Page 43 of Chained

“Why were they asking about Zephyrine?”

Ryland chuckled. “Everyone is curious about your queen-to-be, Cade. She’s been here for weeks, and no one has seen much of her. There are theories running rampant on the internet about her, but the longer she stays in, the more intrigue surrounds her. Coupled with the fact that you had Stralia reassigned to the north wing…”

More tension stiffened my shoulders. “What does Stralia have to do with anything?”

Ryland’s eyebrows raised. “Cade, we’ve been friends since we were kids. I know Stralia, too, remember? You don’t have to pretend with me that you two haven’t been lovers all along.”

I bristled at the blunt reminder. I would rather have the subject of Stralia never come up again. “Zephyrine and I will be married soon. Stralia and I are friends now—a mutual decision.”

“Does Stralia know that?”

My eyes became slits. “What is she saying?” I growled. “Is she causing problems?”

Ryland balked and shook his head. “No… no, I don’t know,” he sputtered quickly. “I’m just saying that you two have history. You can’t just walk away from that because of an arranged union. Putting Stralia in another part of the palace isn’t going to put her out of your life. If you really wanted that, you would have banished her from Ironhelm.”

Aghast, I gaped at him. “I’m not banishing Stralia from Ironhelm!” I growled. “I still care about her, even if we can’t be together. She’s not a child, Ryland. She’s always known that this day was coming.”

The fae hung his head in contrition. “I’m not trying to rile you up, Cade,” he promised. “You were just asking about what the others were saying.”

I stared at Ryland, unspeaking, as I tried to unearth what he’d said.

“Are you suggesting that Stralia is going to cause problems for Zephy?” I croaked worriedly.

It was a thought I’d had myself, after all.

But Ryland’s eyes popped. “No! Not at all!” he protested, shaking his head. “I’m saying that the kingdom waits with bated breath to see how this drama unfolds.”

I moaned. “Doesn’t everyone have more important things to worry about than the lives of the royals?” I demanded.

“Probably,” Ryland replied with a dry chuckle. “But it’s so much more entertaining to follow your lives.”

Grimacing, I headed out of the cabinet, back into the palace to prepare for that night’s gala.

I’m surrounded by a bunch of children,I grumbled silently.They should all be ashamed of themselves.

* * *

I was inexplicablynervous as I descended the main stairs toward the ballroom, taking note of every detail along the way. There was a heaviness in the air, but it was unattainable. I couldn’t quite place it and reasoned that I was the one causing it.

The liveried staff wore their formal red and black uniforms for the affair, each in a line on either side of the double hall, awaiting my instructions. But under Grisella’s guidance, there was not much to tell them. As always, Grisella had done what she was supposed to do, and the common areas were enchanting and fully prepared for the impending guests.

“Is everything satisfactory, Alpha?” Grisella asked anyway, and I nodded.

“Where is Zephyrine?”

“She is already in the ballroom, Alpha.”

I made my way toward the center of the main floor, Grisella and Ryland stalking after me silently. I hadn’t been able to shake the sense of uneasiness all day, and even as I found nothing wrong with my surroundings, my gut warned me of impending issues.

As Father used to say, “If you look for trouble, you’re apt to find it.” Let sleeping dogs lie, Cade. There’s nothing to see here.

I paused before the intricate double doors, smoothing the front of my tuxedo jacket before Ryland stepped forward to release the handle and allow me inside. The ballroom was aglow with dragonflies, their zipping lights swirling to enhance the dim ambiance as the orchestra prepared for the evening.

Instantly, my gaze fell on Zephyrine, her flowing gown of crimson spilling over the marble floors, her back to me. Her dark hair was piled into a complicated style atop her head, kept in place by pearl combs that popped like stars in the night over her ebony crown. She peered out of the full, arched windows, overlooking the courtyard and into the night sky. Her maid, Maywin, stood at her side, whispering quietly, their voices not quite reaching me until I neared them.

Abruptly, they both turned, and my breath caught a moment, the swell of Zephyrine’s cleavage against the silken material of the gown increasing my blood pressure substantially.

“Alpha!” Maywin choked, shocked by my sudden arrival. She dipped into a curtsey as Zephyrine straightened herself to face me.

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