Page 84 of Threaded

That was, until the bonding.

He’d had his share of rendezvous with women in the past; there was no shortage of companionship either in the palace or within the walls of Verith. But after that one night … he suspected a piece of himself would forever be tied up with the memories of his dark-haired queen, olive skin glowing from both the moonlight above and her own magic in her veins.

He wasn’t surprised by her words to him the next morning. And he’d meant what he told her. He would fill whatever role in her life she needed, would support any choice she made, wouldalwaysbe by her side to protect her from anything that might wish to harm her.

Then the Uroboros attacked.

He rammed himself into the library doors, hard enough to swing the heavy wood open with far more force than he intended. He stalked into the hall beyond, away from his favorite place in the entire palace.

It had only been a week since that foul creature had managed to slip past all of them, right into Mariah’s bedroom. One week since she’d awoken in terror and sliced the demon’s hands from its body, all as he’d slept on peacefully, not feeling anything unusual coming from that bond between their souls. It was like she’d cut him off, closed him out, and it was only the sound of Andrian’s door slamming closed that finally woke him and drove him from bed.

He’d utterly failed her that night. His job—hisonejob—was to ensure that no harm befell her. And when that promise he’d made came to be tested, he wasn’t there, and she’d been left to protect herself. Sebastian was eternally grateful to the Goddess that Mariah trained every day, that she’d been training every day with her father since she’d been big enough to hold a bow, but … she shouldn’t have had to use those skills to protect herself. Not there, in the palace, with seven of them near who had a duty to keep her safe.

And he also didn’t want to think about how he wasn’t the one she’d turned to in the aftermath in search of a way to mend her pieces back together.

He ground his teeth together in frustration at the memory of seeing Mariah in Andrian’s arms as he’d carried her into his rooms, kicking the door closed behind him. Of all the members of the Armature, she, of course, had to seek refuge with the only one who was as emotionally unavailable as one could be.

In the week that passed since then, he and the other Armature were busy trying to find something,anything,that would show who was ultimately behind the attack. Uroboros didn’t just appear in the middle of the Queen’s palace—they were demons of Enfara, but they weren’t the most intelligent. Someone had summoned or captured it, had stowed it away as they’d walked right through the palace doors, and had somehow set it loose. Likely had even directed it towards the Queen’s bedchamber. But despite all their training, all their searching and scouring and questioning, they’d all come up empty.

And in the meantime, Andrian had been keeping Mariah … occupied.

At least she was safe and not alone. He couldn’t quite trust Andrian with her heart, but he could trust him with her life. And for now, that would have to be enough.

Today, with Mariah rejoining palace life and resuming some of her duties, Sebastian finally had some time to himself, and had taken the opportunity to indulge in his favorite method of distraction: losing himself in the fictional worlds that lived on smooth sheets of paper bound by leather.

The reprieve was much shorter than he wanted, though. It felt like no time had passed before the thoughts reminding him of his failure began to worm their way back in, forcing him to slam his book shut and stomp his way out of the library.

The hallways were near-silent, the only sound theclickof the soles of his boots as he strode along the marble floors. Theallumesconces on the walls gave off their pale yellow light, illuminating the gold foiling and plating that gilded the interior hallways of the palace. He noted soft sunlight shining in through the occasional window, its orangish hue telling him it was nearing sunset. That shocked him slightly; he hadn’t realized he’d managed to spend so much of his day sequestered in the library.

He also hadn’t realized he’d somehow managed to go most of the day without eating.

As if on cue, his stomach twisted painfully, and when he reached the next staircase, he took the steps leading to the basement levels of the palace.

Down here, the floors were no longer made of opulent marble, the walls no longer gleaming with gilded architecture. Instead, the simple tile beneath Sebastian’s feet was gray and durable, the walls painted a practical shade of taupe. It was on this level that the servants of the palace—at least, those who chose to live in the palace and not in the city—kept their quarters.

It was also where the main kitchens and storerooms were found.

Most of the larger suites in the palace had a kitchen, but it was only suitable for cooking some items, and only for a small number of people at a time.Thesekitchens were where the bounties for the great feasts that accompanied any grand event hosted by the crown were prepared, the teeming belly of life and loudness beneath the floors of the rigid royalty above. Sebastian had come here since he was a boy and had learned quickly that being friendly with the chefs was always the best way to guarantee the pick of the freshest desserts or the choicest cuts of meat.

When he stepped into those kitchens that day, however, he was greeted by a scene even more cacophonous and hectic than usual. There was even Mikael—who, as Mariah’s personal chef, hardly ever assisted in the main kitchens unless the need was dire—sprinting back into the main kitchen from the cold storerooms, carrying bundles of what looked to be romaine lettuce, his usual bandana pushing his shock of orange hair back from his face.

Suddenly, Sebastian remembered what was happening this week.

ThePorofirat. The presentment ball that would serve to formally introduce Mariah as queen apparent to not only Onita, but to the entire continent. The only time when Onita’s usually rigid borders were opened, just a crack.

Shit. With all that had happened with the Uroboros, all the questions still unsolved, he’d completely forgotten. He wondered if anyone had even told Mariah of what was coming.

That would be fun.

His stomach grumbled angrily again, forcing him to push the reminder of thePorofiratfrom his head. He would deal with that soon.

After he managed to steal something to eat.

Sebastian slid to the right along the wall and grabbed a bowl from a rack of clean dishes. He then sidled up to the massive range, where several pots of various soups and stews were simmering, decadent smells twining in the air around him. One of the kitchen maids, a tired-looking woman named Myra, caught him as he dipped a ladle into the pot of what looked to be roasted mutton stew. He turned and smiled sheepishly at her, but she only grinned back before pushing a small loaf of fresh bread into his other hand and scurrying off to help with the chaos of thePorofiratpreparations. Food finally in hand, Sebastian moved his way out of the kitchen and into the room attached to it.

Really, the space could only be described as a cafeteria. Still filled with the rich smells from the nearby kitchen, the room was long and open, the low ceilings making it a little cramped, and long, worn wooden tables and benches filled the space. This was where the palace staff took their meals, but Sebastian enjoyed eating here from time to time.I should bring Mariah here sometime, he thought distantly to himself.

Although, he had to wonder what the presence of the queen apparent would do amongst the servants of the palace. They would either love it, or … they would be furious at him for spoiling their haven.

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