Page 13 of The Sovereign: Part One
Lourdes struggled to compose herself, but the effort was evident.“Bellam, my deepest apologies for subjecting you to the spectacle that is my insufferable younger brother, Roan.”
The confused expression on Bellam’s face was expected.It wasn’t that Lourdes and Roan were polarized in appearance—her porcelain skin and cool-toned hair and eyes a striking contrast to his rich complexion and dark hair.Not that Lourdes’s delicate frame was the antithesis of her brother’s solidly athletic build.The only common trait was their blue eyes, but even those were different in every sense, two completely distinct shades of blue.Siblings in Hyperion Proper were traditionally expected to share similar features, creating a more cohesive family unit.However, in the past century, it had become a prevailing practice within the Vanguard for each child’s features to more closely mirror one parent, rather than blending traits from both.Just as surnames were a fixation in Hyperion Proper, so too had the Vanguard turned lineage into an obsession.Lourdes was a reflection of her mina, her grandmina, and the generations before them, an unbroken thread of inherited perfection.
Given that, Bellam’s surprise was not that Lourdes and Roan didn’t look alike, what caught her off guard was how this theatrically inclined man, behaving like a buffoon and clad in the rugged attire of someone from beyond the walls, could possibly be Lourdes’s brother.
“Bellam.”He said her name like it was something to be savored, letting each syllable roll off his tongue slowly, as if tasting it.His voice dipped just enough, threaded with a quiet, magnetic allure that turned a simple introduction into something dangerously intimate.
“Is there a more beautiful name?”he continued.“Smooth on the tongue, rich with elegance.It deserves to be whispered in candlelight, etched into poetry, or sighed in the throes of a dream.”With practiced ease, he sidestepped to her, lowering himself into a dramatic kneel.Taking her hand with a reverence that bordered on indulgent, he brushed his lips against her fingers, his gaze locking onto hers with unwavering intensity.“I had planned to behave myself today, but then I laid eyes on you, and now I fear all my good intentions have been thoroughly undone.”
Bellam stared down at him in utter disbelief.“Do women usually survive this level of charm, or am I in danger?”
Roan’s mouth fell open in sheer delight before breathing out a laugh.“I must have you,” he said, looking to his sister.“I must have her.How dare you not introduce us sooner?Nearly unforgiveable.”
“I just met her today,” Lourdes said through clenched teeth.“Thank you, dear brother, for such a rare show of restraint.”
Roan ignored her, instead gesturing to a Hiven, who immediately slid an empty chair between Lourdes and Bellam.He sat, leaning toward his new object of desire.
Lourdes closed her eyes, letting out a flustered but subdued sigh, careful not to draw too much attention.Her patience was clearly at its threshold, but she remained self-possessed, acutely aware of the eyes that were inevitably watching.“You’re such a child,” she murmured.
Hewaschildish.And foolish.Yet, somehow, he was charismatic enough to make even the most ridiculous flirtation seem endearing.All six foot three of Roan’s frame was entirely focused on Bellam’s smaller stature, radiating the boldness of a man who’d never once doubted his presence in a room.
He was devastatingly handsome, in the way that made women forget their own names mid-sentence.I’d witnessed it enough times to know it wasn’t a coincidence—Roan Vasthane’s charm was legendary—and a cautionary tale.His olive-toned skin was sun-kissed from his many adventures beyond the wall, his hair stayed clipped to a no-nonsense buzz, the preference of a man who lived outside the wall more than in it, cropped tight, the cut you choose when wind, grit, and distance are your constants.His irises were both a striking and soft light blue-gray, just as sharp as his sister’s, but recklessly untroubled, framed by dark lashes that should have been illegal.His mouth curved easily, lips full enough to ease the sharp cut of his jaw, but the dimple that appeared on his left cheek when he smiled was the real weapon.It made you believe, for just a moment, that you were the reason for it.
His physique was lean but powerful, broad shoulders tapering into a trim waist—a frame that didn’t come from time in the Wellness Pavilion, but from a life spent moving, chasing, lifting, doing.His tan button-down was a more relaxed fit, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing strong forearms, veins visible beneath the skin, like art made of sinew and bone.He paired it with rugged olive-green pants, those worn on a hike or through the desert, but they fit in the way that only happens when tailored to perfection.
Bellam leaned in, resting her chin on the heel of her hand, grinning as she fluttered her eyelashes in a series of flirtatious expressions I hadn’t known she was capable of.“Roan, is it?”
“Primar Vasthane to some, but you, darling, can call me whatever your heart desires, as long as it’s only me, now and forever.”
Her sweet, flirtatious smile disappeared, twisting into a sneer that mirrored Lourdes’s disdain.“If you think I’m wasting my last tryst before my Veritas year on a Vanguard with an infamous number of broken hearts in his wake, you’re as dumb as you are desperate.”
Roan blinked, still trying to process her response.Lourdes straightened, raising her leir in a triumphant toast.My mouth hung open, lips parted slightly as if I’d forgotten how to speak.Had Bellam spoken to any other Vanguard in such a way, she’d be lucky to walk away with a basic model Supplicant, let alone start her Veritas Protocol.I likely would’ve been helping her pack for The Vale—or worse.Such an insult would be met with immediate retribution, the consequences severe.But Lourdes, momentarily convinced that her brother had somehow failed, forgave Bellam instantly, beaming with satisfaction at what was sure to be her brother’s rare humiliation.
Ironically, it was precisely because Roan Vasthane was unlike any other member of the Vanguard that his expression revealed nothing but instant, all-encompassing obsession with the woman who had just insulted him in the most brutal way.
Lourdes recognized the look in his eyes the same moment I did.Her triumphant toast faltered, her leir lowering slowly to the table in defeat.Roan had been thoroughly conquered, but in a way his sister hadn’t anticipated—he’d just fallen in love.
“I’m…” he began.I watched in awe as I witnessed Roan stumble for the first time, but it didn’t take him long to recover.“I fear I’m due for the Oathbond ceremony of an esteemed colleague in an hour, but I’m certain we’ll be seeing more of each other, Bellam.I don’t like leaving things so… unfinished.”
“You’re never going to make it,” Lourdes said.“Access is restricted ten minutes before the ceremony begins.”
Roan kissed Bellam’s fingers once more before standing, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer.“No lock has kept me out when I’m determined to get in,” he said, turning to Lourdes.“I hope to see you again soon, my beloved sister.”He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, nodded toward me, and made a swift exit, his presence still lingering in the air.
“Well…” I said, letting my shoulders slowly drop.
“Was that a threat?It felt like a threat,” Bellam said, bewildered.
Lourdes covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.“I can’t believe it.Roan has met his match.He’s never been told no before.Not with any real conviction.”She reached for Bellam’s hand.“Promise me you’ll make him suffer for as long as you can.”
Bellam pressed her lips into a hard line before nodding, just once.“I believe in the old world that would fall under apinky swear.”
Lourdes held up her pinky, and Bellam linked hers with a quick motion.Not wanting to be left out, I joined them, my pinky slipping into place.
Once the moment passed, Bellam frowned.“What were we discussing before Casanova made his entrance, as if the plot couldn’t unfold without him?”
Lourdes once again struggled not to laugh.
“Oh!”Bellam said, excited.“Joss.We were talking about you being in love with Joss.”
