My wolf urged me to bare my teeth, growl back, show this woman that I was just as capable as she was. For a moment, my wolf surged dangerously close to the surface—my skin prickled and my adrenaline surged with the desire to show dominance. It was close enough that Rona sensed it. She smirked.
But this was exactly the kind of woman I didn’t want to be. Angry and conniving, using my wolf to get what I wanted. I was a lady and I was going to act like one, even when my wolf wanted otherwise. She was so active internally, more demanding than she’d been in years.
Efra was bringing out the worst in me.
Before I could say anything in response, the door opened, and Lady Glennis stepped back inside. “Ladies,” she said.
The air in the room crackled with anticipation. The three other girls hurried to the table, setting their coffees down, and stood near Rona and me. My wolf settled back down, cowed by the knowledge of what was about to happen.
Lady Glennis stepped aside. The King of Frasia strode into the solarium.
He looked nicer than yesterday. If he’d been dressed like this, I would’ve known who he was. He wore fine dark trousers with a plain white shirt, but his full black cloak was gorgeous, lined in dark fur and embroidered in ivory and deep purple. He wore no crown, but his cloak was fastened with a fine silver and moonstone clasp in the shape of the crescent moon crest of Nightfall. His feet were bare on the stone floor.
We all curtsied delicately. When I lifted my gaze, the king’s eyes were on me. There was a small smirk playing on his lips as he watched me. Again my skin prickled under his attention— simultaneously wanting more of it and to get away. He exuded the same easy confidence he had in the hallway, except now I knew why.
“Good morning,” the king said. His voice was deep and rich, like dark chocolate. He removed his cloak and handed it to one of the guards. His white shirt did nothing to hide the curve of his muscles —even less so when he rolled the sleeves up to the forearms like he was about to go out into the stables for chores, instead of breakfast with his potential wives. He took his seat at the head of the table, and once he was seated, we joined him. Lady Glennis took her seat at the foot.
Servants rushed in, summoned the moment we sat down. They moved effortlessly, silently, setting our plates with a luxurious breakfast of eggs, sausage, dried fruit, crusty bread, rich butter, and coffee. We all sat with our hands in our laps, silent, until the king began to eat. Then the Lady Glennis. Only then did we five competitors begin as well.
I felt the tension heavy in the room, like we were eating beneath our own private guillotines. The king seemed as pleased as ever. He ate his food with gusto, and drank coffee from a different mug— which I assumed was because the delicate porcelain we used would shatter in his strong grip. He ate leaning back comfortably in his chair, casting his gaze around the table at the five of us like he was amused. His dark eyes kept darting back to me, over and over. I sipped my coffee. I found it hard to swallow around the tightness of anxiety in my throat.
Adora squared her shoulders, and then cut the silence with her bright, cheerful voice.
“Your Highness,” she said, “I’m so impressed by the royal gardens in Efra. The climate is harsh
but the grounds are beautiful. I spent some time with the gardener yesterday learning about Nightfall’s unique cultivation techniques. It’s quite lovely.”
“Did you now?” the king asked, with a small smirk on his face. It was almost patronizing—like he was interacting with a small child instead of a grown woman.
“Yes, he introduced me to your rose hybrids. Even pruned a few myself.”
The king hummed a wordless affirmative. With the silence broken, Wynona found her voice, too, launching into a discussion of the pack’s training grounds. The king regarded her with the same mild interest. None different than the other. At the foot of the table, Lady Glennis looked almost irritated with him.
“And the library, Your Highness!” Fina said with delight. “The library here is amazing. Lady Reyna nearly had to drag me out of there.”
“Did she?” the king asked. His face broke into a wider smile. “Lady Reyna, did you find anything of interest in the library?” My cheeks heated.
The king took a sip of his coffee. Over the rim of his mug, his eyes gleamed and flashed gold.
What kind of game was he playing here? What reaction did he want? I felt like a butterfly pinned to a board under his eyes. Part of me wanted to make a sharp-tongued remark, while my wolf wanted to roll over and bare her belly. Would it be better to acknowledge what had happened or pretend it never did? What did he want from me? What would be best for my court? I couldn’t risk offending the king further—if he wanted to prove a point, he could punish me, or my pack. If the king decided to take over Daybreak, there was no way we could stand against his soldiers. We were a merchant pack. We had soldiers, sure, but nothing like the armored wolves of Nightfall.
My tongue felt too big for my mouth. I’d tried so hard to be ladylike through all of this. And now I felt stuck, like I didn’t know how to behave at all.
“I spent my day with Duchess Alana,” Rona interjected.
The king’s eyes widened, then narrowed, but Rona didn’t seem to notice. The duchess was the king’s mother, who would be stepping down when the king chose a bride.
“She’s a lovely woman,” Rona said. “We embroidered together and enjoyed some striking conversation. She’s even more impressive in person. I was quite honored to be in her presence, and she even invited me to join her for tea again tomorrow.”
Rona looked inordinately pleased with herself as she talked up Duchess Alana more—her embroidery skills, her fine tea sets, her knowledge of Frasian civic matters. “The duchess seems to think the Dawnguard pack needs to develop newer training techniques—”“Speaking of techniques,” Wynona interrupted with a cool glare, “Your Highness, how are the affairs of the Nightfall military?”The king hummed thoughtfully. I realized Wynona was the first contestant to ask the king a question. And it seemed like she’d asked the right one, from the way the king began to speak casually about his plans for developing the Nightfall troops. Lady Glennis watched him carefully as he did so, as if waiting for him to let some confidential information slip. But the king was a skilled conversationalist himself—he seemed to be discussing the intricacies of the military without actually saying anything of detail. It was hard to focus on. These were matters I had no hand in within the court of Daybreak. I couldn
His smirk turned to a grin, and he raised his eyebrows at me briefly, almost playfully, before he turned and strode away down the hall. He left me dumbfounded, standing in the hallway like my shoes were nailed into the floor.“The most interesting thing here.” I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or a threat.6The next day, mid-morning, I was seated in a hard-backed chair against the stone wall of a narrow corridor. The ceilings were high, and the stained-glass windows were thankfully uncovered, letting sunlight sluice into the room. It was gorgeous, but so, so quiet, and neither I nor the two other contestants seated next to me were looking forward to what was behind that ornately carved wooden door.It slammed open. Rona strode out, her hands balled into fists at her side. She swore colorfully as she passed us, eyes blazing with fury.“Guess it didn’t go well,” Fina murmured next me.Rona left the hallway and Lady Glennis stepped out of the room with her trademark notebook in th
“Just fine,” Fina said. “Not my strongest area, of course, but I doubt the council members know how to rotate a field to keep it producing properly all year. We all have our strengths.” She linked an arm through mine. “Listen, we have the rest of the afternoon off while the council is doing their important deliberations, and I want to go into town. I need to see the dressmaker.” She sipped her coffee. “Not want. Need. I did not bring enough warm clothes for this climate.” I laughed. “I don’t know, that seems like it might be a bit of an ordeal…” “Adora, will you go?” Fina asked.“Of course,” Adora said. “The town square is beautiful in the snow.”“Come on, Reyna,” Fina said. “There’s a bookstore.” She grinned at me.That got my attention. Adora must’ve seen it on my face, too, because she broke into a laugh.“Fine, fine,” I said. “I’ll go. I’d like to see what kind of work the tailors do here, anyway.”“Right?” Fina said. “We have to learn about our potential new kingdom. Let’s finish
The assistant’s head barely reached Camille’s waist. He swept into a low bow, then disappeared behind the curtain, and reappeared with a bottle and three glasses. He guided us to a low couch by the mirrors, then poured us each a glass of fine red wine.“Wow,” I said, settling back into the couch. “This is lovely.”“Thank you,” Camille said. “I received notice from the court that you may be joining me, so I did want to prepare a nice experience for you.” Fina sipped her wine. “Experience?”“I’d like to show you some of the designs I have to offer,” she said. “Then we can discuss fabrics, detailing, changes, et cetera, et cetera. All the things that make a lady’s wardrobe her own.”In Daybreak, the tailors made my clothes for me without much input. I wasn’t given such freedom like this—freedom to choose and make changes. Excitement swelled in my chest.“The Court of Nightfall will be covering the costs, as well,” Camille said. “So please choose anything you like. The king made that very
I nodded in understanding. If the Fae had come again, something in the land was changing. But unlike Camille, I wasn’t sure this was a good thing. Drogo’s reign had not ended well for him—I couldn’t imagine that the king’s would, either. The Fae’s return was an omen, but not necessarily a good one.“Well,” I said, “I’m delighted to hear it.”Camille smiled politely at me. She seemed almost disappointed that I hadn’t offered her more of a reaction.As Micah took Fina’s measurements, Adora looked more and more distraught.“I just can’t decide!” she said. “I love the neckline on this gown, but the hem length on this one.And I’d prefer silk, but then it must be lined for the cold weather—and what about this fine jacket!” “We can combine elements, milady,” Camille said. “You have a good eye for this kind of work.What are you envisioning?”“Pardon me,” I said as I stood up. “Adora, do you mind if I pop over to the bookstore?”“Oh!” Adora smiled warmly at me. “No, not at all—we’ll meet you
“All right,” Rue whispered. “Try to have a little fun.”I swallowed. Amity and Rue had an idea of how nervous I am, but I couldn’t really put words to the anxiety itching in my chest as I steeled myself. This wasn’t just the other competitors—this was the entire Court of Nightfall.Amity pushed the door open.The formal dining room was enormous, with immense stained-glass windows half-covered with plush velvet curtains. It was lit with torches lining the walls, and four crystal chandeliers glimmered overhead. The long table in the center of the room was set with fine porcelain place settings, but the guests were lingering around the room with glasses of wine, while finely dressed servants drifted among them with platters of hors d’oeuvres.I would’ve considered this to be a fine dinner, if it weren’t for the guards posted at the doors and near the dais at the end of the hall and pacing around the perimeter. These guards weren’t the leatherclad men I’d seen in the solarium and at the g
The man speaking tilted his head curiously. “I was asking you about the well-being of your Lord in Daybreak,” he said. “Since I am the ambassador to Daybreak and know him well myself.”“Oh!” The whiplash made my head spin. “Of course. You’re Lord…”“Skorupski,” he said. “Niles Skorupski.”“Of course!” I said again. “Lord Skorupski. It’s wonderful to see you again.”The Lord looked put-out. It was clear I hadn’t recognized him at all—even though we’d almost certainly done business in the Daybreak court.“Ice Princess,” Rona hissed under her breath.A scowl flickered over my features before I was able to steel my face back into neutrality. I felt so frazzled and rough around the edges, so unlike the carefully self-managed lady I was used to being in Daybreak. Something about being in Efra was making me too sensitive, too reactive. I had to get myself under control.The rest of dinner passed in a pleasant haze. The food was good, the wine delicious, and the conversation boring but still
“I expected,” the king continued, “that you might behave more like those two. Meeting people.Learning how things work in my pack.”Over his shoulder, Rona and Wynona were sneering at each other. Rona had a court member on her arm, headed to the dance floor, and Wynona, despite standing next to a councilmember, looked like she was a breath away from shifting and lunging at Rona.“Ah, Your Highness,” Fina said, “we were only—”“Your Highness,” I cut in as my irritation grew, “would you rather we posture for dominance on the dance floor like those two?”“Perhaps I would,” the king said.“To think that Ladies of the Court would behave so childishly would be to insult our lineage,” I said curtly.At my side, Adora inhaled sharply through her nose. My wolf whined internally, as my instincts fought my mind yet again.The king made a low sound in his chest, somewhere between a growl and a laugh. The hair on my arms stood on end. He leaned closer and his eyes flashed gold—for a moment I thoug