Page 34 of When Wishes Bleed

“Yes, but they don’t know what you can do. I asked a few of the other girls to greet them, so you don’t stand out.” He glanced at my chest where his necklace lay on my collarbone. “It looks beautiful on you.”

“Thank you. I’m still not sure I should accept it. The other girls are actually competing for you. I’m just here to help.”

He smiled and put his hands in his pockets. “Then you are the most deserving of all. Besides, I haven’t given any of the other girls anything but the bracelets.”

His admission sent moths aflutter in my stomach. I had to stop letting that happen. Somehow.

He looked to my wrist, his brows furrowing when he saw I wasn’t wearing my bangle.

Brecan patted the pocket of his coat. “It’s safe, Highness.”

“Right.” Tauren placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me down the corridor. To the right, another pair of doors opened. The expanse of the space was only broken by the strategically placed, stark white columns that supported the ceiling.

The assembled staff stood in a large rectangle in the middle of the room. All of them wore starched white pants, and either button-up shirts or sweaters to match. The group was very diverse, made up of different ages and races. Most wore a smile, but you could tell in the way they stood up taller when Tauren entered the room that they were proud of what they did. It wasn’t a fear response; it was a desire to please him and prove they were deserving of their positions.

Two of the other girls were making their way around the room, shaking hands with everyone and making polite, inane conversation. Their smiles were almost as fake as their feigned interest. Tauren lit up at the sight. Apparently, he was oblivious to the fact that these girls couldn’t care less about his staff or being forced to shake their hands.

As he escorted me around the rectangle, Fate remained quiet.

I shook hand after hand and held on a few extra seconds to ask them questions about their duties or their family. Most were genuinely happy to work at the palace. Others, though they would never admit it aloud, weren’t happy to work there, but enjoyed the life it provided their families. A few were dissatisfied. I clung to their hands the longest, but found that none of the unhappy staff members were disturbed enough to kill the Prince. And like I’d seen upon walking in the room, even if the person wasn’t happy, they wanted Tauren to be King. They respected the royal family, even if they didn’t particularly enjoy their assigned jobs.

As I finished shaking the last staff member’s hand, I turned to Tauren, who was standing near the door with the other two invitees. His brows were raised in question, but I shook my head. No one I’d shaken hands with wanted him dead.

“Miss Sable,” he called out. “I’d like for you to meet the ladies from Sectors One and Two, Rose and Leah.”

Both women wore silk gloves. Palm to palm was the easiest way to read a person, but skin to skin worked well enough. Instead of taking their hands, I bent in to hug them, my hands clasping gently onto their upper arms.

“I’m Rose,” the buxom redhead chirped.

“Sable,” I answered.

On contact, images filled my mind.

Rose was famous. Her red hair was always twisted into bouncy, loose curls and she would touch them to draw attention to her face or breasts. It worked, most of the time. Through my mind I saw video cameras following her around, flashes from photographers’ cameras, her pictures in the printed press.

She was a sensation. Very popular with the core four sectors, and she believed the public was behind her bid to be Princess. She often pictured herself as Queen, but she wasn’t going to sit idly by and leave it to chance. She had her wardrobe planned. When she was given her schedule in the morning, she planned to use it to her advantage and not only make the most of her time with Tauren, but interrupt the time he spent with the other ladies—accidentally on purpose, of course.

She wanted the crown, but she didn’t want Tauren dead. He was her way into the royal family.

“My name is Leah,” the girl from Two stated. “Nice to meet you, Sable.”

I shook Leah’s hand and read from her touch… Leah from Two, with mocha skin and hair, was beautiful in a way that Rose wasn’t, yet Leah was the girl who wanted to be like Rose. People in the Kingdom knew who she was. She had the occasional article written or telecast taped about her philanthropic projects, but in the end, she wasn’t as outgoing as Rose. Her personality was dry, and though the Kingdom liked her, they didn’t love her. She was jealous. A little bitter. But she wasn’t upset with Tauren.

Rose? She hated Rose. She hated everyone who stood in her way. Even me, apparently. She smiled sweetly and shrugged my hand off, taking a step back.

“So nice to meet you,” Rose said, flipping her fiery red locks over one creamy shoulder. Tauren’s eyes caught the movement.

“Yes, so nice,” Leah parroted with slightly less enthusiasm. “I’m glad they included Thirteen this year.”

No, you aren’t, sweetheart, but whatever you want to say to make the Prince like you…

“It truly is an honor,” I replied obediently.

Tauren’s eyes twinkled with orneriness. “I didn’t think she would accept my invitation, to be honest.”

Rose turned to him and put an arm on his chest. “A woman would have to be a fool to reject you.”

He smiled at me. “Well then, I’m grateful that Sable isn’t the least bit foolish.”

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