Page 96 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
Everyone takes their place and waits for them to sit first before taking their own seats.
Aidan and Elio sit with us in an alternating man-woman configuration: Zeke to my left, and Elio to my right. Though, I don’t know the woman sitting beside him.
“I met your grandmother,” I say quietly.
Elio’s eyes dim. “Mabel used to visit when my mother was alive, but she stopped after... Truth is, I was so young that I barely remember her.”
Ezra quickly abandons his seat to squeeze in between his brother and me, crouching down to speak to him. “Are you seeing this?” He downs Elio’s untouched glass of wine. “Looks like daddy dearest is about to get remarried.”
My gaze snaps to the woman sitting next to Ezra at the head table. Ezra’s mother is dead, so this woman must be the King of Light’s plus-one. She looks young and stunning, one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen, with white-blonde hair and endless green eyes.
But then I spot the man beside her.
Ethan Lightbringer is as handsome as his two sons, but also dangerous. One look at him tells me that. The upturned corners of his eyes give him a feline flair, and his aristocratic bearing makes him seem like the kind of man who could both kiss your knuckles to charm you or break them to see you squirm.
I quickly avert my gaze, trying to avoid his notice as Ezra returns to his seat.
The rustling of fine fabrics and murmurs of polite conversation echo through the ballroom, while flutes of Feyfire wine are placed at every seat.
The Summer King takes his flute in hand and rises to his feet. He thanks the guests for their attendance, his voice smooth and commanding, filling the room with authority. Thera follows with a heartfelt address about young love and devotion, her words so genuine and full of warmth that, for a moment, I’m tempted to forget the reality of this wedding.
The warmth of her words lingers, but it’s quickly replaced by the cold formality of the evening as the long, seven-course dinner is served. The abundance of food feels almost incongruent with my current mood, and I can’t help but feel disconnected from the lavish spread before me.
“You brought a date?” I mouth quietly to Aidan when I’m confident Zeke is too busy eating to notice.
“Sorry,” he mouths back with a sheepish grimace.
Elio’s company isn’t enough to distract me from the way Aidan glowers at Zeke every chance he gets until it’s time to get up and dance, the stilted torture of dinner finally over. Elio asks his date to dance, and she gives him a timid smile, clearly enchanted by his offer.
Zeke’s hand rests on the small of my back as we stand on the edge of the dance floor, me praying that he won’t ask me to do the same, and him probably picking up on my silent wish. Ezra and Willow move to join us.
Ethan Lightbringer follows behind them, and the hope to avoid meeting him altogether quickly goes up in flames, his gaze riveted on me as he joins our circle.
“So, this is the moth that has everyone under her cold spell,” he enunciates slowly. His chilly tone has a powerful ring to it, yet it’s eerily quiet.
I offer the man a polite curtsy. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. It would be.”
Again, so quiet, yet terrifying.
I dart my eyes up to him, and my knuckles turn white against the skirt of my dress.
Not unlike Ezra did during our first meeting, the King of Light undresses me with his eyes, but the moment feels anything but lighthearted. Ethan Lightbringer’s intense gaze leaves prints in its wake, each of them heavy and soiled, like his darkest desire is to play with me for a night and leave me trampled forever.
I’ve seen that look in a man’s eyes before, in the back alleys of Tundra, and my blood turns cold. I doubt I could blast the King of Light with ice strong enough to buy me freedom if he forced himself on me. Thanatos knows there are many, many empty hallways in this castle where no one could hear me scream for help.
I grip the skirt of my dress even tighter, trying to dispel the fear in my gut, but I can see it in his eyes. Dark as sin and bright as a promise. This man would hurt me, given the chance.
Zeke clears his throat. “Please excuse us, Your Majesty. I’m eager to dance with my beautiful fiancée.” With a firm hand wrapped around my shoulder, he guides me to the dance floor in time for a romantic waltz.
“Wh—”
“One dance won’t kill you. I had to get away from that man. He’s vicious.”
A sigh heaves out of my lungs. “For once, I agree with you.”
I hang onto him, unsure where to put my hands.
