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“Prince Nikolas!” Hayes exclaimed as Amara sucked in a breath and slowly lowered her arm.
Clay whistled slowly, raising his eyebrows as he looked first at Amara and Hayes and then at me, his gaze both curious and calculating.
Ember trotted out of the same corner where she had clearly been sitting at Nik’s feet, her new collar winking in the light. I stooped to pick her up, murmuring “traitor” against her fur.
“I didn’t expect such a crowd,” Nik said, still with that superior look that made me want to smack him.
He focused on me. “You didn’t warn them?”
Now it wasn’t just Clay and Nik looking at me. Feeling the weight of five sets of eyes, I stepped past the others, facing Nik.
“I didn’t get the chance. We weren’t alone until just now.”
“I wouldn’t call thisaloneexactly.” His eyes gleamed at me, suggesting he wouldn’t have minded the two of us being alone.
Amara cleared her throat, giving him a quelling look as she stepped to my side and pulled me back. Whatever else Amara thought of the renegade prince, she did not approve of her apprentice having any involvement with him.
Involvement.My lips burned as I remembered the kiss Amara had nearly witnessed after we fought Grey. She hadn’t seen enough to be sure, but she’d clearly been suspicious.
She didn’t need to worry now, though. Nothing like that was going on. How could it when I knew the full truth of who he was?
I glanced behind me and saw Luna’s excitement and Clay’s bright curiosity. I sighed. “Why don’t we all sit down? Somehow I don’t think this is going to be quick.”
Amara raised an eyebrow but helped everyone find somewhere to perch. I deposited Ember back into her basket, with a firm command to stay there. I didn’t want her injured underfoot with so many people in the room.
Amara gestured for me to sit beside her, conspicuously far away from Nik. And he seemed to have noticed based on the less-than-friendly look he was giving her.
I glared at him. He was here to convince Amara, Hayes—and now Clay—of a plan they would probably all violently disapprove of. So the least he could do was try to play nice. I didn’t think Nik knew how to be subservient, though—even before three master mages. And now that I knew his title, I knew why.
I ran a hand over my face. He hadn’t even started talking, and I was already tired.
When I opened my eyes again, he was watching me. Was that concern in his eyes? I shook my head at my own fancy. It wasn’t likely.
Amara cleared her throat, giving Nik a disapproving look. “I suppose I should start by asking why you broke into the bedroom of my apprentice.”
Nik gave her a cool glance. “We needed a private place. This isn’t a conversation we want overheard, and I’d rather not be seen by anyone outside this room.” He glanced briefly at Clay, as if he would have preferred not to be seen by him either.
“That’s Master Clay,” I said quickly. “He’s a friend of Amara and Hayes and a master healer. And he’s also a trusted advisor—”
“I know who he is,” Nik’s cool voice cut me off. He gave a curt nod in Clay’s direction, and the man responded with a half bow from his sitting position.
“This is a great surprise, Your Highness,” he said in a level voice that revealed nothing.
I sighed and sank back. I should have known Nik would be familiar with Clay, given he knew Amara and Hayes. Nik might have been a young child when the three of them were apprentices at the Guild, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t been back since. And as a prince it was probably part of Nik’s role to know all the master mages in the kingdom.
I would do well to remember that I was the outsider in this room, not Clay.
Amara had ignored the attempted introduction, her attention never wavering from Nik. “So you’re telling me you expected me to enter this room with Delphine?”
He shrugged. “That was the point of the meeting.”
“Meeting?” Amara turned to me with a raised eyebrow. “So you really were expecting him to be here?”
“Not exactly here.” I glared at him. “Nik didn’t bother telling mewherewe were all going to meet after the meal.”
“It seemed the most logical place, since it’s the largest room,” Nik said, unflustered.
Amara sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I’m not going to ask how you know that. I don’t want to know. Let’s focus on the more important points. What have you discovered about Grey in all these weeks, and why are you here now?”
