Page 38 of The Heir's Bargain

My mother smiled. "And you brought Dani! What a pleasant surprise. It has been too long since I've seen the four of you together. Although I suppose it will be longer yet since Graeson refused to come."

Dani curtsied. "Fynn gave me a bargain I couldn't refuse, Your Majesty," Dani quipped, giving me a sideways glance.

When Dani stood, I tugged her closer, weaving my fingers between hers as I smiled down at her. Dani smiled back, but it was slightly forced, her hand squeezing mine tightly and cracking one of my knuckles.

My mother's gaze dropped to our entwined hands.

Before she could ask the question that I saw on the tip of her tongue, I cleared my throat and signaled to the two empty seats. "Come, Dani. Let us take our seats before Lorenza's performance starts."

As we passed, I squeezed my mother's hand, hoping she would only see what I wanted her to. I kept everything else buried lest she strip the wrong memory away from my palm.

At our seats, Dani squeezed past my brother, whispering a quick greeting.

"Hey Dani," Terin said, the skepticism palpable on his tongue as he observed us.

I signaled for one of the servants and grabbed two glasses of sparkling wine. I handed one to Dani.

"Thank you," she mumbled, then gulped half of it.

"My pleasure," I said, sitting between Dani and Terin.

Terin leaned forward in his chair. "I heard about Quint getting the promotion."

My lips formed a tight line as Dani shifted in her seat. Around us, the spectators clapped as the singer walked onto the stage wearing a beautiful dress with a long train that swept across the stage. When she reached the center of the stage, she curtsied, smiling at the audience.

"Quint's a good guy," Terin said, still leaning forward, "but you deserved the promotion."

Dani's shoulders sagged. "Thanks, Ter." She raised her glass and took a large sip of the sparkling wine.

The tension slowly left her body as she sank into the chair. Terin always had a way of calming her nerves. I supposed it was one of the effects of his gift. My brother was almost always in a dream-like state, his voice melodic and soothing, like a soft lullaby. Many people underestimated Terin because of it. He was the quiet brother, the reserved one, the one who appeared to be fine with staying in my shadow.

In truth, Terin was the one to watch out for. Because asleep, it was nearly impossible to protect one's mind.

"Is that one of Madam Everly's dresses?" Terin asked, nodding to Dani’s dress.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Dani peered at me from the corner of her eye.

"It is," I said.

Terin hummed. "It looks nice."

Dani's hand froze as she raised her drink. It was only for a second, but it was long enough for me to notice it and for the tension in the air to thicken. Soon, though, she was smiling at Terin. "Thank you, Terin."

Terin nodded.

Then, the theater darkened, and the clapping stopped.

I wrapped an arm around Dani's shoulders, pulling her closer. "Oh, the performance is starting, hon."

Dani almost choked. Terin shifted in his seat awkwardly beside me as I struggled to retain my laughter. Dani glared at me as Lorenza's voice filled the room, a soft, melodic sound.

Hon? When did Dani become hon?

"What?" I mouthed to Dani, ignoring Terin's thoughts pressing down the line.

Having recovered, Dani leaned over and hissed in my ear. "Was that truly the best you could come up with?"

I shifted toward her, my nose brushing against the curls surrounding her face, the scent of cinnamon wafting off them. "Would you have preferred sweetheart or some other cliché?"

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