Page 81 of A Sweet Destruction

Caspian cleared his throat, straightening in his chair. “We consider it to be an important part of the process to locate your Match yourself. Some people never find them.”

“It’s only in military service that we track Marks,” Elijah cut in, looking down at the glass of whiskey curled in his large hand. “Make sure the right people are sent to the Bridge.” He looked up as he continued, “And that we send people who can actually Cross it, when that fateful day comes.”

“By invitation,” Caspian quickly corrected, shooting Elijah a look. The gap in their authority and age became apparent then.

It was authority that won out, making Elijah toss back his whiskey before he said, “Of course, if invited.”

The tension was still palpable, enough that no one spoke for a few seconds. It was Freya who broke the silence. “Actually, Elijah said that you wouldn’t have one.”

Well, that wasn’t exactly a good way to break it.

Elijah cocked his head at her, narrowing his eyes in a way that would have most other people running in the opposite direction. “Do you remember everything I say?”

“No,” Freya said, shaking her head casually, “but I remember this one.”

Elijah snorted. “Convenient.”

“Yes.” A bright smile bloomed on Freya’s face. Elijah’s own grin fell.

“What Elijah meant by that,” Caspian said, pointedly re-centering the conversation. “Is that like on Muli, paranimas are incredibly rare. The likelihood I have one is low. If I did and a marriage was truly needed, I would be prepared to make a necessary sacrifice.”

Caspian raised his glass to Bellamy in salute. “You were prepared to do the same.”

“I was,” Bellamy said, not quite able to keep the anguish out of her voice. Soren placed his hand over hers where they were curled in her lap. The way her shoulders relaxed in response to his touch made me nauseous.

Simply because I knew what that felt like. Knew how much Ford’s touch had settled me earlier, when the Bond was wreaking havoc on my body.

I wouldn’t let it cut off that woman’s arm for touching Ford and it had turned all that possessive anger back on me in wave after wave of pounding fury until my body buckled under the weight and my stomach emptied itself.

That thought had me reaching for my glass again, even though my head was already starting to swim.

By the time dinner was over, I knew I’d overindulged.

Caspian had insisted we stay at the tavern a little while longer, clearly still committed to humanizing us in front of his people.

I didn’t know how well that plan was working, considering that the bartender looked genuinely terrified when I asked him for a glass of water. The second time that happened in the span of one night.

That saying about fooling someone once, twice, three times was swirling around in my head, hovering just out of reach.

I really had drank a tad too much.

“Hello, serpenia,” Caspian said, coming to join me at the bar.

I turned to him with a practiced smile, then immediately felt the weight of Ford’s attention on me. I ignored it.

“Hello,” I said simply. I really wasn’t in the mood for a conversation.

Caspian, apparently, was. “You can ask, you know,” he said, leaning close like he was sharing a secret.

“Ask what?” I was likely walking into a trap, but couldn’t quite bring myself to care.

“Why I call you that. Why everyone is staring at you. A little differently than the rest of your company, I’m sure you’ve gathered.”

I made a face, I knew I did, because Caspian laughed so loud you’d think I was his court jester. “Oh, you’ve been dying to ask, haven’t you? Well, I’m charitable. I’ll just tell you.”

Something bad was coming. I could feel it.

“It is because they recognize you, serpenia.”