Since coming to the North, I’d vowed to never skip another meal. So even though I was rather pissed, I dressed for dinner. I held my head high as I entered the formal dining room. My temples still throbbed from the fight I’d had with Austin, so I happily accepted the glass of champagne the nearby steward offered then made my way to my friends.
“It is so nice to have you here.” I hugged first Shaye then Tamara, noticing they’d both changed into elegant gowns for dinner.
Eve strode up, wearing trousers and a tunic, and Tamara wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t this a formal meal?”
“There aren’t any cameras, and there’s no one to police me.” Eve grinned and then, eyes sparkling, took a sip of wine. “I expect His Highness prefers me in pants so that I’m ready to fight. Ah, I love the North.”
I plastered a fake smile on my face.
“What’s your problem?” Tamara asked.
“Nothing,” I said through the smile.
“You’re a terrible actress.” Tamara waved her hand at me. “But no matter—let’s get to the important stuff. First of all, Beast stayed with me all afternoon while you sulked in your room. I daresay he prefers me.”
I finally gave in. The smile slipped from my face, replaced by a scowl. “Beast is my pet. If you’d like a gnome of your own, you’ll have to ask His Highness.”
She batted her eyelashes at me. “Fine. I’d like a girl one, anyway. That way, she won’t mind when I dress her in a cute pink sweater. Although not all boys would mind that, of course, but there’s a language barrier, and how would I know? You want them to own the style—it shows in the eyes. Anyway… Back to the important things. That is Lord Bryson.” She pointed to a tall, handsome vampire in dress clothes with a shock of black hair sweeping artfully across his pale forehead. “He’s obsessed with me.”
Eve chuckled. “Of course.”
Tamara ignored her and pointed to another handsome vampire. He was shorter than Lord Bryson with thick sandy hair, an athletic build, and a nice smile. “That’s Lucas—Dallas’s friend from childhood.”
I nodded. “Yes, I remember him from the wedding.”
“He’s obsessed with Shaye.” Tamara gloated as Shaye turned crimson. “He doesn’t have a title, of course. Not that she cares. He follows her around like a lovesick puppy.”
“Does not.” Shaye took a large sip of wine.
Tamara shrugged. “Does so.” She looked around the room. “Now, who is that—the handsome human?”
“That’s Balkyn West.” Eve glanced at me. “Gwyneth’s brother.”
“What?” Both Tamara and Shaye were on us in an instant, asking questions so rapidly that I couldn’t even tell who was speaking.
“What do you mean, Gwyneth’s brother?”
“I thought he was a rebel!”
“I thought he was dead!”
“There now, keep your voices down,” Eve warned. “He is a rebel, and clearly, he’s not dead. He came here to warn us.”
“About what?” Shaye asked, looking wary.
Eve sighed. “The rebels are planning an attack. Balkyn wanted Austin and Dallas to know.”
Shaye nodded. “That explains a lot. Security was getting even tighter at the palace. And the king and queen didn’t really give us a choice about coming north. They said it was for the best.”
Tamara frowned. “Why are the rebels doing this? Things were finally starting to get better in the settlements.”
“I think that’s the problem.” I kept my voice low. “They saw how the settlers were rallying around Gwyn and Dallas, and they felt like they were losing their foothold. They want to attack while they still have some momentum.”
“I, for one, don’t want to go back to the old days.” Tamara surprised me by how earnest she sounded—and about something other than the importance of daily squats. “My parents were successful back then, but the settlements were still in a state of despair. There was no equality. The poor suffered worse under the old regime.”
I blinked at her. “And you care about that?”
She puffed her chest out. “Not really—at least, I didn’t at the time. But after seeing how much it meant for people in the poorer settlements to receive services, like the clinic Dallas built in Four, I came to understand just how little most of our citizens had. They didn’t even have access to healthcare. How’re you supposed to run a country like that?”
“But some would argue that the royals made it worse before they made it better.” Shaye kept her voice low. “My settlement was poor under the old government, but once the Blacks took over, it got downright scary. The rations were never enough. It seemed like they had no idea how much a family would need to survive, and I daresay that was the truth.”
I nodded. “But things are improving. Dallas was kept in the dark about the true state of the settlements. Now that he and Gwyneth are married and are touring the country, they will continue to make sweeping positive changes.”
“The royals’ polls are higher than they’ve ever been.” Tamara sounded as if she’d been studying them religiously. “I expect that the king will continue to pursue this course, which is best for the settlements. Even if he only does it in order to bolster his position, it’s still better days for our country.”
“Not according to the rebels.” Eve looked thoughtful. “We should talk to our prisoner more, Blake. Find out what else she knows.”
I nodded while Tamara and Shaye gaped. “Prisoner? What prisoner?”
“Shh.” Eve’s eyes blazed at them. “She’s Balkyn’s bloody ex-girlfriend. Blake went and locked her in the dungeon.”
Shaye kept gaping, but Tamara smiled. “Good for you. I told you—a man like His Highness needs an equal. Glad to hear you’re stepping up.”
I laughed. “I love how you take credit when there’s absolutely no credit due!”
“I expect that even simpletons from Settlement Fifteen can partake in my wisdom.” She winked at me. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lord to see about.”
“You mean you have a lord to fling your bosom at.” Shaye pulled a face, but Tamara just shrugged before she floated away, her raven waves bouncing down her back.
Eve chuckled. “She hasn’t changed much.”
“No, and neither has her propensity for gossip.” Shaye’s eyes flashed. “Tell me more about Gwyneth’s brother while she’s occupied with Lord Bryson. And about this prisoner of yours—my goodness, you two have been busy up here.”
Eve started to explain about Balkyn, but I couldn’t concentrate on her words. I felt eyes on my back. I turned to find Austin standing a few feet behind me, staring once more.
“Excuse me.” I approached the prince. “How are you, my lord? Has your mood improved at all?” I was surprised to find myself still angry, in spite of the champagne. But underneath that, I felt trembly. Bloody hell. I’m sad.
“No, it hasn’t.” His dark eyes flashed. “I’m feeling a bit sour, I must admit.”
I held my chin high. “I see.”
He reached for my hand. “Blake.” When I didn’t answer, he sighed. “Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to be a… A…”
“A jerk, my lord?”
He frowned. “Right—a jerk. I’m so used to being right about everything all the time. It feels uncomfortable to be wrong. Utterly foreign.”
“Ooh, are you admitting you were wrong? Splendid!” I broke into a genuine smile. “Is this the part where you apologize, and we get to kiss and make up?”
“Well, I am sorry,” he huffed. “So I suppose—”
But I didn’t wait for him to finish. I quickly pressed my lips to his for a chaste, although satisfying, kiss. “I forgive you.”
He blinked. “You do?”
“Yes, of course. Life’s too short—well, my life, anyway—to fight. So you were a jerk. We’re all jerks sometimes. You’re overprotective, I suppose. You’ve just got to learn to trust me.”
“I do trust you.” His eyes sparkled. “And I think you’re very smart. You have excellent judgment and even better taste in men.”
We both laughed, and I felt a great weight lift off my shoulders.
But Austin’s shoulders sagged as he continued. “Still, it’s dangerous of late. Can you at least admit that? With all the rebels and the werewolves, not to mention Abigor trying to kill you—and then Rose…” He clasped my hands. “I would never forgive myself if something terrible happened to you, my lady. I couldn’t bear it.”
I nodded. “I feel the same. I promise to take more precautions. I’m just not used to living like this.”
“Of course not. And I am sorry if I was a you-know-what.”
“A jerk.”
“Yes, yes, a jerk. Now, if you’ve quite forgiven me, I would like to move on. I missed you terribly while I was gone.” He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.
“I missed you, too.”
Austin’s gaze burned into mine. “I would like to pull you into a private room and snog you senseless.”
“I would enjoy that very much, my lord.”
He cracked a smile, breaking the tension building between us. “Nevertheless, we must dine with our guests. We should be merry while we can.”
“Yes. Quite.” I cleared my throat in an attempt to also clear my head. “Thank you for bringing my friends here. I feel better knowing we can protect them.”
Austin’s face darkened. “My father would not hear of leaving the castle. I had to beg him to let me take Shaye and Tamara with me. By the way—I made a deal with him. It’s something to do with you, so I suppose I should’ve run it by you first.”
“What sort of deal?”
“Er… Let’s talk about it later, shall we?” He offered me his arm. “I have to share you with my guests. I’m trying to be more civilized, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. You and your new-age kerfuffery.”
He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Is it working?”
As usual, being that close to him made my skin heat up. I nodded. “Of course it is.”