Page 167 of Heat of the Everflame

If I found any clarity at all, it disappeared the second I stepped into the corridor and met his gaze with mine.

His hair had been trimmed and pulled back, his sharp jaw cleanly shaven. His suit was pressed and perfectly tailored to show off his broad, high shoulders. Though I could still sense a heaviness wearing on him, regaining some control over his appearance had restored a glimmer of the light missing from his eyes when I’d seen him last.

An excruciating tightness wound around on my chest. I couldn’t deny the appeal of the rugged side of him I’d seen while traveling, but this stately, well-groomed royal was the Luther I’d first met. The Luther I knew on a soul-deep level. The Luther I’d fallen for. And I wasn’t sure why, but thathurt.

“My Queen. You look...” He stepped toward me, the breath rushing out of him all at once. He admired me like the finest work of art, the wonder in his expression bringing a flush to my cheeks.

Taran gave a low whistle as he looked me over. Alixe nodded, smiling wide.

“Finally, a dress befitting your status,” Zalaric said.

I broke my daze long enough to look down at myself. The Centenaries had dressed me in sheer black gossamer, draped to cover as little as possible, with a plunging neckline that dropped to my navel and a slit at the thigh that ran nearly to my ribs. An array of tiny, glittering rubies resembled splattered blood after a gruesome kill.

It was violent and sexual, perfectly suited to the court of Umbros. Though I would never have chosen it for myself, I had to admit, the look injected me with a boldness I hadn’t felt since emerging victorious in my Challenging.

It was an intriguing contrast to my companions, who had been dressed in Lumnos’s traditional blue and silver. Luther was characteristically formal in a high-necked brocade jacket,while Alixe stunned in a flesh-colored bodysuit with strategically placed diamond clusters and a navy overcoat that trailed in a pool behind her. Taran wore breeches of blue-black leather and a harness of straps and chains that left his tanned muscles on display, his godstone injuries now nearly gone.

Even Zalaric’s Lumnosian heritage was evident in his clothing—if it could even be called clothing, considering his open vest and billowing pants were fabricated entirely from shadow magic, with glowing light-made cuffs snaking up his forearms. The Lumnos Queen in me was proud to see him embrace his homeland so openly—but as I remembered Yrselle’s cryptic comment about his fate, worry grew in the back of my mind.

Indeed, I was the only one who looked as if I belonged in the Umbros court. This felt strongly like Yrselle’s way of stamping me with her claim, but to what end, I still wasn’t sure.

“You are stunning no matter what you wear,” Luther said. “But I agree with Zalaric. It is good to see you adorned as the Queen you are.”

Despite his adoring tone, his words were swallowed up by the thoughts plaguing me over what I’d seen.

“Especially with your Crown,” Zalaric added. “I’ve never seen it in person before.”

Alixe’s smile fell. She frowned, then exchanged a look with Taran, whose head had gone nearly sideways, his brows similarly furrowed.

“The Crown,” she started, “does it look...?”

“Different,” Luther answered. His eyes locked on the space above my head.

I smoothed a hand over my milk-white curls, swept back on one side with a garnet comb. I’d been too distracted to look in the mirror before leaving. “Perhaps it changed form due to the coronation.”

“Perhaps,” Alixe murmured, “though it’s always looked the same in old paintings.”

The clock chimed to signal the dinner hour. I shrugged off their scrutiny and gathered my skirts. “Let’s get on with it,” I said dully.

Luther stepped to my side and offered his hand—gloved, I noticed. An odd choice. Overly formal, even for him.

“May I escort you?” he asked.

“I think I’ll walk alone tonight.” I tried not to notice the slight drop of his shoulders as I breezed past him down the corridor, where a Centenary was waiting to lead us to dinner.

The others followed, Alixe and Taran bantering about their day at the bathhouses with the occasional quip from Zalaric. I picked up that Luther had gone with them, but returned early—“to rest,” he claimed.

I steeled my jaw and focused on our march through the palace. With the exception of our guide, there wasn’t a soul in sight, not even a Centenary on guard. The unexpected emptiness set my hackles rising, especially when we turned into a very extravagant—and entirely vacant—banquet hall.

“Where is everyone?” I asked our chaperone.

“They’ll be along shortly,” he answered, his onyx eyes gleaming with hidden knowledge. He bowed and excused himself, leaving the five of us standing awkwardly by a fireplace.

Alixe flipped back the train of her coat, revealing a glimpse of the many blades she’d tucked into its inner pockets. “Did you learn anything at your lunch with the Queen?”

“She knows more than I thought, and she seems inclined to help me—or at least to not join the Crowns against me. I’m still not sure why. Or what she expects in return.”

Taran rocked on his heels, a smile creeping in at the corners of his mouth. “Does that mean our plan for tonight is still the same?”

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