From what Blaze told Emma of the boy, he’d been skin and bones. Already she noted his cheeks were beginning to round.
She spied the same long, white box on Breanna’s bed, the bow untouched.
“You already have a dress,” she pointed out.“And I don’t know anyone either. We can go together. And at least when your little guy has had enough, you have a reason to bow out. He’s a baby. Everyone loves babies. You’ll be the life of the party.”
Breanna laid Isaac down in his crib with practiced care, then smoothed the stray strands of chestnut-brown hair that had escaped from her messy bun.
“I’ll sit here with him; you go have a nice hot shower,” Emma offered.“I’m sure you’ll feel differently once you’ve gotten cleaned up.”
Breanna opened her mouth, as if to respond, then sighed heavily. Emma noticed the flicker of unease in the mother’s eyes.
“I promise he’ll be perfectly safe,” she added gently.
“Okay, I’ll just be a minute. Come get me if he starts to cry.”
She shooed Breanna into the bathroom. “Take your time. You deserve this.”
Once the door closed, Emma peered over the rail of the crib at the sleeping child. She distanced herself from Isaac while collecting the half-full bottles of milk and carried them across the now-empty foyer, around the corner, and down the hall, into the commercial-grade kitchen sink where they could be sanitized. Then she hurried back, knocking straight into Blaze’s chest when she turned into the foyer.
“Ah! I’m sorry!” She quickly backed away.
Blaze’s lips tilted up, hinting at a smile. No doubt recalling the other dozen or so times she’d run into him.“How’s the girl?”
“I’m watching Isaac so Breanna can have a minute alone. I was just taking the bottles to the kitchen to be washed.”
Blaze nodded.“Good. She needs friends.”
Emma followed suit and nodded as well.“Well, I should get back in case Isaac wakes up. I’m supposed to be watching him.”
“Okay,” Blaze said.“I’ll see you this evening.”
He turned and strode away without waiting for Emma to reply, and she scurried back to the room before Breanna could think Emma had left for good.
Breanna came out of the steam-filled room twenty minutes later, looking refreshed and cheerful. “I think I will go to the party. But only if you walk in with me.”
“Of course,” Emma said, smiling.
When Breanna finally opened the box, she gasped. Emma rushed to her side, immediately taking in the stunning floorlength grey dress, covered entirely with glittering crystals. Even Emma’s heart stumbled in her chest, taking in the elegant, extravagant gown.
Beneath it was a tiny black suit fit for a baby. Emma smiled.
And at the very bottom was a notecard. Breanna picked it up and flipped it over.
“What does it say?” Emma asked, feeling an unexpected pang of jealousy. Her dress had been beautiful but there had been no note card on the glittery tissue paper at the bottom of the box.
Breanna flushed from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her ears.“It’s from Dominic.”
Emma blinked, taking the card that Breanna offered for her to inspect. She’d expected it to be from Blaze, and something like relief flowed through her at confirming the signature at the bottom. An elegant scrawling script covered the notecard that read,
Breanna, Please accept these garments as a token of goodwill and best wishes. I hope both you and your son will attend tonight’s festivities.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Dominic Emma tried to stifle her giggle but was unsuccessful. The color drained from Breanna’s face, and Emma fell into abrupt silence. When the girl began to tremble, Emma wrapped her arms around her. And softly, Breanna dissolved into tears in Emma’s arms.
Whatever horrors she’d suffered at the hands of men, it was clear she wasn’t ready to receive another’s attentions.
Emma made a note to speak to Blaze about it while she rubbed the girl’s back until her sobs ceased.“I don’t really know Dominic, but I know his friend, Blaze. He trusts Dominic and I sincerely doubt he would if the guy was untrustworthy.”
Breanna nodded, wiping away her tears. “It’s fine, I just…I have a hard time trusting men.” She gave Emma a forced smile.
Emma nodded. “I get it. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
Breanna shook her head, squaring her shoulders.“No, I want to go. I can’t live my entire life afraid to go outside. If you say I’m safe here, then I believe you.”
Her heart warmed at the small token of trust the girl bestowed to her.“I’m glad. And I’ll stay with you the whole time. You’ll have fun.”
Breanna nodded, biting her bottom lip as she turned to face the dress, wearing an expression fit for battle. And for her, it likely was.
When both girls were dressed and ready—along with Isaac, whom Emma had to admit looked adorable in his little suit— they headed out together. A symphony guided them through the enormous house. People filtered in and out of the elegant ballroom awash in white. Smiling faces filled the room and couples danced.
Long tables were draped with crisp white tablecloths. Strings of crystals hung from the high ceiling, drenching the room with refracted light. Everywhere they looked, crystal vases held red-tipped white roses—an odd splash of color that reminded Emma of blood on snow and made her stomach flip. One glance at Breanna told Emma she was thinking something similar.
Many noticed their approach and stopped to look at them both. Emma felt naked in her formfitting green gown, its back sweeping along the marble tile.
“Very…extravagant,” Breanna commented quietly, trying to ignore the onlookers as she gently bounced Isaac, who had begun to squirm.
Emma didn’t respond. She scanned the crowd, and her eyes landed on the tall man with dark hair artfully swept back, dressed in a tux. His grey-blue eyes were already on her, though his face remained expressionless, making her heart throb painfully in her chest. He was exquisitely handsome. Too handsome for this world, she thought.
Beside him, equally well dressed and built just as impressively as Blaze, was his blond-haired, blue-eyed friend, Dominic. He, too, was strikingly handsome, in a mob-boss sort of way. Unlike Blaze, he smiled, his eyes fixed on Breanna in her stunning, sweeping dress. Emma felt the urge to step in front of her new friend, to defend her.
He made his way through the throng of Giborim, and when Breanna spotted him, she took a step back.
“Hey,” Emma said, calling the girl’s attention back to her. “No one in this room would dare try to hurt you. Least of all, him.” She gestured to Dominic, who was closing the distance between them rapidly. As if he sensed that Breanna was about to bolt.
Breanna swallowed, taking deep, steadying breaths. Internally, Emma wanted to find whoever had hurt the girl so badly and tear them to pieces.
“Breanna.” Dominic breathed her name like a prayer as he flourished into a deep bow that made her blink in stunned fascination.“You make that dress shine.”
His head-to-toe assessment of her was not exaggerated or inappropriate, but still Breanna blushed fiercely.
“And what a handsome wee man.” Dominic bent over and stroke Isaac’s hand. Immediately the babe’s face lit up with wide eyes, and an even wider smile.
Breanna let out a breathy laugh. “He smiled,” she said, astonished.
“Children tend to like me for some reason,” Dominic commented.
Emma snorted a laugh just as Blaze said from behind them, “Because you’re a big, soft teddy bear, Dom.”
Dominic’s supple lips quirked into a grin. “That’s all true,” he admitted, before leaning close to Breanna and whispering conspiratorially,“Except the soft part.”He smacked his fist against his chest like a gorilla, and Emma rolled her eyes.“Rock. Solid.”
Emma glared at both men after taking in Breanna’s pale face. “We’re going to go get drinks now,” she
said loudly.
Dominic looked ready to follow, but Blaze caught his arm and gave a sharp shake of his head. Emma offered a grateful smile to Blaze then led Breanna to a table tucked in the corner. Before one of the servers could come take their order, Emma swiped two flutes of water from a passing tray and offered one to Breanna. She mumbled a thank you before tipping the glass back and draining it.
“You don’t have to, but one day, will you tell me what happened? I mean, I can guess…” Emma heaved a sigh. “I just mean, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here.”
Breanna nodded.“Thank you.”
Emma gave her a small smile in return. She wouldn’t push, but should she ever get a name, she’d make sure that the man who had hurt Breanna never took another breath without great pain and effort.
Breanna’s complexion steadily improved, especially when no one else bothered them. Emma convinced her to dance a little at the edge of the group when the symphony played an upbeat tune; the others moved to it in some sort of organized choreography that reminded her of the times she and her mother had watched Pride and Prejudice. Breanna bobbed and swayed with Isaac, who had fallen asleep again, and the girls laughed at themselves for being so wildly out of step.
Dominic approached when the tempo switched to a slow, beautiful melody.“May I dance with you, Krasivaya?”
“Um—I—my—” Breanna stammered, looking down at the sleeping infant.
“I’ll hold him if you want,” Emma offered, holding out her arms. To Dominic she snapped, “Do not touch her unless she gives you permission.”
He smiled. “I promise.” Turning back to Breanna, he said, “Just one dance?”
Breanna worried her bottom lip, then slid Isaac into Emma’s awaiting arms. Dominic offered his hand to help her to her feet. She glanced from it to Emma with rapidly increasing breaths.
When Dominic’s smile faltered, he offered his elbow instead. “Truly, I mean you no harm, draga.”
Breanna’s throat bobbed. She hesitated for only a moment longer before taking it.
His answering smile could have illuminated the entire room; he wore it all the way to the center of the dance floor.
When they turned to face each other, Emma watched as Dominic lifted his hand. There was no hesitation this time. Breanna slid her hand into his, placing her other on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around the middle of her back, keeping nearly a foot of space between them, then whispered something to her when she visibly tensed. She relaxed slightly before he began sweeping her around the room in a graceful dance.
Emma smiled, taking Isaac back to the table where she sat, holding the peaceful bundle. But when she looked at the child, the face of a small girl with blond curls flashed in her mind, replaced with nearly a dozen other little faces contorted in pain. Her smile vanished and she swallowed down the bile burning her throat. Suddenly, she wasn’t sure she could continue to hold the baby without passing out or throwing up.
But Breanna looked almost at ease. She didn’t so much as glance in Emma’s direction, staring into Dominic’s eyes, enraptured by the man’s ethereal beauty, just as Emma was with Blaze.
When the first song ended, they didn’t let go of each other. The walls Breanna had erected ten stories high around her heart were coming down, brick by brick.
“I think your momma is going to be just fine,” Emma whispered to the slumbering babe.“And maybe I will be too.”
Axel and Emerelda paraded around the room, the latter clutching his arm like a lovesick puppy while the former barely took his eyes off her.When they came to Emma’s table, Emerelda smiled brightly, thanking her for coming to the party. Up close, Emma noticed Axel’s eyes looked a little bloodshot. Dark smudges lined his eyes. He almost looked tired…or sick. Did Giborim get sick?
A commotion outside the doors drew Emma’s attention, especially when she heard Blaze’s voice.
“Uncle, for the last time, I will not discuss this with you. Not now, not ever. Now excuse me.”
Emma rose from the chair, careful not to wake Isaac, and peered into the corridor.
Silas called after him, “The girl is only here because her powers are the edge we need in this war. But it’s clear from that display at the meeting and how she refuses to tell us anything that she is not on our side. You were supposed to be charming her, but what have you been doing, eh?”
Emma’s heart froze in her chest.
Blaze stood at least ten feet away from his uncle, looking furious. His fists were clenched at his sides and his bowtie was undone and loose around his neck. Silas’s back was facing her, but his spine was rigid.
“I’ve done everything you’ve asked, Uncle. She does trust me.”
“But do you trust her, nephew?” Silas asked.
The beat of silence was too much. Emma turned before either one of them spotted her just as Breanna, smiling wide, skipped back to the table, Dominic in tow. Wordlessly, Emma gave Isaac back to his mother, then fled the ballroom.
The hall was mercifully empty, Blaze and Silas nowhere in sight, and Emma didn’t have to contain the tears that filled her eyes, blurring her vision.
The kisses, the smiles, everything. It was all a lie. A ruse to get her to fight in their stupid supernatural war.
Another betrayal. Another lie.
And she had fallen for it yet again. First with Rowek, who charmed her into trusting him before revealing that he was actually Levaroth, and now this. When she reached her door, she slammed it shut behind her, making sure both locks were secured. Her tears fell hot and fast down her face, nearly causing her to miss the item sitting on her bed.
A trickle of ice spread through her veins at the sight of the crown. It was very Christlike, an arrangement of thorny brambles and red roses. Beautiful and horrible all at once.
It pulled her closer. Her arms lifted, reaching for the crown, even though her mind was screaming at her to stop. But she couldn’t.
Her fingers felt the sharp jabs of thorns piercing her skin when she lifted the crown. Her body shook, fighting the mark’s power over her. With jerky movements, Emma pulled the crown onto her head. It bit at her scalp and tangled in her hair.
Tears flowed faster from the pain. Her feet moved again, carrying her across the room, and stopping in front of a mirror.
Hot trickles of blood ran from her fingertips and her head, one trailing between her brows. A sob broke from Emma’s chest.
All at once the invisible force holding her in place vanished, causing her shoulders to sag in relief. Emma shakily pulled the crown from her head just as the solid object gave way in her grasp, crumbling through her fingers. It dissolved into ashes that rained down the rug and arranged itself into words by an invisible current of icy air that brushed along her ankles, sending goose bumps up her body.
Emma watched transfixed as the words took shape.
I told you you’d look good in a crown.
11
Blaze
At just after midnight Blaze found himself standing outside Emma’s door yet again. His night had not been a success in any respect.
Emerelda, in her usual high-maintenance fashion, had screeched about the decorations until everything was glittering and sterile white, save for the red-dipped roses. A gruesome choice, he thought, but his brother hadn’t protested. Axel had followed his bride-to-be around, catering to her every whim and calming her when he could. Even after people began to arrive, Emerelda had still found things to complain about.
He’d been happy to see Breanna out of her room and seeming to enjoy herself. Even more surprisingly was that his friend, Dominic, had taken such an interest in her. For all her nervousness and hesitation around him, she’d let him lead her around the ballroom floor and Blaze had caught her smiling once or twice.
He’d wanted to ask Emma to dance, but between keeping things running smoothly and the unwelcome confrontation with his uncle over the usual topic, Emma had disappeared before he could ask her. It struck him as odd that she’
d left without him noticing. She always seemed to be slipping out from under his radar these days.
Shortly after he’d rejoined the festivities, the “happy couple” were seen shouting at each other in the hall. Well, Emerelda had been doing the shouting. Axel had looked as if he wasn’t hearing a single word, though he nodded and muttered apologies that were grossly out of character for him. The purple smudges of exhaustion under his eyes had deepened in the course of four days, making his eyes look sunken. His skin had a light sheen of sweat, making him appear ill, and his usual arrogant, joking disposition was absent.
Perhaps it was wedding nerves. Or maybe he’d changed his mind about marrying her. Blaze couldn’t understand why his brother was desperate to marry Emerelda when he already looked so miserable. It was customary for a wedding to bring out the worst in people; add in an impending war, and both of their behaviors seem a little more excusable.
Axel loves her , he’d reminded himself. And she loves him, even if she doesn’t always show it.
At least Blaze hoped she did.
Though he wanted to go find Emma, he had pulled his brother aside and into the brisk wintry night, away from listening ears.
“Are you certain this is what you want? Wouldn’t you rather wait to marry after the war, when you can give her the big, perfect wedding she wants?” Blaze asked.
Axel frowned, swaying as though he’d had too much to drink.
“Are you unwell, brother?”
“Quit asking me that,” he’d snapped, gripping Blaze’s lapels without any real show of strength.“I need you to be supportive of me and my future wife,” he hissed, breath smelling of mint and other herbs.“Yes, she is a perfectionist and wants everything handled a certain way, but once this is all over she’ll be back to her cheery self. Okay?”
Nodding, he’d removed Axel’s bony fingers, excusing himself. In the foyer, he caught sight of Breanna, cradling a sleeping Isaac, looking brighter than he’d seen her in her glittering gown that flowed down her supple curves and pooled onto the marble tile.
Her back was against the wall, but there was no sign of her usual rigidity. Dominic stood just to the side of her, propping himself up against the wall with a hand by her head, their faces less than a foot apart.
The Throne of Broken Bones (Weapon of Fire and Ash Book 3) Page 9