Page 87 of Thief of Souls
The hardest part about managing this entire scenario is a certain handsome dragon.
I keep my thoughts close to my chest all day, dressing for the final ball, my skirts whispering around my ankles. Tomorrow is the wedding. It will all be over then.
Keir catches sight of me as I walk into our shared antechamber. The sight of those hungry, hungry eyes makes my stomach drop. I pleaded a headache this morning, but I know he can sense something is wrong.
“How are you feeling?” he murmurs, his gaze sliding slowly over me.
It’s not real.
It can’t be real.
I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Steal the horn. Break the curse. Betray….My thoughts eddy away into pathetic little undercurrents. It was so much easier when I hadn’t come to know him.
I like him. Too much.
I could love him, if I let myself.
“Nervous,” I admit, my voice barely more than a whisper. “Tomorrow is the last day we have up our sleeves in order to kill Mistmark, or else—”
“We’ll break the curse,” he growls, taking my hands between his and warming them. “I’ve been thinking about Belladonna. You’re right. I can’t kill her. And we can’t kill Mistmark—”
“Somewhat of a conundrum,” I point out.
“But we don’t have to,” he says slowly. “We just have to make itlooklike he dies.”
My heart goes still.
There’s a ringing silence in my ears.
“What do you mean?” I breathe the words out.
“I’m the Prince of Dreams. I can craft illusions so beautifully they almost seem real. Tomorrow, I’ll simply make it look like Mistmark dies, right in front of everyone. The second Belladonna breaks the curse she’s woven around you, the truth can be revealed.”
I tug my hands free. “Are you going to let Mistmark in on this secret? Or Falion?”
His jaw tightens and he gives an imperceptible shake of his head. “I cannot. They cannot know what sort of powers I have.”
And for him to wield them in front of the entire court is a huge risk.
“What if someone sees?” I hiss. “What if someone guesses what you are?”
“I’ll deal with that if the matter arises.”
“Keir,no. It’s too great a risk.”
“We don’t have another choice,” he says bluntly.
My mouth drops open, but… he’s right. The only other option is to kill Mistmark and—
Kill Mistmark. That’s it.
My stomach falls to my feet. Keir’s right. We just need it to look like Mistmark dies. And I need…. “Fine,” I force the word past my lips. “We’ll play it your way. An illusion to make it look like Mistmark is dead. Break the curse. And then we steal the horn.”
Keir gives a clipped nod and then offers me his arm. “One last ball. Are you ready?”
“For this to all be over.” I rest my hand on the muscled flex of his arm. “Yes.”
