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“Finally, everything is as I planned months ago,” she said. “Fadon, would you be a dear and pour me some wine?” She waved a lazy hand in the direction of the sideboard behind her, where I saw several crystal decanters of liquid that gleamed like jewels. “And bring a glass to our omega, too. She looks thirsty.”
I looked back at her and saw she was staring at me, that sleek cat-like pose, the heart-shaped face… gods, no wonder she was queen. She captured your attention, demanded it, so effortlessly.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” I inclined my head. Wine did sound nice, I thought.
“May I introduce my brother, Prince Lysander of House Trajan. Brother, this is Sierra, your Fealty Bride.”
Something in her eyes as she looked over at him made me pause. I sensed a kind of tension in the two siblings, as if something I wasn’t privy to had passed between them that I had no business witnessing. It made me uncomfortable.
Lysander rose and took a knee at my feet, his neck exposed, eyes off to the side. He was beautifully made, as were his siblings. But where Fadon was everything masculine, and Mari all feminine, Lysander was a mixture of both, somehow.
Still kneeling, he held out his hand, his eyes sincere. “My lady, I am honored.”
I accepted his hand. His was slightly damp. Was he just as nervous as I was?
“Prince Trajan, it is a pleasure.” The words passed over my lips without thought. My Mother would be proud.
He lifted my hand and put it to his lips, his breath whispering on my knuckles.
I felt nothing in response, only a pleasant sensation at being paid such courtly attention. I felt no spark. My body, no recognition, not the overwhelming wave of crushing want I felt when Demos looked at me, not even the tingle of womanly awareness I felt when Fadon was near. There was nothing but amicable feeling.
I pushed those thoughts away, afraid they’d be seen in my demeanor. I forced myself to look at him, not at Fadon, who stood nearby, two glasses of wine in his hands, nor beside me to where Demos sat. This man holding my hand was my promised husband now, and I knew my reaction was being observed.
I felt like a mare in Father’s stables, being introduced to the stallion while men watched on behind the fences to see if the mare would take the stud.
Focus, I said to myself.
Forcing a smile, I pretended this was any other social event, one I had been trained for over the past decade.
After a few more moments, Lysander took his seat. Fadon handed over the glasses of wine, first to his sister, then to me. I sipped from the long-stemmed glass, proud that I wasn’t draining it down in one gulp.
“The wedding ceremony will take place in three days,” the queen began. “I have been planning it since the day I announced it. But in light of Sierra’s being Omega, something more festive has been planned. Servant, I invite you to join us for that as well,” she said to Demos.
In the corner of my eye, I saw him bow his head in acquiescence. “I would be honored.”
The queen raised her glass to him. “On behalf of the Ongahri, I’d like to thank you for everything you’ve done to assist with the Fealty and making sure our omega was safe.”
My cheeks flushed at the possible innuendo. Gods, did she know too? How the man at my side had been inside me too many times to count? Did the man who was meant to have that duty, the handsome stranger across from me, know as well?
“The princess’s safety was always my priority,” Demos said.
I took a risk and glanced at Fadon. He was watching his brother, who now studied Demos curiously, as if he’d never seen him before.
“Yes, we owe you our gratitude, Servant,” Lysander said, the expression clearing to one of respect. “Excuse me, I think I’ll have a drink as well.” He stood, bowing his head in my direction, before walking to the sideboard to pour something dark into a short, stocky glass.
“Sierra,” the queen said, capturing my attention, “I have a room already for you. You will stay in the chamber next to Ander’s, and I’ve arranged for someone to draw you a bath and have supper in your room. Anything you require, you need only ask.”
“I want guards around each exit of the hall,” Fadon threw in before I could speak. “And two at the door. Beta, every one.”
“Of course,” she assured him. “Until she is claimed, she is too vulnerable to be unguarded.”
Claimed. I had heard that word before, when Auria had said it. At the time, it hadn’t penetrated, what with learning she was an elemental and that the cabin’s location was a time-bubble of springtime inside a wintry forest. The way it was worded, it sounded like something more than just “married.”
“What exactly is claimed?” I asked.
On the other side of the room, Lysander choked. Fadon straightened in his seat, and the queen smiled, dark eyes dancing.
She licked her lips before choosing her words. “Well—”
