Page 63 of The Forsaken Heir
“You can’t hog the lovely lady all night, son,” he said, and laughed. “Old men deserve to enjoy the company of a lovely woman too.”
The king swept me across the room, away from Aurelius. When I glanced back, he was begrudgingly taking the hand of a dragon noblewoman and dancing, but he continued to throw looks through the crowd toward me and his father.
“I hope things are going well,” Cassius said.
“Quite,” I said.
Beside us, Rasp came sweeping through, dancing with a pretty young fae woman.
“Oh my god,” he shouted as they danced. “I’ve got to introduce you to my best friend. You and he would get along like crazy!”
“Who is that?” I asked the king as Rasp and the girl danced away. “The one with Rasp?”
The king looked over and nodded. “She’s part of the Hikshil tribe,” he said, then spun me around the floor and drew a laugh from me. “I met her earlier today. She came with the envoy group from their tribe. I’m not sure about her name. She’s…” He shook his head, his lips quirking into a smile. “A bit interesting. One of the others told me she’s called a likali. I think it basically means ‘one who is different’. Sweet girl, though.”
“Huh,” I said, watching Rasp dance with the pretty young woman across the room. I had to assume that he meant Vincent when he’d told her she should meet his best friend. Vince himself could be classified asone who is different,so maybe Rasp was on to something there.
“Are you having a good time so far?” Cassius asked, his jovial tone becoming more urgent and worried.
“I am. Really.”
“Good,” he said, his grin returning. “I hoped you’d like this. Especially with what’s to come.”
The music, the finery, the people… It was a bit surreal.Thiswas what my life should’ve been. Though, it wouldn’t have been happening in enemy territory. I’d have been going to balls, concerts, parties, and other things in wolf society. At least, that’s how it would have been if I could actually shift. Though, if I could shift, I’d never have ended up here in the first place. I might never have met Aurelius. Maybe, if I’d been very lucky, I would’ve spotted him from afar at one of these yearly galas, but other than that? Not in a million years.
As if summoned by my thoughts, Aurelius appeared at his father’s side and tapped his shoulder.
“Sorry, Dad. I need to take my date back,” he said as the music transitioned to what sounded like a big band rendition of Lionel Richie’sAll Night Long.
“Of course,” Cassius said, bowing his head. “Thank you for indulging an old man, Brielle. You made me feel a century younger.”
I patted his chest lightly. “You don’t look a day over a hundred.”
The king put a hand to his chest. “Flattery will get youeverywhere, my dear.”
Aurelius and I watched as the king made his way back to his throne, grabbing a glass of champagne as he went.
“Are you ready?” Aurelius asked, pulling me back to the dance floor.
“For what?” I asked dumbly.
Chuckling, he shook his head and gestured to the room. “Addressing the crowd. We’ve decided it should happen after this song.”
Fear and anxiety snapped to life within me, like an animal biting the inside of my stomach.
“So soon?” I said, licking my lips nervously.
“It has to be,” he said, dropping his voice. “Some of the wolves are starting to get more curious. Look.”
I glanced around the room. Dozens of eyes were locked on me as Aurelius swirled me around the dance floor. Mostly wolf eyes.They were muttering among themselves and pointing at me. Word had spread that the crown prince had a wolf as his escort, and none of them knew me. Soon, even with the hair, makeup, and dress, theywouldrecognize me. Even with the fifty pounds I’d shed since my youth, my disguise wouldn’t hold, and then word would spread to my family. If nothing else, they’d catch and recognize the familiar scent of a Laurent. No, this had to be done onmyterms. It had to make a splash. We couldn’t give them time to come up with some story or excuse.
Nodding hesitantly, I looked up at Aurelius. “Okay. Sure. Let’s do this.”
He grinned at me and winked. “Good girl.”
Oh my.I like it when he saysthat.
“Let’s get up on the dais before the song ends,” Aurelius said. “That way you can be ready.”
