Page 71 of The Rose in the Shadows

I’d never heard Clay sound quite so… unsteady. I waited, listening only to my breathing and my blood pumping in my ears. Until finally, after what felt like an eternity, Iris sighed.

“Anyone would have been afraid, Clayton. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have been. But that’s not my point.”

“Then what is?” He demanded.

“You know what my point is, Clay! I’m asking if you were afraid because she’s a royal bloodline or because of something else?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t? Who knows you better than I do? I see the way you look at her, Clay! And it’s only a matter of time before she figures it out, too. Do you truly think your father isn’t aware of it? How do you think he will respond?”

“I am abundantly aware of my father’s…fascinationwith her.”

Iris didn’t respond. It was quiet for some time.

Hisfascinationwith me? What did that mean?

“My father has been insufferable since she arrived. He talks of her nonstop. You can’t even imagine the things he says, Iris, the things he wants to do to her. It’s taking everything in me to keep the two of them apart. It doesn’t matter though. She knows how dangerous he can be, and she’s entirely unafraid of him.”

I shivered. It’s not that I was unafraid of the Dragon. I would have to be an idiot not to realize what he was capable of. But respect couldn’t be earned through creating fear. The Dragon didn’t have my respect, I wouldn’t pretend that he did.

“She’s so recklessly brave,” Clay continued, voice thick with emotion. “Did I tell you I found her at the Alchemist’s party? I swear to the Gods I wasn’t sure if I was more infuriated by her lack of self-regard or impressed by her determination. I’m so fucking grateful he didn’t find out about that. You know what he would have done.”

“I do,” Iris whispered.

“And it’s not just that bravery that manages to amaze me. It’s the fact that against all odds, she’s created a home for herself here. You all love her. The dignitaries loved her. By the Gods, the entire kingdom is ready to worship at her feet, and she couldn’t care less. I don’t even think she realizes how completely enamored everyone is with her. She has no interest in the power or fame that comes with her title and only gives respect to those she feels have earned it.

“I have lived my entire life in this castle surrounded by people who will do or say anything to win my favor. I have watched them try to manipulate me or manipulate my father through me in order to win status. But Thea isn’t like that. I’m not accustomed to the way she treats me.”

I stilled. Clay rarely spoke this openly and honestly. The only other time I’d ever seen him let down his guard so wholly was when he told me the story of his mother’s death. This was a version of the Prince he rarely let others see.

It was a version that he allowed Iris to see because she was his family.

It was a version that he had allowed me to see.

When I arrived in Athenia, Clay had been abrasive. He’d told me so clearly that he didn’t care about my wishes and only wanted me to play my role. He had sounded so much like his father in those early days. Just like the Dragon, he had demanded respect for a position he’d been born into and hadn’t seemed to earn, and part of me hated him for that.

I didn’t hate him for it anymore, though.

At some point, I’d realized Claydiddeserve my respect.

He wasn’t his father. He was a man who cared for others more than himself and he’d allowed me the rare privilege of seeing the man under the crown. It was true that he could be demanding and controlling, but it was also true that he thought that was the best way to keep his loved ones safe.

Shared respect wasn’t the only thing that had changed between us, though. We’d exchanged looks across ballrooms where we’d communicated silently with each other. We’d shared secrets and confessions while locked away in a bedroom we never should have been alone in together. We’d slept peacefully in each other’s arms.

No, I didn’t hate Clayton Vail anymore.

But I could never be anything more than his friend.

Iris was right in saying that we had other responsibilities. Clay and I would end up married to other people. He was a Prince from House Zion and I was the matriarch of House Hyrax. We were leaders of the houses of two Gods at complete odds with each other.

A son of Zion will never love the daughter of Hyrax.

Chewing on my lower lip, I pulled the covers to my neck and turned away from their voices. My head was still pounding, and overhearing this conversation left me with even more questions about my status at the palace. As I faded out of consciousness once more, I could just make out their voices, ending the conversation.

“If I’d known you had such a thing for blondes, I could have set you up with Sheila Waters while we were completing our studies,” Iris quipped.

Clay chuckled darkly. “Sheila Waters was bitchy and high-maintenance.”

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