Page 11 of Ties of Deception

The man took a step closer, frowning, and the powerful way he moved set my heart racing. There was no sign of finery on him nor any glint of gold, but he was armed with a broad sword across his back. He was probably an Aida guard. When Drusella had said they were dangerous, too dangerous for me to even look at, what exactly had she meant? She was prone to exaggeration, but there was certainly a hungry glint in his eye. Surely he wouldn’t harm me at a royal ball. If he was a god of death, did his powers happen automatically around him like mine did? But Graces were meant to be immune to the powers of death. And if he was an Aida guard, surely he wouldn’t be a god anyway, since Pris had said the gods were their royal family. He would be a lower rank and so likely mortal. But this man looked anything but normal.

I subtly gathered my long skirts into fists so I could break into a run to escape back inside if I had to. “I was taking some air, but am ready to return to the party now. Excuse me.”

He moved, frighteningly fast, until he was a mere foot away from me. His dark eyes were wide, studying my face as if he were seeing a ghost. Even as fear twisted my stomach, I had to admit he was handsome in a practical, roughly chiseled, threatening sort of way. Incredibly so. Though I remembered Pris saying all Aida were handsome. It was part of why they were so dangerous.

“You’re…” he breathed. For some reason I couldn’t move as he wrapped one hand around my waist locking me in place, and the other cupped my chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing my face upward so he could study my features. My whole body froze, cold striking down my spine. What was happening?

He seemed to be in some sort of a daze, his brows half-lowered and his lips parted. Maybe he was drunk, but I smelled nothing on his breath. “You’re....” He frowned in confusion.

His hand tightened at my waist, the other pushing my cheek so he could view the other side of my face. I was trapped, and I could feel his strength—strength I couldn’t match. Through my incapacitating panic, instinct finally took over. I needed to free myself. Now. He had a knife in his belt, and his hands were nowhere near it.

I seized the knife’s hilt and pulled the weapon free, resting the point against his stomach with a firm warning prod. “Let go of me. Don’t touch me.” The words came out in a strangled hiss.

The man looked down in surprise, and he raised his eyebrows. Confusion flickered across his eyes which ignited a rage within me. Did he think he had the right to do whatever he wished to me, merely because he was an Aida and there was some sort of an agreement they could look for brides in Atos?

I caught my breath and poked his stomach with the dagger a little harder. “I mean it. Step back. Now.” Beside me, an ornate pot of colorful vines tipped over and smashed without being touched.

His eyes met mine, now cooler and clearer, and a small, infuriating smile flirted around his lips. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” He removed his hands, spreading them out on either side of his head as if in surrender.

His words turned my remaining fear to pure anger. I narrowed my eyes and pressed the knife harder against his stomach, feeling the hard muscle beneath the soft black leather of his tunic. He didn’t flinch.

“No,” I hissed. “You can’t grab somebody—somebody’s face no less—and then pretend it was all an innocent misunderstanding.”

The Aida stepped back, his hands still raised. My knife became suspended in empty air, but I kept the point directed at him. He was tall, easily a foot taller than me, and far broader. I’d never felt so fragile.

He tilted his head, his eyes still studying every detail of my face. “We’re Fated. Can’t you feel it?”

I grimaced. “Fated? I have no idea what that means, but nothing, absolutely nothing is an excuse for what you just did.” I was liking this man less by the minute. I vaguely wondered what would happen if I pushed him off the balcony. Surely they couldn’t lock a goddess in jail without negatively affecting the surrounding area. They had to keep me happy.

His expression softened. “I am sorry. Truly.” He moved one hand to his heart. Did Aida even have one? Or were they as dead inside as their land?

His expression was filled with an eager sincerity that was hard not to believe. “I assumed… But you must be very new. A few weeks old, that would explain it.”

I gaped at him. “Explain what? Who do you think you are that you would feel you could just grab me as a stranger and that I would allow it? Did you do something to me?” Did the Aida have powers as well as their gods?

He moved his hands into a calming motion that had the opposite effect. “Please, my lady, will you let me start our meeting over again?”

I raised my eyebrows even further. He was unbelievable. “No! I don’t want anything to do with you. Let me pass and leave me alone.”

I thought panic flickered in his eyes, but I knew I’d imagined it when his arrogant smile returned. “My lady, I…”

A new voice yelled from behind. “Drop that knife!”

I stepped back and turned as a royal guard ran up to us, panic on his pale face. He had already drawn his sword. I lowered the knife and glared back at my harasser, ready to tell the guard exactly what the Aida had done and request that he be removed from the party. But the guard stood between us, protecting the Aida and facing me. Well, I suppose I had been the one with the knife, looking like I was about to stab him.

“This really isn’t necessary,” the Aida said in a formal yet relaxed voice. “The lady was merely demonstrating something to me. She has made her point completely clear.”

The guard stepped out from between us and bowed, still looking on edge. “Your Highness, would you…”

“Leave us, please.” The Aida’s tone brokered no argument.

Highness? So this had to be...

He winked at me. “Keep the knife. It suits you.” He caught me further off balance by tossing me the scabbard before striding inside, leaving me fuming and alone.

The guard had vanished but an Amazone with a stern expression soon appeared. Her towering height was both striking and intimidating and emphasized by her tall bronze shafted spear. Her black braids were gathered high on her head before falling down her back all the way to her waist. Her tunic was shorter than the ones I had seen, and I wondered if this was the typical Hassian fashion. “Lady Purity, please wait here while this incident is reported.”

My relief at getting away from the Aida wavered at her tone and the fact that she knew my name. Her words sounded a little ominous. I awkwardly looked down at the knife. Its handle was smooth pale bone and the blade’s metal was black. I sheathed it and pushed it into the calf straps of my right sandal. I could consider what to do with it later.

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