Page 2 of The Dark Lord's Guide to Dating

Griffin brightened. “What about Lord Sebastian from the Northern Peaks?”

The entire room went still. Even my shadows seemed to freeze.

“Lord Sebastian,” I echoed, voice dangerously soft, “the imbecile who invited the Bone Witches to last year’s Winter Solstice ball?”

Thorne snorted. “I heard about that. Half the court of Solandris was cursed with speaking in rhymes for a month.”

“Well, yes, but—” Griffin pushed his glasses up. “Hedoeshave the First Hero’s blood. He’s gorgeous. And his scones are allegedly?—”

My shadows erupted from beneath the table, plunging sections of the war room into darkness. Everyone wisely shut up.

I let the tension hang before I spoke again. “I need someone with a modicum of self-preservation, or my enemies would never stop laughing.”

“Oh.” Griffin’s face fell. “I just thought... since you mentioned the stabbing thing... he’s quite pacifist?—”

“Moving on,” Sims cut in quickly. “What about?—”

“If you say ‘Violet’ again, I’m throwing you all off the battlements.”

Vex slid forward, producing a slim folder from within her cloak. “I keep a record of all significant nobles within a hundred leagues. The heroic bloodlines… well, they’re dwindling. But I found a possibility. Lady Arabella Evenfall of Solandris.”

I plucked the page from her hand. “Suitable how?”

“She’s of marrying age. The only daughter of Lord Evenfall, who’s currently out of favor at court—her disappearance might not cause much of a stir. And she has direct hero-blood lineage on her mother’s side.”

I eyed Vex. “What’s the catch?”

“She’s known to be, ah, accident-prone,” Vex said, sounding far too pleased with herself. “She’s driven three suitors away, possibly by setting fire to one’s cravat. Once, she convinced an entire Summer Court delegation she could speak to ghosts?—”

“Could she?” Thorne asked.

“No. It was complete nonsense, but it worked a little too well. Her father’s kept her out of major court functions since.” Vex tapped a silver-painted nail against the table. “The betting pools in Solandris have her either burning down her father’s estate or being shipped to a remote convent within the year.”

My eyes fell on the rough sketch that showed a poised young woman with golden hair and freckles dusted across her nose. Yet, the quirk of her mouth suggested hidden mischief. Something about that faint arrogance made me pause. I trailed my fingertip across the outline of her face, then snapped myself out of it.

Sims shifted in his seat. “But... Solandris.”

“The Dark Lord can manage it,” Griffin whispered.

“But if…” Sims’s voice lowered as the two of them furiously debated whether me going into Solandris was a good idea.

I let their voices wash over me for a moment before interrupting. “Enough. I’m well aware of Solandris’s resistance to my magic. Besides, we’ll be there and gone before the king’s goons so much as brandish a magical crossbow. Her father apparently doesn’t care much about her well-being, so his defenses won’t be over the top.”

Vex nodded, sliding a map forward. “She’s traveling to her summer residence soon. If we want her, that’s our window.”

“Perfect,” I said, leaning in to study the winding path. “The Whispering Woods. Good vantage points, easy terrain for an ambush.” I paused. “What’s her magical tolerance?”

Griffin flipped through the notes. “Above average. She inherited the First Hero’s healing gifts, so proximity to your dark magic shouldn’t incinerate her.”

I chuckled darkly. “Always a bonus in a future wife.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “We’d better avoid the Golden Fields, though. My shadow warriors can’t hold form there.”

“Easy.” Vex traced a slender nail along the route. “We catch her carriage in the Whispering Wood, knock out the guards, and whisk her away. Simple. Just be prepared for her unintentional disasters.”

“At least it won’t be boring,” I murmured.

Sims cleared his throat again. “Kidnapping a noblewoman from Solandris could spark full-scale war.”

“By the time King Auremar organizes his troops,” I said, “I’ll have the Heirloom activated. Let them come.” My gaze drifted to the golden circlet resting on the pedestal.

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