Page 33 of A Kingdom of Destruction

She rolled her eyes. “You wish.”

Roran continued, unfazed. “It’s time for you to wake up and seeexactlywhat’s going on here. What other purpose is there in my presence?”

Oh, please.

She already saw what was going on here.

No, Aven was determined to take a step back and view the situation with clinical detachment, eyes that saw the whole picture rather than the pieces dangled right in front of her.

The brothers had been thrust on her since she’d first been brought to the dungeon. Whether by chance or because they’d been forced to, whether they were doing it to trick her somehow or if one of them might actually be slightly attracted to her…

She’d find out.

Roran continued to dance with her until the end of the song, then released her abruptly, bowing at the waist and disappearing. Did he realize she’d watch him leave? Or did he count on it?

13

The ball continued through the darkness of the morning, those witching hours when most humans would be peacefully asleep in their beds. She danced with one brother and then the other, both passing her back and forth like a game of catch, until her legs gave out and she collapsed against Cillian's chest.

The way they looked at her, marking her with their eyes…

It was almost enough to make her believe their intentions were genuine. She had thought Roran was flirting with her initially, but now he seemed to want to warn her. Against what?

No man had ever looked at her with such heat before—a physical burning sensation as they trailed their gaze along her skin. Both as soft as velvet and as sharp as the blade of a knife.

When her limbs gave out and her heart thudded painfully against her ribs, Cillian escorted her back to her room and left her in the care of a waiting Nora. Then he left again, no doubt returning to the party to play the victorious monarch-in-training, mingling with his simpering people and beguiling them with tales of how he'd finally conquered the humans.

The solitude felt like a balm after being surrounded by so many people. Nora hardly counted, fluttering around Aven bird-like and quick. Her deft fingers pulled the dress from Aven's body and replaced it within minutes with a soft sleeping gown.

Still, for what felt like hours, she lay awake in her bed with her attention fixed on the ceiling, one hand over her chest and the other on her stomach. Thinking, feeling—too many things to catalog at once.

The Fae King had practically given her a command. In so many words, she was meant to tie herself to one of his sons. Or both. He'd mentioned multiple times that the choice had been taken away from her. She could have both, or one, or the other, but no one else.

Butwhy?

When she finally managed to sleep, their faces circled in her mind, one cold and one warm, both of them hated. Shedidhate them, truly. She wanted to inflict the same pain on them that they'd inflicted on her family, although Aven doubted either of the princes had been the one to do the deeds. It made no difference—the past—although her anger remained inside her in a tight, burning kernel, ready to erupt one day. No matter how deeply she shoved it down.

She woke in the same position on her back, her hand clenched over her heart as if she might grab that kernel and stroke it into a full-blown inferno.

A soft knock sounded at the door, and half a heartbeat later, Nora ducked her head inside. “Good morning to you, Miss,” she called out in a trill. “Time to greet the day.”

Aven curled on her side with her back to the opposite wall to keep Nora in her sights. “Don’t stand on ceremony now. You’ve already made yourself at home here,” she muttered. “Come on in.”

Nora flashed her a smile. “I was under orders from Crown Prince Cillian to get you ready. Today there is no rush. I’m here at your disposal, Miss.”

“TheMissthing is going to have to go, too.” Aven turned her head to keep Nora in front of her as the fae female crossed the room to draw the curtains open, this time with much less fanfare than the previous day. “What time is it?”

“It’s a little before noon.”

“Then there must be something to do today if you’re here to get me up,” Aven replied. She leaned back into her pillows, the fabric delicate and beckoning her to go back to sleep.

Nora shook her head. “No. I’m afraid the princes are indisposed for the next several days, Miss Aven. They have urgent business elsewhere requiring both of them to leave. You’ll be left to your own devices until they return. Not to worry, however. I’m here to help you with whatever you need.”

“You mean the palace is empty of its royal family?” Her ears perked up.

That could be either a very good thing or a very bad thing. The guards were no doubt still in place, but what might happen to her if Cillian weren’t around to put his foot down and insist on playing the perfect partner?

“His Majesty is still in attendance.” Nora held her arms out in front of her and crooked her fingers. “Come now. Let’s get you dressed. You’ll dine in the breakfast parlor today overlooking the rear gardens.”

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