Page 141 of Curse of Darkness
A swath of black velvet cups my breasts, though the panel of sheer mesh beneath it bares my stomach until it once again flows into midnight silk that cascades to the floor. Dozens of glittering gold beads shimmer in the fabric like a small galaxy, but it’s the chains that are hooked to my bodice and drape around my waist that catch the eye. The only thing holding the bodice together is the thin gold chains that hook onto the beaten gold circlet around my neck.
A sheer mesh cape spills from my shoulders. Amaya’s eyes went very wide when I walked out in the dress, and she grew a little quiet as Thalia set the golden diadem in my hair.
“Now this,” Thalia told her, “is adress. Every girl should know how to make an entrance at least once in her life, and in this world, sometimes the only way to survive is to look like you’d crush someone’s throat beneath your heel.”
Amaya’s nose wrinkled. “Is it comfortable?”
“Yes.” I paused to press a kiss to the top of her head. “As long as I don’t breathe.”
To which Thalia gave me an exasperated swat.
Thiago’s appreciation for the dress was another thing entirely. He couldn’t take his eyes off me from the moment I entered the Hallow to the moment we reappeared in the heart of the Askan Hallow. And that look saidI’m going to remove that dress with my teeth later.
Sometimes, letting Thalia dress me is worth it.
“We give welcome to Evernight,” Maren calls. “Let no blood be spilled in my court, nor any grievances aired beyond that which we are here for today. You are granted my offer of protection whilst beneath this roof.”
“Our thanks,” Thiago says.
Lucere sits stiffly beside her, arms resting upon the throne she’s been given. An enormous silver wolf-like creature lies at her feet, his eyes blinking open when we appear.
Baylor very slowly gives me a wink.
But it’s to my mother that my attention turns.
The red-and-gold livery of the Asturian delegation sends a shiver down my spine. A member of her gold-plated Deathguard stands on each side of her throne.
But it’s the expression Mother wears that makes my heart sink.
Flawless in what looks like liquid gold, her lip curls when she beholds me.
Any warmth she might have once greeted me with is gone. Nothing remains of the woman who occasionally rocked me to sleep. I am finally dead to her, and while it’s a relief in some ways, in other ways, I can’t help mourning the loss.
I have no mother.
Hard footsteps follow us.
Kyrian and his coterie of red-clad warriors.
He strolls into the room like a pirate fresh off the water. His long dark hair is bound back with a leather thong, and he wears a loose white shirt rolled up at the elbows beneath an open leather vest. Compared to the four queens in the room, he’s made precisely zero effort and his expression sayslet’s get this bullshit over with.
“Thiago,” he says, clapping hands with my husband and hauling him in for a hug. He mutters something in Thiago’s ear, giving him an extra squeeze, but I can’t quite hear it.
Then he turns to me.
“Your Majesty.” Kyrian actually leans down to press a kiss against my cheek. He pauses. “I’m sorry. For not being there for you when you needed me. Suffice it to say I was keeping trouble off your back.”
The words scrape something raw within me. Thiago’s back, but that feeling of standing alone—of the nights spent poring over maps trying to figure out how I was going to keep my people safe—rises like a lump in my throat.
“Thank you.” I squeeze his fingers.
Maybe it’s even an offering of peace between us.
Kyrian and I have never seen eye to eye. I know it’s not personal. He doesn’t believe in true love, nor in loyalty between lovers. But that’s his own flaw to deal with, not mine.
But he’s always said I’d be the death of Thiago, and in some ways, his prediction came true.
“Lucere.” He turns and gives a nod toward the young Queen of Ravenal as he prowls toward the seat set out for him. “Maren. Adaia.” This time he sounds bored. “Let’s get on with this… meeting.”
