Page 162 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
I finally turned around in his arms. I almost gasped at the expression on his face. His thunderous, murderous face, taut and enraged. Curiously, not at me, not from what I sensed from him; and his emotions were so plain and open right now, I could almost taste them. He directed all his rage at Valuta, for trying to take me away from him.
Underneath the shadows quickly crowding his gaze, I saw bottomless sadness. Then he blinked and it was gone.
Kill. Kill them now. Fuck the plan and kill them, the words hissed in my brain as if he’d spoken them. Maybe he had. I was so overwhelmed by the maelstrom, I could barely draw the line between our feelings.
“I guess freedom is tempting,” he growled. “It might bring you a satisfaction I clearly have not been able to.”
Oh, if he only knew the many, many ways he already satisfied me. And from the heated flashes he’d sent to my mind, he’d do it over and over and over again.
“You know what is truly satisfying?” I finally grinned up at him. I’d been dying to tell him all day. “That Valuta and Banu will leave us alone for the next few days thinking I can actually be bribed away from you. While they gather up all the gold and make all the plans, we can enjoy our little pre-wedding traditions without fearing they’ll somehow stick their noses in them. Or, you know, send another assassin.”
I was quite proud of myself, actually. I’d tried my hand at subterfuge at my first wedding and had failed miserably. Allie had seen through the lie with one touch.
But I hadn’t technically lied to Valuta. Ihadthought about her proposition–how absolutely ridiculous it was to even suggest something as meaningless as riches could sway me.
Zandyr blinked, still caught up in the storm raging inside him.
The longer he went without saying anything, the more doubts crept into my mind.
“I mean…” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I thought it was a good plan.Ifshe believed me. But she backed off right away and she sounded really satisfied with herself, so I think she did.”
Unless she sensed my plan and played along with it so I wouldn’t suspect her. Gods knew what went on in Banu and Valuta’s twisted minds.
Zandyr started breathing heavily, the veil of fury slowly lifting.
Finally, his lips twisted in a grin so wide, it turned infectious. “Look at you, being a master manipulator.”
My shoulders relaxed as I gave a small shrug. “I try.”
He sighed, the tension in his arms evaporating and anger vanishing, replaced with a light emotion. Happiness? “You had me worried there for a moment.”
“Worried? You feel like you’re about to go on a murderous rampage.”
“I did want to kill someone, yes. The one who tried to take you from me. That, I could never forgive,” he said, without a hint of remorse. His palms caressed my cheeks. “My little schemer. You truly are a menace, aren’t you?”
I fought to keep my shoulders from shimmying. I really was proud of myself. Allie and my cousins would be, too. I couldn’t wait to tell them when I got the chance; probably after the wedding. There was hope for me yet in the chaotic Clan world.
“There’s something else. They’re watching closely, she knows you call me menace. And…” I covered his left palm with my own, the pressure against my cheek delicious. “She tried to get into my mind. I don’t know what magic she spun, but I swear a part of me leaned into what she was saying. Against my will.”
His jaw tightened. “I have suspected it. Perhaps I’m giving too much credit to my parents, but I’d actually suspected there was magic involved to convince them not to banish Banu and Valuta. But their days as advisors are numbered. After I destroy everything they stand–”
He sucked in a breath, a vicious tremble rippling through his chest. The oath, making sure he stuck to it. At all costs.
My small hands gripped his shoulders, in case the oath tried to bring him down again. The fear of losing him swept through me. Even though I knew it was ridiculous. Even as his gaze cleared.
“I’m alright.” He huffed, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have made that promise before meeting you.”
His eyes bore into me, as if trying to access my very soul.
“Best if you don’t mention your deadly plans against the advisors.” Though he’d mentioned destroying them, not killing them. Mercy on his part, perhaps, though he didn’t seem to have a shred of it for Banu and Valuta now. His chest still swelled with agonizing breaths; I could feel his pain, even as he tried to hide it. “How did the gathering go?”
A perfect distraction.
Zandyr tensed underneath my fingers once more. “The Serpents are planning something. They found out the date of our wedding. Since their pettiness and stupidity know no bounds, I’m sure they’ll try to attack on that same day.”
“Another attack?” One wedding without a massacre, that’s all I wanted. And I really wantedthiswedding, as ridiculous as that idea would have sounded only a few weeks ago. But it was the inescapable truth. My parents would have hated it, but I couldn’t fight it.
“I’ve sent my armies at the border and my best fighters are already setting up traps. Nobody will attack our wedding,” he said, voice light. Perhaps too light and calm when talking about a potential bloodbath. “My mother would never forgive the Serpents for ruining her flower arrangements.”
