Page 44 of Point of No Return

“Duty calls.” I stroll back towards the table, grazing over a plate I made myself earlier.

“Did you know Tyson has a home in Prevya?” Eva starts, and though the information is only mildly shocking, I feign surprise.

“Really?” I casually lean my hip against the counter. “I would have thought you sold your shares like the rest of Westos.”

“I thought the same,” my father says, mumbling something about failing markets and crashing prices. “We sold our land as soon as we could.”

Tyson’s hand flexes on the head of his cane. “The loss is of little consequence. The land is good- despite rumors Prevya is all but dead.”

Rumors that grew thanks to him.

I watch the man as he continues the conversation. “Are your investors not worried?” I interject. “Prevya- that’s more than just a loss. That’s a pit of money. Most would steer clear like the rest.”

Why would he keep land there at all?

“It’s like I said. Rumors and speculation. You, yourself, should know we can more than afford it.”

I haven’t yet explored that aspect of my new marriage, but I smile suddenly, lifting my ring finger and watching as the afternoon light catches on the glittering stones. Then my eyes catch on the scar on my palm, still red and gangly.

The cost of this marriage… yet not even half the price I will have to pay.

“I’m starting to,” I say, and as they delve back into conversation, I make a note to test and see just how deep the Benenati well runs.

Chapter Twenty-One

Charlotte

Ithought the first day back at Viserion would be back to business as usual. But I’ve been so caught up in just getting through the wedding, getting through our joke of a honeymoon, that I hadn’t even considered that things might change.

My room- at least the one I’ve become accustomed to while staying here- is empty. A desert wasteland. While we were gone, the furniture was all covered with pale sheets. The clothes, the books I brought in from the library… They’ve all been moved to the master bedroom in the east wing. My husband’s room.

Our room.

After all of the trouble they’ve gone through to hide the fact that Tyson no longer stays at Viserion, I should’ve known they would care about appearances enough to move us into the same room after we got married.

Josie tries to hide her amusement at my shock behind a poorly-veiled cough as I stare at the room from the doorway.

“He actuallysleepsin here?” I ask, incredulously.

From the gray walls to the all black furniture, it looks more like a dungeon than a bedroom. Or, at least, a room that hasn’t been redecorated since anincrediblydepressing childhood.

The only color in the room, I note, is the rather expensive Peacock Editions of books on the shelf. The blue, silver, and red spines caught my eye as soon as I walked in.

“Never seen it myself, but supposedly, yes.”

Ha. And now I will be too.Supposedly.

I glance around the room again, noting that despite the room looking just as dreary and cold as I imagined, it’s spotless. Not a thing out of place. And though there are servants who perpetually clean the house, from what I’ve seen of Aleks’ room, they tend to steer clear of personal spaces. I make note of the observation as my eyes find the king-sized bed in the middle of the room.

“When does Skar get home tonight?”

The moment the car touched the curb this morning, he was practically back at work again. He’d showered, dressed, and left before I’d gotten the chance to finish the quick breakfast we grabbed on the way back from Venine.

“Usually around midnight.”

It’s six now. Which leaves more than enough time to change some things around. “Perfect,” I drop my bag at the door, assessing how much damage I can manage in a couple of hours. “Thank you,” I tell her, and though it’s a dismissal, she still hovers at the threshold watching me. “Don’t worry. I won’t do any permanent remodeling.”

She nods. “How was your trip?”

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