Page 147 of The Nightmare Bride
“Really.” His regard thinned. “Wait. Don’t tell me you two used to?—”
“Usedto,” I said, stressing the past tense. I probably didn’t need to tell him that my history with Merron extended right up until our wedding day.
“Hmm.”
“Oh, don’t go getting jealous on me, now.”
“Jealous? I would never.” The breeze ruffled his hair across his forehead in a way that made me itch to smooth it back. “Because in the end, you’re mine, fair and square.Hemight not be able to win them all, but I certainly can.”
I snorted. “Wow. Arrogant, much?”
“You love it,” he said.
“I do, actually. I loveyou.”
His half-smile shone. “And I love you, my dark lioness. So, where to?”
I raised my brows. “I get to decide?”
“Of course.”
“Fairmont.” I didn’t even have to think about it. “Your last territory. Your last accent.”
He caught my face in his hands and kissed me. “Excellent choice. And after that?”
“Hmm... Hightower, I think. I want to find Amryssa’s old tutor. Eliana deserves to know what happened here.”
He nodded. “And then?”
I shrugged. “Wherever you want.”
“Anywhere?”
“Anywhere.”
His brows burrowed together as he thought. “Gray’s Reach, perhaps? We could go to the theatre. We could go out drinking. We could do whatever we want.”
I gazed up into the infinite blue of his eyes, into the promise of endless possibility. “I’d like that,” I said.
Because this time, the offer sounded perfect.
1.
The night before Amryssa’s wedding, I readied her for bed as usual. Her groom hadn’t yet arrived, but already, dread clamped my lungs in a vise. He would come. By this time tomorrow, another monster would stalk the halls of this old house, and I...
Well, I would have to do something about that. Abouthim.
I tried to escape that awareness by bustling from one task to the next. I lowered the wick on Amryssa’s bedside oil lamp. Draped her nightgown across the foot of her bed. My movements flowed with the ease of familiarity, but tonight, even the careworn rituals failed to soothe me.
This knot in my belly had been tightening for months, ever since Amryssa’s father had agreed to marry her off to Elara’s youngest prince. To worsen matters, Prince Kyven would stay with us after the wedding. He’dlivehere.
A wave of nausea swelled in my throat.
“Harlowe.”
I yanked my gaze up. Over near the open window, Amryssa scanned the sky with pale eyes.
“What?” I said, unnerved by her tone. “What’s wrong?”
