Page 129 of Lady of Darkness

“Yes. You are the son of the King’s Hand,” she answered, lifting her chin higher.

“I am. Which means I will be the hand to the Crown Prince when he takes the throne.”

“And your point is?” Scarlett asked through her teeth, but keeping a smile on her face.

“You do know you could never be his bride, don’t you? A woman of no royal or noble blood? A woman raised in the Black Syndicate?” His hands tightened on her as he said the words, anticipating her pulling away.

“How do you know that?” she hissed, looking around for Cassius, but she couldn’t immediately spot him anywhere.

“I am to be the hand to the king. It will be my job to know who he is keeping company with. You were quite hard to track down so know that your training was thorough.” There was a bitterness in his voice that brought a satisfied smile to her lips.

“Congratulations then, Lordling,” she said mockingly. “Would you like perfect marks on such a test?”

A cold grin filled his face. “I am not yet finished,” he said and subtly tugged her closer to him. “I have known you were alive for a few years now, but just recently learned you were the one the prince has become enamored with, and for good reason. You could never behisbride, but you could be mine, if power and status are what you desire.”

Scarlett barked a laugh that had several of the other people on the dance floor turning to look at her. She kept her voice low as she whispered, “You are proposing a marriage to me? When you know I warm your prince’s bed?”

“I am offering you an…ultimatum.” His voice went low and dangerous.

“A dangerous choice of wording, Lordling, if you truly know who I am and where I come from,”Scarlett answered, her eyes narrowing.

He bent down to whisper into her ear as the song came to an end and others on the dance floor applauded for the musicians. “I am certain you will think differently when you discover some dear sisters missing.” He straightened, and she saw Callan making his way towards them.

“What have you done?” she hissed, using all her self-control to maintain her composure.

His eyes raked over her slowly. “I will have you one way or another. You can decide how it shall come to pass.”

He held her gaze as Callan stopped beside him. “Mind if I steal your dancing partner, Mikale?”

“Of course not, my Prince,” Mikale replied with a bow, and he sauntered away.

Scarlett hardly noticed when Callan drew her close to him. “What is wrong?” he said gently as he began to lead her through the steps of the next dance. “You are trembling, Scarlett.”

“I—” She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. What had Mikale meant? “I need to find Cassius.” She spotted Lord Tyndell’s son and daughter across the room in the shadows conversing with a tall, muscled man with dark hair who had to be part of the king’s armies, but Cassius was nowhere in sight. Where was he?

“Scarlett,” Callan said, concern growing. “Tell me what is going on.”

She was whipping her head from side to side, scanning faces on the dance floor, along the edges, and on the upper level of the hall. She must have looked half mad, but she didn’t care. Her gaze fell on Lady Veda, who was smiling fiendishly at her as Mikale stood by her side, a drink in his hand. Her only weapon was a dagger strapped under her dress to her thigh. She’d brought nothing else because Cassius had come with her.

“There. He is there, Scarlett,” Callan said, turning her so she could see him standing against the doors that led to the western gardens. His eyes met hers,and she nearly lurched from Callan’s hands, racing as gracefully as she could across the floor to him. His eyes had widened as he beheld her, and he slipped out into the gardens. It would be no use for her to fall into his arms in front of all these people.

She flung herself around the corner, and he caught her. She squeezed him tight, her arms looped around his neck. “Scarlett,” he said, the surprise evident in his voice. “What is wrong?”

Tears were burning at the back of her eyes, and she blinked them back. “You must go check on Nuri and Juliette. Now.”

“What? Why?” he asked, alarm replacing the surprise.

She shook her head. “There is no time to explain. They are in danger. Go find them.”

“But you—”

“I will stay with Callan. No one will attempt anything in his presence. Go, Cass!” He looked her over gravely as Callan came up behind her.

“What is going on?” Callan demanded, looking from her to Cassius, whose arms were still around her protectively. She saw Finn and Sloan appear at the doors, watching everything from a few yards away.

“I need Cassius to go and check on something for me is all,” she answered, stepping away from him. “I’m sorry to have run off. It is extremely important.”

“I will be back to escort you home,” Cassius finally answered, a muscle feathering in his jaw.

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