Page 36 of The Serpent's Bride
Volencia smiled. “Very smart girl. Well. I will rephrase. What do you plan todoabout it?”
“Stay out of it, best I can. Unless I need to act in any way, in which case…life has chosen a side for me.” Nadi shook her head. “For as long as I survive, Raziel will be my husband. My loyalty is to him and his family. I will support him in any way I can until he decides I’m no longer of use to him.”
“The rumors do travel far, don’t they?” Volencia crossed one leg over the other as she pulled a cigarette out of her purse. “Tomorrow will be a very important day, girl. My youngest is getting married for the first time.”
Nadi overcame the urge to say “Probably not the last time” and let Volencia keep speaking.
“Everyone who is anyone, or wishes to be anyone, will be in attendance. You are—exactly as you’ve stated—a prop. Smile. Shake hands. Be gracious. Defer to Raziel and the rest of us in all things. Be beautiful and charming. Do not drink too much anddo not eat too much.” Volencia stood, smoothing a hand down her dress before lighting her cigarette, taking a lazy drag from it, and exhaling the smoke. “Do all this, and I will see that Raziel is…as kind to you as he is capable of being.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Nadi kept her gaze on the mirror as the attendants kept buzzing about her. “I will do my best.”
“See that you do, girl.” With that, the older woman was gone.
Nadi shut her eyes and let out a wavering breath the moment Volencia had exited the room and she heard the door click shut.
“I fuckinghatethat bitch,” one of the attendants said, looking up at her from where she was kneeling, pinning the hem of the train. “She is the absoluteworst.”
Nadi laughed. “I’m not gonna disagree.”
“I’m sorry you just have to stand there and take it. And—and it’s so sad—your father sold you to them? The Nostroms?” The woman frowned as she went back to pinning the hem. “I don’t know how you can do it.”
“I’ve dealt with worse, believe it or not.”
And that much was true. She had dealt with worse. But something told her, that little unsettled feeling at the back of her neck…that it might not be true for much longer.
Nadi had hoped to spend the night hiding in “her” room. The following day was the wedding, and she had little desire to interact with anybody. But when one of Raziel’s minions came to fetch her for dinner, she knew it wasn’t a request—it was an order.
She changed into something that she could fight in if necessary, touched up her makeup, and, with a sigh, headed out of her room.
Not like she stood a chance against Raziel in a fight. That much was painfully clear with how they had left things theprevious night. He was right—he hadn’t left a bruise on her throat. But the feeling of his fingers wrapped around her neck lingered, and she found herself absentmindedly rubbing where he had gripped her.
She found him sitting alone at a table by the railing that overlooked his back yard. He was toying with another golden coin, and she watched as it flickered in the light of the two moons. The Father and Mother were both out, one bright and white and the other black. Most people couldn’t see the light it gave out. But she was fae—she could see it as clear as the sun. And it broke her heart that vampires and humans missed how beautiful it really was.
Approaching the table, she hesitated before pulling out her own chair to sit. His red eyes were gazing out to the darkened city beyond the walls of fake paper and metal shrubbery that kept his home as private as possible. He looked so lost in thought, she wondered if he even knew she had sat down.
They sat in silence for a long moment before she couldn’t take it anymore. “I figured you’d be out partying.”
A huff that could have been mistaken for a single, silent laugh was all she got in response at first. One of his staff came up a second later to serve them. Steak—and basically raw, by the look of it—with a side of roasted potatoes and green beans. Red wine accompanied it—poured from two bottles, as his was likely the bloodwine mixture that he preferred.
“Your mother is insisting I wear a shawl to hide my birthmark.” She picked up the fork and knife and sliced off a piece of the steak. The middle was almost blue, it was so undercooked. But she didn’t mind. Fae had no problem eating meat. “But I did win the debate with the stylist about leaving my hair down tomorrow.”
Another long stretch of silence. He had still failed to even look at her. Finally, he spoke. “What do you think of my mother?”
She had a choice. Honesty or a lie. A lie would be seen as just pandering. But was that what he wanted? With a breath, she picked up her red wine to sip it, glad it was missing the tang of blood. “Between us? I think she hates me. And I believe it might be mutual.”
That earned her another half-laugh. “She is protective of her children.”
“I will do everything I can not to get on her bad side.”Right until the moment she stuck a knife between the woman’s ribs.
“That is wise.” He finally reached for his own glass of wine and sipped it.
Silence.
Maybe it was curiosity that drove her forward.
Maybe it was a need to end the awkward silence.
The third option was unthinkable.
