Page 25 of A Tongue so Sweet and Deadly

Merrick didn’t bother with a response, but the buzzing quieted just in time as Frayson got the crowd under control.

The old man threw out his hands. “While it’s unconventionalto have half-Fae participate in our elections, the law clearly states that any member of Ellow’s society is eligible. And many of us know Lessia. She’s lived here for years and has always paid her dues.”

When the grumbling returned, Frayson raised his voice. “Enough! She shall be allowed to partake. This is an election, people. And as every other year,youwill vote in the end.”

Remember why you’re doing this.

She tried to focus on Ardow’s and Amalise’s faces, on Kalia and Ledger and everyone else back at the house, when the weight of hostile stares pressed down on her like a dark cloud.

You cannot let them down.

Glares and cruel words were a small price to pay to keep her loved ones safe.

Lessia lifted her chin an inch when eyes burned into the side of her face and she couldn’t stop herself from glancing their way.

Loche stared at her with unnerving scrutiny, raising the hair on the back of her neck. Her senses blared with warning when he openly dragged his gray gaze over her black cloak, her simple black tunic, and the leathers she wore underneath.

When his stormy eyes met hers again, his dark brows rose in challenge.

Biting her cheek, she kept his unwavering gaze for another moment before tearing her eyes away, focusing on Frayson again.

Loche was clearly trying to unsettle her.

But if she’d just survived what she hoped would be the worst part of the election, a man was the least of her worries.

Stealing a glance at the raging Merrick, whose eyes were everywhere but on hers, a shiver snaked down her spine.

She had much bigger problems.

Still, as Loche’s eyes remained fixed on her the entire time Frayson spoke, unease roiled in her gut.

She didn’t need yet another enemy.

Chapter

Twelve

Frayson led them through the icy roads winding toward the castle, and even though guilt still burned her cheeks, she couldn’t help but admire the proud building.

Pure white, as if it were made of the snow that covered the ground before them, it sat upon a high cliff with four tall towers facing the dark sea.

It was one of the few buildings in Ellow that hadn’t been burned or damaged in the devastating war. The royal family had hidden there when it was clear the war wouldn’t be an easy win and assigned an army of men to cover its front while a large part of the naval fleet protected it from the sea.

Warmth trailed over her face, and she snapped her gaze to the side when a looming presence near her made her skin tingle.

“Can I help you?” She scowled at Loche, who walked two steps behind her with those steely eyes still fixed on her.

Zaddock hovered by his side, his posture tense as he surveyed the alleys and people around them with a hand onthe sword on his hip. Lessia followed his midnight gaze, but the dimly lit alleys were empty; only wisps of snow swirled in the wind between the stone homes.

When she shifted her eyes back to Loche, he still glowered at her, a wrinkle between his brows.

“What do youwant?” she hissed.

His eyes hadn’t left her since she stepped onto that dais, and she couldn’t understand why.

He couldn’t know the real reason she was here, and he’d been aware of her and her friends’ businesses for years. Zaddock had been at her house only a day earlier, for gods’ sake.

His jaw twitched, the only sign that he’d heard her, and without a word, he stalked up to the front of the group, falling in step with Stellia and Frayson.

---