Page 21 of A Hunt So Wicked
“There you are!” Rivka’s smoky voice came from behind us, and both Kael and I turned to find her carefully cradling three glasses filled with bubbly alcohol. “Drinks?!” she asked, pushing a glass into each of our hands. “I propose a toast.”
Kael grinned at that, raising his glass. “What are we toasting?”
“Hmm,” she hummed. “That's a good question.” Her dark eyes scanned the room. “So many options…”
“Well, don't hurt yourself thinking about it, dear.” Kael joked.
Riv’s eyes flashed at the nickname. “Don't call me dear. Now hurry so I can wash out the taste of vomit with this alcohol.”
I laughed, loving everything about Riv and her personality. “I have a toast,” I started, lifting my glass. Kael and Riv followed my lead, and I cleared my throat. “To our beautiful realm. May our next rulers be as merciful and generous as our current ones. And to new friends!” I added, smiling.
“Here, here!” Riv shouted, clearly having already been enjoying the open bar. All three of us clinked our glasses together and downed every last drop. I was positive that wasn't appropriate for a lady to be doing, but the night was still fairly young. I had already been through enough, and I was ready to drink.
“Whatever this drink is,” Riv mused as she stared down into her empty glass, “it is bloody delicious!”
“I second that,” Kael declared, looking around the room and grinning when he spotted a server carrying a tray of full glasses. “Be right back. I'm going to get us a refill.”
“So,” Riv murmured as Kael disappeared through the chaos. “I saw you dancing with both Prince Torin and Prince Alasdair.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, and I rolled my eyes back at her. “What?!” she asked, throwing her hands up innocently. “All I'm saying is that your dance with Prince Torin looked a little saucy there at the end.”
I felt my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Damn that man. He's a scoundrel. That is not the way that I typically behave, whether in public or private! If any man thinks he's going to get close to me like that, he will have to work for it first. For many months.”
Riv boomed with laughter. “I knew I liked you,” she stated, bumping my shoulder with hers. I admired the room, which was much easier to do from the sidelines.
“Oh wow,” Riv said, shocked. “Look at our sweet little mouse out there. It seems she finally caught the attention of a man she was hoping to dance with.” She pointed through the crowd, and my eyes landed on Isla, currently smiling ear to ear as one of the Ekpen brothers spun her around like a princess.
“She would make a good ruler.”
“I think so, too,” Riv agreed. “Though she's so tender-hearted, I am concerned that she might be taken advantage of. So if Isla does win, she will need to have friends watching out for her, and I intend to do just that.”
I nodded. “I have the same worries. But I believe our realm is in dire need of someone with a pure heart. And Isla is the perfect person.”
“It may be difficult though,” Riv murmured after a moment, and I turned to her curiously. “All I mean is that she’s so… good.”
I focused on Isla. Her tan skin and deep brown eyes that were practically glowing with excitement… I hoped that if she did end up on a throne, she’d stay true to herself and that her kindness would infect those around her.
“Here we are, ladies,” Kael interrupted, squeezing between us and handing each of us another glass. “Oh, Goddess!” he exclaimed. “Is that a tray of giant shrimp?”
Riv whooped. “Aye, it is, and it’s got our names all over it.”
Kael raised an eyebrow at me in question, and I shook my head. “No, thank you. Shellfish isn’t my favorite if given the choice.”
The two of them frowned, looking somewhat disappointed. “Go, go!” I shooed them. “Go eat your shrimp. I'm just going to stand here and drink my drink while I people watch.”
“Only if you're sure—” Kael double checked.
“Please.” I waved them off. “Go.”
The two of them practically raced through the ballroom to get to the shrimp, and I giggled but stopped quickly. My corset was feeling tight, and unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to loosen it since it wasn’t tied in the back. If that weren’t the case, I could just let it out a smidge. But the designer of this gown was a monster who clearly had an obsession with buttons. My breasts were practically falling out, but I still couldn't take a deep breath. I sat my glass down and attempted to pull the dress to get it to stretch a bit around my armpits.
“Is everything okay, my lady?” a deep voice asked, and I quickly dropped my arms.
“Oh, yes! I'm sorry.” I found myself looking into a familiar set of green eyes with a slightly different face. He had the same olive skin as Dair, so this had to be his younger brother. His face was thinner, more youthful, but he was every bit as tall as his sibling.
He smirked, an expression that would have looked completely out of place on his older brother's more stoic face.
“I don't know why they insist on making these so tight,” I complained, vaguely concerned I was being a bit too candid with him, but I was here to break rules and shock people.
“Is there anything I can do?”
