Page 20 of Cold Heir

“I appreciate you joining me this evening.” Jon donned a faint smile when he spoke. I found him incredibly hard to read, but I guessed that to be a trait he mastered throughout his years in the trade.

“My apologies for being unavailable to meet during our previously scheduled appointments. Both times, there was business to tend to that was out of my control,” I lied.

When he studied me a moment, I wondered if he sensed it.

“I completely understand,” he replied, a bittoopolitely.

The press conference was the first and only time I’d seen him face-to-face. Then, his ruthlessness had been apparent. There weren’t many willing to challenge a monarch, let alone in a public setting, accusing them of a crime that’s punishable by death. This fact hinted toward Jon being a rare, intrepid breed.

It was hard to tell whether that was a quality I ought to admire or fear. I supposed this meeting would shed some light on that.

“How’s your writing coming these days?”

I peered up when he asked, mostly because it wasn’t a question I often heard. My family wasn’t involved much in my career, and my agent had seemingly fallen off the edge of the Earth when my name became entangled with Julian and Corina’s. If I had to guess, he’d done so to avoid being associated with the scandal of it all.

Couldn’t blame him for that.

“I’ve been busy with other endeavors of late, so writing hasn’t been my priority,” was the best answer I could offer.

Jon nodded, keeping that piercing glare trained on me.

“I imagine the tragedy you endured—the loss of your sister—dampened your creativity quite a bit.”

The statement jarred me from a thought, and I met his gaze. It didn’t surprise me that he knew of Regina’s death, but Iwasshocked he had the gall to bring her up now. For that reason, I didn’t respond.

“Can I interest you in a fresh glass of blood? It’s been imported from—”

“If you don’t mind,” I cut in, “I’d prefer it if we just get to the issue at hand. Why’d you track me down?”

His brow quirked, maybe surprised that I maneuvered out of the corner he tried to talk me into so expertly.

“Well,” he started, clearing his throat, “mostly, I reached out because, as I observed you at the press conference—when news of the blood bond was presented—you seemed … considerably less enthused by the idea than the others. And might I add, you appeared to be evenlesssmitten by Mistress Corina.” He stared a moment. “Was I wrong to assume?”

My jaw tensed. I didn’t like the feeling of being interrogated, and this felt exactly like that.

“I thought you might be interested in hearing a bit more of my take on things. For instance, I still think this whole agreement among you is a charade, a lust-driven ruse that you’ve been pulled into to cover Julian’s tracks.”

My heart hadn’t beat once since walking through his door, but it did then, when he gave his take on my circumstances.

“So, tell me, is that what’s going on here? Are you being guilted into altering the entire course of your life to cover for one of your‘Dynasty Brothers’,as you call them?”

His words struck home, because they were beginning to scrape the surface of the many,manythoughts that had crossed my mind every day since the incident.

“It’s fine if you prefer not to address it. However, I encourage you to reevaluate recent events,” he suggested. “Now, I can’t speak on what goes on behind closed doors with you five—the other princes and Mistress Corina—but if there’s an imbalance, if you can recall instances where thoughts of your wellbeing andyourwants have come second, or have maybe been emitted from the equation altogether … perhaps youalreadyknowwhy I’ve invited you here.”

He spoke about this all so callously, as if the love I held for my brothers was something to be disregarded, as if the decision to meet with him tonight should have been clear, simple. I guessed to him, this was nothing more than a career-changing feature that would boost his status. But for me, this was my life.

Both fists tightened, and warmth pulsed through them when anger spread within me.

“You mentioned Blackbird when we last spoke,” I interjected, taking hold of the conversation again. “I’d like to know what she has to do with anything.”

A broad grin spread across Jon’s face. “I’m happy you asked.” He paused to sip from his glass, rearing back in his seat. “How much do you know about her—this girl whose presence in this quadrant of the Dynasty has been quite similar to that of a plague?”

I didn’t have to think long and hard about the little information I had concerning her. After all, her antics had been one of the media’s favorite subjects the past couple years.

“She’s the leader of one of the biggest opposing factions in the entire Dynasty, not just this quadrant. She likely operates with a team who assist her with missions to steal donors, and on occasion, sows marked for disposal.” I thought a bit deeper. “She’s also singlehandedly responsible for weakening our livelihood, although our Presiding Emperor has yet to admit as much.”

“I agree on all points,” Jon cut in. “But I encourage you to think superficially for a moment. Think … physical appearance.”

---