Page 35 of A Tale of Treachery

It was astonishing how Aiden could be related to such a vile man.

Aiden didn’t bow or greet the king as royal protocol demanded, but instead stood tall and proud with his chest puffed out for all to see. It was a challenge. A statement of defiance. It was an odd sight to see, considering how Aiden had always been the ideal son to his father.

The king clenched his fists, his mouth twisting into a sneer. My brows pinched together in confusion. Something had happened between the two of them to instigate this silent battle of wills—and in public, no less.

I reassured myself that I couldn’t be the cause. Aiden hadn’t seen his father since the night we were together.

Aiden flashed his father a spiteful look as he ventured further down the road of rebellion, maintaining eye contact with the man as he bent down to kiss me.

His lips landed on mine, and an audible gasp tore through the crowd. Surprised by his nerve, I stepped out of reach, and braced myself to face the king’s wrath.

The king said nothing, only eyed his son with distaste and ground his teeth, shooting a murderous glare in our direction. Chills of foreboding skittered down my spine. The king’s expression spelled death and punishment.

He shouted orders at his advisors and servants, demanding they follow him as he stormed back into the palace.

That kiss wasn’t my fault, but I would be the one to pay for it.

My mouth gaped open in shock, and I slapped Aiden on the chest. “What was that?”

“Nothing. I’m just proving a point.”

Aiden didn’t need to drag me into whatever pissing match was happening between him and his father. “That’s not all right, Aiden. We haven’t even had the chance to discuss what happened, and I never permitted you to claim me as yours in front of everyone.”

“I told you I would find a way for us to be together, and this is it. Just follow along and trust me.”

Trust him. He’d been missing for a week after we’d been together, and I was a little bitter about the situation. Ours was supposed to be a one-night fling. I didn’t think he’d been serious when he’d said he would find a way for us to be together. The idea was crazy. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this had nothing to do with me.

Whatever was happening between the two of them had been going on well before that night.

“I don’t understand what is happening,” I stated.

Brandon and George stepped closer, a knowing look passing among the three of them.

“Tell me what is going on,” I demanded of the soldiers.

“Later,” Aiden said as he turned to George and Brandon. “Head over to the barracks. I’ll be there shortly.”

It was clear to me now. I’d been thrust blindly into some sort of treacherous plot. And Brandon, knowing so, issued me a sympathetic look as he grabbed his grinning brother and left.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Aiden, searching his face for answers. “You are up to something, and you need to tell me. I can’t be thrown into the middle of something that I don’t understand,” I warned.

Aiden sighed and pinched his brow between his fingers. “I sent my father a letter informing him of my choice in marriage, and let’s just say his corresponding letter made it clear that he was not happy.”

“Marriage? Aiden! We haven’t spoken since that night. You can’t announce your intentions to the king without consulting me. How do you even know that is what I want?”

Aiden issued me a stern look. “You love me, Dahlia. We broke a sacred tenet, and marriage is the next step to correct what we have done.”

Aiden had always been devoted to the religious teachings of Cambriel, and the one and only God, but I had no idea that he was this devout. I didn’t worship the same God the others did, and I wondered how much he would despise me if that were ever discovered.

I’d been told to worship one too many gods in my lifetime and was skeptical.

I shook my head in disbelief, a million words on the tip of my tongue, ready to strike, but before the words could come out, a feminine voice shouted, “Duana! Duana!”

I went rigid at the name, meaningdark one, a name I hadn’t been called since childhood. Yet, the voice that spoke was a familiar one. My vision tunneled, and everything came crashing down, the nightmares of my past rising to haunt me.

I’d been so concerned with Aiden and the king that the cage filled with women had slipped my mind.

But I’d never expected this.

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