by Megan Linski
As we crossed to the dance floor, Ethan put a hand on my hip. I placed my free hand on his shoulder and noticed how strong it felt. I ran my fingers over the muscles there, enjoying the feel of his broad stance. I wanted to run my hand in other places… down his chest, and his arms, and the front of his pants, but I denied myself the pleasure. Reputation was everything around here, and I couldn’t be seen feeling up Ethan in the middle of a ball, even though we were proclaimed to be mated.
Ethan looked every part a prince. I’d never seen a man look so attractive as he did in his court uniform. His eyes gleamed, and his mouth was set in a slight smirk that was… for lack of a better term… really fucking hot.
He was incredibly handsome. It was almost enough to make me fall for him.
Almost.
It was nice having a dance partner who actually knew how to dance for a change. Most of the other goons back home couldn’t do much of anything besides fist-pump. As Ethan swept me around the dance floor, I resisted the urge to press my body against his.
I wanted to take in all of him. I didn’t care about his missing leg. I just wanted to see him.
I hadn’t overlooked the fact that he’d chosen to serve Luka, the Thief God. Luka was the god of peasants. Ethan did have a commitment to serve the people. It was honorable. It stirred something in me I didn’t know was there before.
Things were different between us now. Ever since he’d asked me to be his partner for the Contest, we’d gone from just friends to something more.
Yes. Everything had changed.
“You have the nicest dress at the party,” Ethan whispered in my ear. His lips brushed against my neck as he said it, and I shivered. Right now, all I could think about was how badly I wanted Ethan to rip this dress off.
My heart ached when I remembered the Phantom. But that couldn’t be helped. I’d chosen to let him go. I was Ethan’s now.
And dammit if I didn’t want him to fuck me on this dance floor in front of all these snobs.
“I hope I have the nicest dress,” I managed to joke. “It certainly wasn’t cheap.”
“Of course not. You deserve only the best.” Ethan spun me around before he put his hand on the small of my back and drew me closer.
I gulped. Uh-oh. This was getting a little intense.
“You remind me of an ice princess,” Ethan whispered. “Like a queen out of a fairy tale.”
He was really laying on the flattery. Bonus points for him trying to stir up the romance when he knew I’d given up my one chance at true love for him.
Oh, well. Like I said before, I could’ve done worse than a prince.
The other couples began to join us on the dance floor. Many of the other contestants were dancing respectfully, but Elijah and Gabby were clearly making the whole thing about themselves. They waltzed around in an elaborate way that took up most of the room and drew unneeded attention.
Gabby had chosen to wear a red dress that had a high-neck collar with black lace around the corset, along with a red cape that swept off her shoulders and trailed behind her. She looked like a fucking evil queen, and played the part all too well. Elijah wore a tuxedo of all black to match his dark heart.
Gabby sneered at me as Ethan and I spun past. It took everything in me to hold myself back and not rip her hair out.
Screw Gabby. My gown was prettier, and probably more expensive. My mother had spent over a grand on it. Mom told me she’d taken part in the King’s Contest, too, alongside Ethan’s dad. She’d helped him win.
But after she’d made sure he was crowned king, she picked Anastazy. Could I do the same? Could I break the vow I made to Ethan after I put him on the throne, and resume my search for the Phantom?
With one look at Ethan’s face, I knew I couldn’t. He looked so happy. I couldn’t break his heart. Not even for love.
As the dance ended, there was applause. Lord Lucien had shown up. He put a hand on Ethan’s arm and said, “I beg your pardon, but Steward Soloman and some other members of the Circle request your presence.” Lord Lucien took a glance at me. “You look very lovely, Emma.”
“Thank you,” I replied. Lord Lucien appeared very charming himself, his long hair slicked back. He was very attractive for an older man.
Ethan turned to me. “Will you be all right while I deal with dreadful matters of state? I don’t want to drag you into the boredom.”
“I’ll be fine. Go,” I told him. Ethan walked off with Lucien, and I took the opportunity to go look for the girls. I found them gossiping by the statue of an alicorn. The boys were nowhere to be seen.
“Where did everyone go?” I asked as I broke into the circle.
“Well, in Stefan’s words, he went to go find some ale that doesn’t taste like horse piss,” Delmare said.
“What about Alexei?” I asked.
“He’s hiding from Kiara,” Delmare whispered. Kiara smacked her on the arm, and Delmare snickered wickedly.
“He has no reason to hide from me,” Kiara said. “I’ve done nothing.”
“Except give him a hard-on!” Odette peeped, and she covered her mouth with her hands. Delmare held her gut as she bent over laughing.
Kiara scowled. “Everything is about dicks with you girls.”
“Is there anything else to talk about?” Delmare glanced at me. “Where’s princey-pie?”
“Talking to some boring old people, most likely,” I said. A couple of people were watching me. I turned my back to them and asked, “How’s the public reception going?”
“You’re not very well liked, I can tell you that much,” Kiara said. “The gossip going around is… to be desired.”
“Like I give a shit what a bunch of stuffed shirts say about me,” I hissed. They didn’t know a thing about me.
“Either way, you and Ethan have fallen to last place for favorites,” Kiara said. “Well, almost last. Elijah and Gabby sunk to the bottom once they announced their allegiance to Droga.”
I glanced at the demonic couple themselves, but if they had fallen out of favor with the public, it didn’t seem like it bothered them. They laughed and beamed at diplomats as if they were the public’s first choice.
“Why are you even here, anyway?” Delmare broke in. “A few weeks ago, you acted like you and Ethan being together was impossible.”
“We’re not together. This is an arrangement out of mutual benefit,” I said under my breath.
“That sounds romantic.” Delmare snorted.
“It doesn’t have to be. It’s practical.” I sounded like Ethan. Gods, he was already getting to me.
“But we thought that you’d already found your mate?” Kiara asked.
“Yeah. You said that you were mated to the Phantom?” Odette said, placing a hand on her hip.
I sighed, and played with the end of my braid. “I am. But I don’t think he’s ever going to come for me. I got tired of waiting.”
“Ah. So you chose to become a gold digger instead. I approve,” Delmare said, raising her glass in a toast.
“It’s not like that!” I burst. My voice came out louder than I intended. Several people looked our way, and I dropped my tone a few octaves. “Ethan and I… there’s something there, but I don’t know what it is. Maybe I just I want him in my pants, I don’t know.”
“At least you finally admit it,” Delmare said.
“I think it’s more than that,” Kiara said. “You two… you look at each other in a way I’ve never seen before.”
When Kiara said that, a glow bloomed in my chest and radiated throughout my entire being. It passed through my stomach and limbs, gleamed from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. It made me feel warm, as if being encompassed in a loving embrace. It was… unexpected to say the least.
“Do you really think that’s true?” I whispered.
“Well, how do you feel about him?” Odette asked. The girls’ inquisitive eyes bore into me.
I tapped my chin for a moment. “I’ve never thought about it before. Bu
t if I guess I had to put it into words… I wake up every morning thinking of him. And he’s the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. I feel like he replaces something in me I didn’t even know was missing. When he’s there, I’m happy, and when it’s not, it feels like… like nothing matters.”
Kiara and Delmare’s gazes were wide. Odette made a pshing sound and waved her hand. “That’s nothing,” she piped up. “I feel that way about Theo!”
Awkward. Kiara, Delmare and I knew what Odette was admitting, but I don’t think Odette realized it herself.
It was at that moment the classical music changed, and modern dance music began flooding out of enchanted speakers that hovered over the dance floor.
“Ooh, I love this song!” Odette piped. She skipped away, presumably to dance by herself in a very twirling, ballerina manner.
As Odette left, I turned to the other girls. “How long do you think it’s going to take before Odette realizes that Theo is her mate?”
“That girl? Never.” Delmare snorted.
“Poor Theo.” I searched the room for the alicorn himself. For as much lecturing as Theo had given Stefan on keeping sober, the alicorn shifter was swaying on his feet, continuing to down glasses of champagne.
“Why doesn’t he just tell her?” I asked. “He certainly knows they’ve bonded, even if she hasn’t figured it out.”
“Don’t get involved in another mated pair’s business, Emma,” Delmare said wisely. “It only leads to trouble. Besides, you need to focus on making a good impression tonight.”
“Putting on a performance, you mean.” Ethan had been parading me around like a show poodle since the Choosing began. Not that I didn’t like being on his very brawny arm. It was nice to be showed off and made to feel like I was someone to envy.
“Yes! It’s all an act. It can’t be that different from ice skating,” Delmare said.
“It’s really not.”
A shadow fell over me from behind. I figured it was Gabby, and took in a breath so I could give her a piece of my mind.
Kiara and Delmare gasped at the same time, ducking into low curtsies. “My queen!” Kiara exclaimed. I whirled around— my mouth fell open at the sight of the woman in front of me.
It was Ethan’s mother, Queen Antonia. She was wearing a dark navy gown, her dark hair fashioned into an elaborate updo that was woven around a silver crown at least ten inches in height. I didn’t know how she kept upright with that gigantor thing on her head. It looked like if she nodded, she’d fall over.
“Emmaline. So wonderful to meet you,” Queen Antonia said, though she didn’t make it sound wonderful at all. More like water torture.
“My queen.” I forced myself to get a grip and curtseyed as well, though not as low as the others. It was probably clumsy and American, because the queen sniffed as I rose to my full height.
“So this is your court,” she said. Her gaze roamed over my ladies in waiting. I could tell she disapproved of their outfits, though I wasn’t sure what she thought about mine. “Charming.”
I gulped. The queen turned slightly and said, “I request a moment with you, Emmaline. Privately.”
Like I could refuse. I clasped my hands in front of me to stop them from shaking as Queen Antonia led me out of the ballroom and into the hall. We entered into a parlor, where the very walls looked like they were made of gold.
It hit me just how much money Ethan had. Just how powerful his family was. How powerful he was.
I’d failed to see him like that at school, because he didn’t act like a prince there. He just seemed like my friend. Like any other average guy.
Now I realized he was so much more. What the hell was I doing here? I didn’t belong here. I didn’t belong at Ethan’s side. I could never fit into a royal lifestyle like this. The most I could do was pretend.
Queen Antonia shut the door behind her and faced me. “Forgive me for taking my son away from you. There was no other way.”
It took seconds to piece something together very quickly. Steward Soloman hadn’t requested Ethan’s presence at all. That was just a distraction so the queen could get me alone.
The Circle might be the ruling body in Malovia, but it was clear who really ran the show.
“Let me be frank,” Queen Antonia said. She took a slow step toward me, and gods, it freaked me out more than any monster I’d ever seen. “You were not my first choice for my son’s wife. You weren’t the second. In fact, you weren’t even on the list.”
Queen Antonia curled her lip. “An outsider as heir to the throne. The daughter of the woman who broke my husband’s heart, no less. An American, with no proper breeding. Not even a full-born Arcanea. You’re not fit to be queen.”
I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I kept silent. If I wanted Ethan to be king— and I did, for him, because he deserved it— I had to get along with the in-laws.
She shook her head. “I was hoping he’d pick Chastity. But for some reason, he chose you, and it’s too late to go back. What I want to find out is why.”
I had to steady my voice so it didn’t shake. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
“Careful, girl.” The queen’s eyes flared. “You haven’t won the Contest yet.”
I bit the inside of my mouth and said, “I couldn’t tell you why Ethan—”
“Prince Ethan. Remember you have no title.”
I took a deep breath. “Why Prince Ethan chose me. He barely told me himself. All he said was that I could help him.”
“And are you going to?” Queen Antonia raised an eyebrow.
I didn’t know what was proper to say, so I forced out, “I’m well prepared to win the Contest. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“I hope you are,” Queen Antonia said coldly. “Because if you lose, and cost my son his kingdom, there will be consequences for you. Whether it is your fault or not.”
Fear constricted me. What would the queen do? Would she compromise my medical supply somehow? Would she go after my friends?
Would she hurt my mother?
“Your embarrassing display at the ball tonight has made a mockery out of my son, and that cannot be allowed to continue,” Queen Antonia went on. “Your behavior might be permissible in the United States, but in Malovia, you’ll find things are different. You have quite the audacity to show up here with that humiliating court.”
Rage flared up inside of me, cold and bitter as a snowstorm. Queen Antonia might be head bitch around here, but nobody insulted my friends.
The most powerful woman in all of Malovia was threatening me, and the only way I could put a stop to it is if I took her place. Which I fully intended to do.
“Allow me to make something very clear, my queen,” I said, in the rudest tone I dared to use. “I do know why your son chose me. Because he knew I’d make damn well sure to get the job done.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. Queen Antonia got so close to me I could smell the perfume dotted around her ears. “Oh, you’re a wolven, all right,” she said. “You’ve got the blood of the hunt on you. Maybe you’re good for something yet.”
It was then the doors flew open. They slammed against the walls as an elderly woman in a glittering evening dress glided into our presence, heels clicking sharply against the marble floors. I sagged in relief as she approached.
“Lady Magdalina,” Queen Antonia breathed. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight.”
“Yes, I’m certain you weren’t,” Lady Magdalina said sharply. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like Emmaline to return to the ball. I am her sponsor for the Contest, after all, and it’s better if she doesn’t hide away in here with you.”
I didn’t know she was my sponsor. Queen Antonia stepped away from me and said, “As you wish, Headmistress.”
I hurried my ass out of there as quickly as I could. Lady Magdalina strode beside me, though it was almost more of a march.
“Thank you for saving me,” I told her. “I didn’t know if I could stand it a moment longer.
”
“You mustn’t allow her to threaten you, Emmaline,” Magdalina told me. “Queen Antonia doesn’t deal kindly with her rivals, and you’re threatening her place on the throne. If you don’t show her you’re an equal, she’ll use you as her plaything.”
“But I’m not her equal. I have no title yet,” I told her.
“She respects strong magic. And she respects power,” Lady Magdalina said. “Make sure to show her you have both during the Contest.”
When we got back to the ballroom, Lady Magdalina left me to go speak in hushed tones with Lord Lucien. He seemed concerned, but didn’t move to do anything, merely fixed his eyes on me from across the room.
What Lady Magdalina said was eating away at me. I was a threat to the queen. She didn’t want me coming on her turf and messing up her business. Was Queen Antonia reluctant to give up her rule? Even if her own son took her place? What a selfish bitch.
Kiara, Delmare, and Odette were at my side within minutes. “What happened?” Kiara breathed.
I felt like I was going to faint. “Bathroom. Now,” I squeaked.
We ran to the nearest powder room. I collapsed in a chair. The girls hovered around me. Kiara locked the door behind us. Odette fanned my face, while Delmare got me a glass of water from the cups placed out in a golden cart near the sink.
“Snap out of it,” Delmare spat. “You’ve gotta pull yourself together.”
My voice was hoarse. “Guys, the queen’s totally after me. If I don’t win this Contest, there’s no telling what she’ll do to me. Or any of us.” I chugged the glass of water and tried not to throw it back up.
“You’re not going to lose,” Kiara said calmly. “You’ve got this under control.”
“Yeah, if I don’t frickin die first.” I’d checked stats, and at least a quarter of the contestants always perished in the Contest. It was a deadly competition that not everyone walked away from. I was sure I’d come out of it alive when I’d agreed to be Ethan’s partner, but now I wasn’t so certain— especially with the queen watching my every move.
“Like Ethan would ever let anything happen to you.” Delmare rolled her eyes. “He’d give up the Contest first before he’d let you die.”