Page 39 of Queen of the Crimson Throne

“A ball?” Lennox narrowed her eyes in my direction. “What ball?”

Fuck, I had forgotten about the star’s damned ball. “Krissa didn’t tell you? We were invited to a ball by one of the dukes who takes up residence in Cel Nox. We need to make an appearance for at least a little while or it will seem suspicious. You know as well as I do, Lennox, we have to make our engagement believable, even if we are trying to find a way out of it.”

She sighed. “Fine. But the night after we’re going to see my aunt.” I dipped my chin in agreement.

“What if I see if I can get any information out of her tomorrow?” Luciana suggested. “She might not be willing to give anything up to me, but if I mention you, she might give me something. If she doesn’t, you come the next day and we can approach her together.”

“Okay, I like that.” Lennox's face softened as she looked at Luciana, her brows drawing together. “You‘re sure it’s okay to travel this much?”

Luciana waved her hand dismissively. “It will be fine. I’m not worried.”

“I’ll come with you.” We all looked at the wolf.

“What do you mean you’ll go with her?” Declan and I asked in unison.

“We can say I arrived as a messenger from Lennox.”

“I wouldn’t have to tell my mother I’ve been using Ichor Magic if Nico came with me.” Luce and Nico shared a look. “You’re not as dumb as you look, pup.”

He winked at her. “I’m more than just a pretty face, Lucy.”

19

LUCIANA

It had been months since I’d seen my mother. My task of keeping my eye on the witch covens throughout the Mystic Court kept me away from the capital city of Arcadia, where my mother reigned from.

But this was the longest I had been away from my mother since I left her womb.

I missed her, but I didn’t mind the space. It allowed me the opportunity to explore things she wouldn’t approve of, like Ichor Magic.

My mother would figure it out one of these days, she was smart after all, but I wanted to avoid the lecture for as long as I could.

And my mother loved giving lectures, especially to her one and only heir.

It wouldn’t help that my visit would be unexpected.

Or that I would be arriving with a wolf emissary from the Blood Court.

She was not fond of when I veered from her plans. My welcome home would be short-lived once she realized these things.

“We’ll tell her we ran intoone another on our way to Arcadia,” Nico said as we rode alongside one another through the forest, pulling me back to reality.

I had transported us to a village outside Arcadia where we purchased horses to further convince my mother of our ruse while Nico yapped on obsessively about how excited he was to be back in the Mystic Court.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, having Nico come with me, but now I was having second thoughts. We had gotten on well enough during the weeks we spent together this summer while Luka and Lennox had gone to find Hecate, but he was unpredictable.

You never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. He was a charmer, which would be helpful if my mother was easily charmed.

She was a charmer herself. A mask for what hid beneath.

“Lucy?” Nico’s voice finally cut through my thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“Did you hear anything I said?”

“You talk too much, I’ve taken to tuning you out,” I lied.

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