Page 44 of House of Embers
“Well, when he’s off the throne, I won’t care what he has to say.”
“You’re awfully confident.”
“I know Ollivier’s strengths,” he said, unconcerned. “I’ll win the denouncement, and then I’ll take the throne. If you’re lucky, you’ll belong to me after he’s gone.”
Kerrigan couldn’t believe his gall. She’d known his play was the coronation, but she hadn’t thought he’d spout it off like that. “And here I thought you wanted me gone.”
He shrugged. “Half-Fae should be servants or dead. Your choice.”
And he meant it.
Chapter Sixteen
The Leash
“Well, hello there, handsome,” Wynter said with a feral smile. “Mind if I cut in?”
Barron’s expression changed when it lit on Wynter. He’d been stoic the entire dance, but as soon as the Ollivier princess appeared, the suave, smooth talker appeared. As if all his ill intentions had evaporated at the sight of his next conquest. He was going to have to take that up with Dozan Rook.
“Of course,” Barron said, offering his hand to Wynter.
“My brother looks like he could use an intervention,” Wynter told Kerrigan. “I’ve got this.”
Barron swept her into his arms. “No, I have this.”
Then they disappeared into the crowd of dancers, leaving Kerrigan standing alone on the dance floor. She had a lot of thoughts about Barron’s change when it came to Wynter. Was that his real play? Get rid of Fordham and marry the other Ollivier instead of Viviana? He was going to quickly learn that Wynter was no longer a puppet with strings to pull. But it was an interesting thought.
Her eyes landed on Fordham, who was trapped with Viviananearly pressing her half-exposed breasts to his chest. She didn’t even seem to care that he looked uncomfortable.
Kerrigan tapped Viviana on the shoulder. “This dance is mine.”
“We weren’t done!” she snapped.
Fordham smiled down at Kerrigan with relief. “I do whatever the lady wants.”
Then he took up Kerrigan’s hand and twirled her away from the disappointed former queen. They took half a pass around the room before Fordham finally melted against her.
“Her claws are deep,” he grumbled.
“Barron is interesting.”
“That’s a diplomatic word.”
“We thought he wanted me dead, but I don’t think he cares about me.”
Fordham arched an eyebrow, gesturing to the display around them—all their enemies and the contingencies they’d put in place to counter them if he came after Kerrigan. “Explain.”
“He told me that he was going to challenge you.”
“We knew he would.”
“Yes,” she said as he swooped her around another couple, “but he said that once you were out of the way, I’d be his servant or dead.”
Fordham’s expression hardened. “I see.”
“I think he’s after Wynter, and this was a way to draw her out.” Kerrigan’s gaze shifted to Wynter, who was playing a good role with Barron, smiling and laughing and looking not at all like a deranged princess but a besotted one. “We can trust her, right?”
Fordham followed her look. “If we start questioning our own, we’ll never trust anyone. Dozan trusts her.”
