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I moaned. Yet another reason why I shouldn’t have hidden in my room all day.
“How is you being caught by Grey going to keep me safe?” I demanded.
“First tell me what happened,” he said, unmoved by my pleading.
Shamefaced, I confessed what I had done at Grey’s instigation and what his next step was. Nik shook his head slowly.
“That’s extreme, even for Grey. This is his own family we’re talking about.”
“I don’t think he sees them that way. From a few things he’s let slip, I think he sees them only as the people who abandoned him and his mother. I’m not sure who he resents more for depriving him of the life of privilege he should have led—them or her.”
“And now he wants revenge.” Nik looked cold and unsympathetic.
“And even more than that, he wants to reclaim that life—but with no one at the top but him.”
I looked through the leaves of a climbing vine and spotted Grey across the room. At least he was talking with Barnabas, not Ignatius, so I still had a bit of time.
When I looked back at Nik, I found him watching me with a horrified, sick expression.
“What is it?” I asked, distracted.
“If he means to rule this island as the only Constantine, he’ll be solely responsible for ensuring the family line continues. And as we now know, there are no other strong healers on this island for him to marry.”
All the blood rushed from my face as I realized what Nik was saying. Grey may not have intended it from the beginning, but I had no doubt he would be willing to force me into the role of his bride through any means necessary.
“This ends tonight,” Nik growled.
I grabbed his arm with both my hands. “Nik, wait, no! What are you thinking? We need an actual plan!”
Nik calmed slightly, giving me his attention. “You have a plan?”
I bit my lip. “No. But we need to come up with one. And I think…” I drew a deep breath. “I think we can trust Costas. I think we should include him in this.”
“Costas? But he’s one of them.”
“By blood, yes, but not where it matters. He’s not a healer, and it’s clear that’s all they care about. He’s a complete outsider here.”
Nik stilled, and I knew he was thinking of his own family. I only hoped he was seeing how much worse it could have been and remembering the good moments with his sister and parents—the moments I suspected Costas had never had.
“I think he was so open with us yesterday because he sensed there was something different about the two of us. I think he might be hoping for allies.”
I peered through the leaves again, but I couldn’t see Costas anywhere in the room.
“Where is he?” I whispered, frustrated. “We don’t have time for any delays.”
“I’ll find him,” Nik said. “If you leave, Grey might notice.”
Reluctantly I accepted his reasoning. “Please hurry,” I begged, and he nodded, already slipping away from me.
With a fortifying breath, I entered the crowd again, circulating toward the supper table, although I was sure I couldn’t force any food into my leaden belly. All I needed was to be seen, to give Grey the reassurance he might need.
With every minute that passed, my tension rose, but there was nothing I could do to hurry Nik. All I could do was wait, and it seemed like the hardest task of all.
“Delphine!” Costas’s cheerful voice nearly made me collapse with relief. Nik had found him.
I turned to greet him, his smile fading as he took in my wide-eyed expression. Grabbing his arm, I dragged him through a nearby full-length window and out onto the porch beyond. Tucking ourselves behind a tall, potted tree, I finally let his arm drop.
“Delphine? Is something wrong?”
