress, trapping her. He grabbed her wrists, pinned her arms above her head and leaned down until he could snarl in her face. “You almost died!”

  She struggled against his greater strength, her face flushing with anger an
d offense. “Get off me!”

  He shook her. His head spun with unbearable images of entering the breakfast room a minute too late, a sharp knife protruding from her temple. Her, slumped lifeless in a chair, him helpless to save her, left alone without his Match in a room full of too many suspects. His heart squeezed painfully, stealing his breath, stealing his sanity.

  “Silviu!” she gasped, twisting beneath him. “There was nothing I could do! There’s nothing I can do now except investigate! What do you want?”

  “I want you safe!”

  “I am safe! Please, stop. Please.”

  His vision cleared of the red haze, the awful images fading from his mind. He looked down into her face, her wide eyes dark and pleading, curly hair wild around her head. Georgie was gasping, her lips trembling. She bit them, still determined to keep her weaknesses from him, denying his ability to see through her mask.

  Easing into the snarling fury chewing on his bones, her plea wrapped around his heart and pried back the cold fingers of panic clutching it. Shuddering, he battled for control.

  “The Bane shield blocks all magic, Silver. So long as someone doesn’t physically push the knife between my ribs, I’m safe.”

  He lowered his forehead to hers. To his surprise, she softened beneath him and lifted her chin. He felt her lips brush the corner of his mouth.

  “It’ll be okay, Silver. We’ll figure it all out, I promise.”

  He turned his head, met her lips. “I can’t lose you. You’re the only thing I have, Georgie.”

  “I’m right here.”

  He took her mouth the moment the words left them. He didn’t wait for permission, but surged into her warm depths, rolling his tongue against hers, tasting, claiming. She met him with a fire of her own, taking her own comfort even as she gave him his.

  He sank into the kiss, letting it ease the rest of his fears. She was in his arms, safe beneath him. As it had been before, the caress was a duel, both of them fighting for dominance. Her lips and tongue were as bold as his, striking deep into his mouth, luring him into hers. She bit at his lips and he nipped back.