Page 67 of A Hunter for Luna

I inclined my head, my smile razor thin. "We're honored by the invitation, cousin. Though I admit, I'm surprised you managed to tear yourself away from your usual diversions long enough to attend a dinner party, even for the emperor."

Vivaldo's pale eyes flashed, but his expression never wavered. "Oh, I always make time for family. And for intriguing ladies."

A few moments later we were seated at the table as the first course arrived, a delicate duck broth garnished with rose petals. I barely tasted it, my mind whirling with the undercurrents of the conversation. Vivaldo's barbs were nothing new, but there was an edge to his words tonight, a hunger I didn't like.

I didn’t want my wife near danger, even if she could handle herself.

Beside me, Luna engaged in polite conversation with the nobleman to her right, her laughter tinkling like wind chimes. But I caught the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers gripped her fork a bit too tightly.

I had to tread carefully, to play the game without killing anyone in a fit of temper. Beneath the glittering chandeliers and fine silks, a deadly dance had begun.

And it would be so simple to kill Vivaldo to protect Luna’s future children, but then the rest in line to inherit would rise up at the thought I’d done it to seal my position for a throne I did not want. The irony could choke a dragon.

I took a sip of wine, the rich Dimarian red coating my tongue. As the second course was served, a succulent roast pig in a honey glaze on a bed of sliced hard-boiled eggs and greens, Vivaldo leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. He had to lean to see us past the centerpiece.

"It's fascinating," he said, his tone light, but his eyes gleaming with chilly malice. "The whispers around the court about you, Benedetto. Rising so quickly in the emperor's favor. It must be quite the burden."

"It's no burden to serve one's emperor," I replied smoothly. "Though I imagine it's hard for some to understand when they've never experienced it."

"Of course." Vivaldo swirled his imported red wine. "But one wonders if ambition might creep in. After all, with the emperor aging and without heirs, it's only natural for contenders to emerge. Don't you agree?"

I tilted my head, my fingers drumming lightly on the table. "Ambition is a dangerous thing," I said. "It often blinds men to their own weaknesses."

He was testing me. Seeing how far he could push me. Why?

I glanced around the table, taking in the carefully neutral expressions of the other nobles. They were watching, waiting to see which of us would falter first. It was a game I knew all too well, a dance of power and manipulation that I had been bred for since birth.

And trained for until I walked away.

Tonight, the stakes were higher than ever. With the emperor's health failing and no clear successor, the court was a powder keg waiting to explode. And Vivaldo, with his sly insinuations and knowing smirks, seemed to be toying with lighting it.

Care was called for, since I had more to lose now than I had for a long time. Luna would be a prize if I died. I didn’t envy the man who’d be assigned to break her.

I didn’t want it to happen to her.

I had to be careful, to play the game. One wrong move, one misstep, and everything I had worked for could come crashing down around me.

One of my mother’s closest cronies, Giordano de Manfredi, paused by Luna as he headed for his chair. He said something I couldn’t catch, and she gave him a brilliant smile.

Before I could go to her and ask what was said, Emperor Bartolomeo arrived and all rose as he made his way to the head of the table, smiling affably enough it looked like his face would crack.

As the servants brought out the dessert, a delicious honeyed fried cheese, I noticed movement from Luna. She leaned slightly toward the nobleman seated beside her, her expression polite but guarded. The man, Lord Enzo, leaned closer, speaking in hushed tones.

My ears, sharpened by years of living on the edge, caught fragments of their conversation.

"You don't have to stay with him, you know," Lord Enzo murmured, his tone oily and insinuating. "I can offer you and your sister protection, money—everything you need. All you have to do is add a little something to his drink. After that, no more coarseness and scandal. Nor will you have to deal with his hag of a mother. And your sister will be safe from the newest plans your father is hatching."

The audacity. A cold fury rose in my chest, my grip tightening on my wineglass until I thought it might shatter. He thought he could poach her right under my nose, as if she were some pretty trinket to be bought and sold. As if I wouldn't notice.

I turned my head and saw Luna raise an eyebrow, her lips curling into a sweet, almost predatory smile.

"Oh, how thoughtful of you," she purred. "But if I wanted Benedetto dead, I'd have done it myself by now."

For a moment, I sat stunned. Then, my initial anger gave way to a swell of warmth and pride. She was on my side, truly and completely. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning, unexpected but exhilarating.

Lord Enzo sputtered, his face flushing an unflattering shade of red. But Luna merely laughed as if they’d exchanged witty remarks, the sound like silver bells.

The emperor smiled benignly down the table at her. “Luna, my dear, you have a lovely laugh. We wish to hear it more often.”

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