Page 45 of Joined By Magic

I smiled. Andrew’s self-deprecation was so disarming, I couldn’t help it. “Don’t worry. We can mope together for a bit. I think we’ve earned it. Shall I get the kitchens to send up a wine list? You’ll have to become an expert in what’s good over here, and we could both use a drink.”

Andrew perked up. “Great idea. Let’s see what passes for a vintage in this place.”

I rose to the task.

It was well after midnight when Leo slid into bed beside me. His arm came around my body, and I turned over to face him. “How did it go with the king?”

He sighed. “He wasn’t happy that I risked myself going through the portal, and he’s even less pleased about me bringing my dad here, but he’s glad that I’m here permanently. For now, at least.”

Permanently in Atar. A grim prospect. “Will he make trouble for your dad?”

“Not overtly, but I don’t trust him. All of you have to be very careful here. More restrictions. I’m sorry, Liv.”

The sadness in his voice shocked me. “This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known the Griffins would set you up.”

“I can’t believe how badly I misjudged Ellory. He fooled me into thinking he was content to follow wherever I led. He even stood against the rest of the Assembly with their ultimatum regarding you.”

My breath caught. With all that’d happened, the ultimatum had vanished from my brain. I kept my voice neutral. “Yes, I heard about that at the wives’ luncheon.”

“Fuck.” His arm tightened around me. “I should have told you, but so much was happening. I didn’t mean to keep you in the dark. And I refused them point-blank, of course. It was nothing but a spiteful attempt to control me.”

My breath came a little easier. It’d been a mistake. Just a human error. “It’s okay, and we’ll be okay. We’ll get the real story out somehow.”

Leo grunted and kissed my forehead. “We’ll see.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Talia

Onedrinkwouldn’thurt.

Katrin had begged and begged me to join her for a glass of wine, and I still had an hour until the prince expected me back. He’d never even know I’d gone to the pub.

I sat in a cozy corner booth as Katrin went to the bar. My eyes kept flicking to the door. I half expected the prince to appear there, but of course, he didn’t. A few miners trickled in, leaving muddy boot prints as they hung up their thick coats. They gathered in a cluster at the bar and paid me no attention.

Bouncy music played over the speaker system, and the laughter of people gearing up for a night of fun warmed my soul. I glanced at the wall clock and sighed. Forty-five minutes until I had to head home.

Katrin returned with two steaming mugs. I frowned. “What’s this? I thought you were getting wine?”

She grinned. “Try it.”

I sipped and couldn’t hold back a gasp when the flavor hit my tongue. Sweet and tangy all at once, the warm liquid was a mouthful of everything perfect. Sugar, some sort of herbs, and enough alcohol to heat my insides all the way down. Insanely good.

“Nice, right?”

“Yes!” I took another, longer sip. “Amazing.”

“You’ve never tried it before?”

I opened my mouth to agree, but then caught it. The edge to her voice, a sharpness around the eyes. Fear crashed in all at once at my stupidity. This must be a normal drink in Alaria. I’d shown my strangeness by my reaction. I backtracked.

“I don’t really drink. It gives me headaches the next day.”

“Oh, me too,” she laughed, face smoothed back over into friendliness. “But it’s worth it sometimes.”

We drank and chatted, and I tried to resist glancing at the clock too often. She already thought my “husband” was controlling. No need to make things worse. My cheeks warmed as the alcohol suffused my system. I wasn’t used to it anymore. My body relaxed a little, but my brain stayed on high alert. I couldn’t shake the feeling Katrin was paying me extra attention.

Drink finished, she set her cup down and leaned forward, tension showing in the lines of her shoulders. “Listen. I need to say something to you. Please don’t bolt. Hear me out.”

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