Page 144 of A Palace of Smoke & Mirrors
“Yes, and I’m yourmate.” Lucais clicked his tongue, lost in thought for a moment. “We live for a long time, Aura,” he finally answered. “Even those of us who find our intended soulmates often engage in other intimate relationships, together or separately. You saw what it was like at the party we threw at the House. We’re very fluid beings, and generally not fussy about who shares pleasure with us. Nor do we believe that an individual is only capable of loving one person, sometimes even when there’s a mating bond in place.”
Frowning, I stated, “You were annoyed at the House, though.”
Lucais’s fingers stilled in my hair for a moment before he cleared his throat and continued to massage my scalp. “That was different. You didn’t know he wasn’t me.”
“And now that I do?”
“Our dynamic with Wrenlock is not unusual. If you wanted to kick me out of it, I’d be annoyed, but otherwise, I’ll carry you to whoever’s bed you wish to sleep in for the night. Assemble a harem, if you like.” His tone shifted, taking on a dark edge. “The second a hand touches you without your consent, though, I’ll remove it—from your bodyandtheir own.”
I braced against a shudder as Lucais finished with my hair, cut the water off, and turned me around to face him. His eyes were smouldering as they searched mine.
“Do you want me to physically remove him the next time he touches you?”
“No,” I answered carefully. The confession was already in my throat. “I…likeseeing the two of you the way you have been over the last few days.”
Lucais smiled as he scrunched the water out of my hair. It was edged with sadness and distance, but his voice was relieved. “Good. I like it, too.”
After we had dried and dressed, we made our way downstairs holding hands. The gesture felt so natural that I hadn’t realised we were doing it until after we let go to take our seats.
I was surprised to see that Lucais had permitted Enyd back into the warm space of the dining room and wasn’t trying to ice her out by serving dinner outside in the fog. The room was cosy as ever—a set of teapots steaming on the table, plants crawling all over the bookcases and walls, orbs of light floating around in the corners, and a fireplace crackling in the hearth. I skirted it, taking the long way around to my seat on the far side of the room beside the window, which I noticed had been cracked open. A tiny wooden windmill was placed in front of the gap, drawing in a breeze just strong enough to spin the slanting blades around.
Enyd was sitting alone, tapping a fingernail against the table. When we entered, she glanced up, and I could have sworn that her features relaxed. But in the next blink, it was gone, and she was back to holding herself with the hard, fiercely honed posture of someone who was gearing up for a fight.
The High King pulled my chair out for me and waited for me to sit down first.
“Aura,” Enyd murmured. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better, thank you.” I smiled, forcing my eyes to steer clear of the burning wood over her shoulder. The room wasn’t filled with many other risks—unless I threw myself out of the window or tried to impale myself with a butter knife—so it was my main concern. Lucais squeezed my hand on top of the table. “How are you?”
The High Lady relaxed back in her seat, laughing lightly. “I’m about to rip your mate a new one, so please accept my apologies in advance.”
“Anything I can help with instead?” I asked, though I immediately questioned myself for it.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucais smirk.
“Maybe,” Enyd murmured, thoughtful. She was wearing her usual plain clothes—a grey shirt over leather slacks, a weapons belt slung over the back of her chair—and had her hair slicked back into a low bun. “You might understand my nervousness. You see, I lost some of my best men at the House, and they were like family to me. They wereimportant. So, if Gregor was responsible for letting those atrocities into our Courts, I’d want to take my retribution sooner rather than later.” Her eyes darted to the High King. “Upon my arrival in the city, however, I discover that not only am I thesolepotential ally that Lucais has recruited, but he’s actually keeping a platoon of the murderous beasts in his throne room like some kind of museum display.” Her stormy eyes drifted back to mine. “You understand me, don’t you?”
I threw an apologetic look at the High King because even I had to admit it wasn’t a good look.
He rolled his eyes at me and leaned forward, clasping his hands beneath his chin with his elbows resting on the table. “Enyd, my darling. You have mywordthat I will dispose of the nasty creatures within the next few days,” he vowed. “I wanted to renovate the palace, so I thought that trying my hand at zookeeping might help me to raise the money for it, if only the locals would pay a handsome fee to glimpse the beasts in their rotten flesh. Thank the High Mother, you’ve helped me see the error in my ways—”
“You insufferable fool,” she snapped. “What about everything else?”
Lucais pushed away from the table with a long-suffering sigh and rubbed the stubble on his chin. “We will contact Ulyssa once the caenim are gone, like we discussed.”
Enyd mimicked his movements, but she also crossed her arms. “You might want to dispose of the caenim tonight, then, because I’ve already sent word to them.”
“You didwhat?” The shrill voice came from the doorway as Morgoya’s lithe figure appeared. “Nobody authorised that! You cannot just—”
“It is already done,” Lucais cut in wearily, holding up a hand like a white flag. He levelled Enyd with a sharp look, leaning forward to shove his hands through his hair. “The caenim will be disposed of before Ulyssa arrives, but the next time you decide to go rogue—”
“What?” she sniped, the word as harsh as the crackling fireplace behind her. “You’ll do what to me, Lucais?”
“Not to you.” His voice dropped into a low snarl, brimming with a threat so powerful the glassware rattled on the table between them. “I’ll do it to yourmen.”
My stomach rolled over as I observed the colour draining from Enyd’s face until her cheeks were the same grey as the ribbon tied around her forehead. I liked Enyd, but she was strong-arming Lucais into decisions he wasn’t ready to make. And although I’d only just figured out the reasons behind his impulse control issues myself, I thought that she really ought to know better.
Before something—or someone—broke, the sound of Wrenlock bursting into the room ripped everyone’s attention back in the direction of the doorway. Fury shredded his expression, eyes hot enough to raze the entire room as he scanned the faces at the dining table and slapped his hands down on the wooden surface.
