To The Future King & Queen

Hanisa leaves my side once Lord Paulos arrives a short time later. She offers to stay with me and chat, but I shoo her away. Just because my man is ignoring me, it doesn't me she should ignore hers.

"You look lovely tonight, Lady Kensington," comes a voice at my back.

Lady Zervas hasn't bothered to match my theme. I suppose it would be stranger if she did. I doubt there's anyone in the world who bears more ill will toward the late queen than the other woman who competed for the king's heart. The woman who lost.

"You're not in costume," I respond, taking in her simple emerald-colored gown that doesn't bear any added ornamentation.

"I wore green, didn't I? What says 'garden' more than that?"

I have nothing to say in response.

"I was surprised to receive your invitation," she says. "I didn't think you particularly liked our last conversation."

"I didn't, but who could use a ball more than cranky old spinsters?"

She laughs at the jibe—a response I hadn't expected. "I like you," she says. "I think you will make a fine queen. I only thought to tell you how to protect yourself when last we spoke."

"It's too late for that," I say, more to myself than to her. She nods, as though understanding what I mean completely, before walking on.

***

The ball is in full swing, and my friends couldn't be happier. Hanisa and Lord Paulos share a dance. Risana and Kaelan are in a corner, talking and giving each other light touches. A few judgmental stares are eyeing them, but Risana is blind to them. I'll have a thing or two to say if anyone tries to interrupt my friend's happiness.

Damien has a new lord in his arms, and the two are the most elegant dancers in the room, I'm convinced. Meanwhile, Damien is eyeing a lady over the rim of his wineglass. Even Kastien has found a dance partner, a pretty girl in lavender.

The guards are quiet sentinels at the edges of the room. All weapons have been checked at the entrances.

And Kassian—

Heis still on his throne, watching me. Not participating, but present. As he always must live his life. I sigh and turn away. I suppose this is about to become my life full-time. Might as well get used to it. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy my own ball. Tristan still hasn't worked up the nerve to ask the lady to dance, so at the next lull in between songs, I start to stride over to him.

A gentle hand comes down on my shoulder, and I turn. "Dance with me."

Kassian pulls me into his arms before I can answer, holding me right there for the whole world to see. The song strikes up, and he moves us in time to the gentle thrumming of the violins. He lets his shadows swirl about his face, to let any onlookers know he is still in full control of his powers. But his arms are tangible for our dance, so he can spin me, lift me, clutch me against him. His gloved hands move over my back and arms as he leads me through the steps.

I'm unprepared for the sudden sensation of being on fire. Everywhere his gloves touch burns. I can barely feel my feet—I even trip once—I'm so aware of where his body touches mine.

Damn him.

"What are you doing?" I finally manage to get out. "You don't get to ignore me all evening only to dance with me now!"

He leans forward. "You're so beautiful it hurts."

"What kind of answer is that?"

"I kept my distance to keep myself from doing something stupid. Something like this." He pulls me so close it's indecent as we go through the next steps.

I can't even hear the music anymore. All I hear is Kassian's frantic heartbeats, his warm breath against my hair. When I dare to look up into his eyes, I realize it's the wrong thing to do.

I'm burning. My core goes up in flames. His gaze looks hungry, heated, desirous. The look of a man who hasn't had human contact in a year.

Kassian said it himself. No man would give up the power of the shadows except for the deepest and most all-consuming of loves.

Not that I want him to love me.

He met me two months ago.

And I used to want to kill him.

But now everything is different, and I want so much more.

At the same time, I'm terrified of having more and so glad he cannot touch me, that he will never hurt me because we will never be allowed to get that close.

The music comes to an end, but Kassian keeps one of my hands in his. "Come with me," he says. He leads us up to the dais where the throne is.

No.

Now there are two thrones. When was the second brought in?

Oh gods. It's happening now.

At some signal from Kassian, the beginnings of another song cut off. My guests go silent, and all eyes are on the king. He seats me into the second throne, before dropping to his knees before me and brandishing a ring between two fingers.

It glistens in the light. I don't take in any details, because my gaze is locked on Kassian's. Little gasps and exclamations sound throughout the ballroom.

"Loralie," the king says in a voice only I can hear. "You've made me happy again. You've given me hope and become an invaluable confidante and the greatest of friends. A—a woman I could love."

Love.

Could love. If he let himself. Which he won't.

Then he raises his voice for the whole room to hear. "Loralie Esther Kensington, Child of Fate and Time, will you be my queen? My equal in all things? A protector and ruler of Dragomir and the conquered realms? Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

An ear-wrenching cheer goes up from the crowd, and I bask in it. In the attention. In the offer of marriage from the most powerful man in the world. In achieving my greatestgoal.

He's mine.

But then a stroke of fear rides in, as I remember someone wants to kill my king. And should we catch this assassin, Kassian will still be a target his entire life. He could be taken from me at any moment.

Kassian is ignorant to my thoughts as he slides the ring onto my finger, a silver band bearing a black diamond cut into the shape of a rose.

"A toast!" Lord Vasco says from somewhere nearby. I hate that he has to be a part of this moment.

Glasses of wine are passed around to all the revelers in just a few short minutes. But those minutes seem to take forever, and dread sinks low in my chest. There are so many people in the room. An assassin could easily sneak in.

He's safe, I remind myself. We banned weapons from entering the room. All the guests were thoroughly searched, much to their own irritation. No one can get past the guards surrounding the dais.

The council members stand below us. Serving maids spread throughout the room to fill glasses to the brim. Kassian thanks the woman who pours deep red liquid into his cup.

"To the king and future queen!" Lord Ivan Vasco says, and the crowd repeats the words heartily.

That's when I see her. Hidden through the crowd, carrying a load of dirty dishes from the refreshment table. It's the little girl from the gentleman's club.

From the place where Kassian was touched. And now, I note with horror, the shadows that had been about his head are completely gone.

He either hasn't noticed or isn't using them.

"Kassian , don't!" I shriek. I bat the cup that's raised to his lips away.

But it's too late. He already drank.

He immediately falls to the ground and starts convulsing. Liquid foams at his mouth, and he closes his eyes. Screams go up, and the council tries to rush onto the stage.