Page 51 of Vale of Dreams

It was bad enough that I was a farm girl sitting in his lap, but now he just called me an unmatched beauty.

A half-smile graces Talan’s lips. “Now, we are here to be merry, are we not?”

My throat goes dry. Those closest to me—the nobles whose seats are close to the king’s—all stare at me with naked hostility. I’m sure that the billion-dollar necklace at my throat isn’t helping. These are the highest-ranking aristocrats, the dukes and earls. Here I am, out of nowhere, a threat to their influence on the prince. Minutes ago, they could comfort themselves with the image of him fucking me in the dirt in front of his soldiers. I was a whore with expensive baubles. But the public compliments? The pledge of eternal devotion? That changed the game. I may be a mistress, but he’s now elevated me above Arwenna.

Down at the far edge of the table, the expressions are more calculating. The lesser nobles and merchants are wondering if they can somehow leverage this surprising development in their favor. Some of them are eying Nivene with renewed interest, suddenly realizing that she and I must be somehow related.

The only one who shows no reaction to my introduction is the king himself. He stares stonily ahead, not sparing either his son or me a single glance.

Talan raises his goblet higher. “I am sure you all wish my dear friend and I the best.”

I smile at the banquet hall.

The guests clap and raise their glasses, but no one cheers or even smiles. Talan is the only one here willing to risk his father’s wrath.

Dread crawls over my skin as I think of the danger I’m in now. Surely the king wants me dead.

Talan’s arm slides around my waist, and his lips brush over my cheek. Heat radiates from the place where his mouth makes contact with my skin. With a hitch of my breath, I realize how much he relishes the chaos he just created.

I turn to him, nestling in closer. “How much trouble am I in?”

I feel the muscles of his forearms flex against my belly. His lips brush the shell of my ear, and the warmth of his breath kisses my skin. “Careful, darling.”

His thumb rubs my hip again like he’s trying to soothe me.

I feel as if his magic is radiating from that point of contact, tingling over my skin.

“It might seem like no one is listening,” he whispers, “but some of our guests are very talented at reading lips, and others’ hearing is enhanced magically. So, if you want to talk about how I fucked you hard up against the wall on the way here, now is not the time.”

I get his meaning clearly enough.

The serving staff place endless dishes in front of us. There’s a plate of enormous oysters, each one served with the pearl, and roasted carrots, buttery bread, cheese and berries, and roasted boar. I eat, perched on Talan’s lap, taking just enough sips of mead that I don’t look suspicious. But I’m not here to get drunk.

The tension in the hall washes over us like a cold fog, chilling me. Even with delicious food like this, it’s a grim atmosphere for a banquet.

My gaze sweeps between bites to look at the guests, memorizing their faces, remembering who they talk to. I file away every detail in the recesses of my mind. I try to figure everyone out based on what they’re wearing and where they sit. I can guess their role, their place in this hierarchy. Those closest to the king are the most important, and Arwenna isn’t far away. There are nineteen noble families, each with representatives in the king’s advisory council. I believe that I’ve spotted four of them sitting around me, all glaring at me with obvious loathing. I think Talan’s little ruse has fucked up the plans of many powerful people in Brocéliande.

Talan loosens his grip on me, then lifts me by the waist off his lap. He stands and raises his glass. “How could I forget? I have yet another announcement to make.” A dark smile curls his lips.

My heart sinks. What now? This isn’t an undercover relationship like one from Avalon Tower, because I have no idea what he’s actually up to.

A sharp silence pierces the hall, broken only by the echo of Talan’s shoes as he walks behind one of the wings of banquet tables. He prowls with lupine grace down to the end and stops just a few paces away from Nivene.

I hold my breath. There’s a dangerous chill in the air.

All eyes are on Talan, and the air in the hall grows icy, darker. In all the candelabras in the room, the candlelight sputters. Talan drops the pretense of enjoying himself with me, and the look in his eyes is frigid as the air. Lethal. A shiver dances over my skin.

The hall is so silent, he doesn’t need to speak loudly. “There is a traitor among us.”

CHAPTER 18

The world seems to tilt beneath me, and I grab the chair’s armrests. I have to employ my entire self-control not to look straight at Nivene, though I’m watching her from the corner of my eye.

She maintains her composure, looking at the Dream Stalker with nothing but the curiosity of a calm onlooker.

I allow myself a closer glance—quickly—and I notice the way her knuckles tighten around her goblet.

Fuck.

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