Page 34 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

“I had no choice about that. Victor was adamant,” Jasper says quietly.

Interesting… he certainly didn’t want to admit he’d been forced to assign me to her, even going so far as to pretend it was his idea.

Garrett motions to Jasper with his palm up, emphasizing the fact that he agrees with him. “Yes, exactly! Peter put Victor up to it. If you were a proper soldier, I would have authority over you. I could make you general.”

“Imagine that,” I crack.

“Oh—stop with the attitude,” Jasper adds. “I admit, guarding the princess is below your pay grade, even if it’s only for a few weeks. Once she’s off to Brazil, you can—”

All the saliva dries from my mouth. “The king is marrying her off to Felipe Pereira?”

“Yes. We need his help with the war. He’s got eyes and ears in the Zhaos’ Court,” Garrett says.

“And he asked for the princess’ hand in return?”

“Wouldn’t you? I mean—I’d heard the rumors, but that girl is a vampire’s wet dream…” Jasper trails off.

All my life, I’ve tried and failed to evade my siblings, and it seems today is no exception. I excuse myself under the guise of checking on the princess, but I slip inside the bathroom and splash water on my face. Nyx be damned, I really wish I’d been an only child. They’re going to use what they know about Elle’s escape to reel me into whatever plan they have in motion.

An old fucker like Pereira shouldn’t be allowed to marry our princess, it’s as simple as that. I wait a few minutes before going back out, knowing they’ll allow the guests in soon and that I’ll need to be by the princess’ side when they do.

My brothers are no longer stalking the entrance of the chapel as I return, government officials filtering inside for the ceremony.

A voice I haven’t heard in years booms from the shadow of the alcove. “Well, isn’t it my favorite Beaumont?”

Oh, hell. I squint at the apparition.

The redhead vampire pushes himself off the wall and strolls in my direction.

“Welcome back, Sebastian. Should I arrest you right now, or would you prefer to be wrestled out of the chapel in front of everyone?”

Funny thing is, I’m actually serious. Both options work for me, but I could deal with a little drama if he preferred to ruffle a few feathers. Could be interesting.

He straightens my ceremonial scarf with a wink. “It’s Lord Chastain to you. And I’m not trespassing. Victor granted me a reprieve on my sentence.”

The corners of my mouth quirk. Hell yeah. “My Lord, what brings you back to France? I thought we were a bunch of boring, old-fashioned necrophiles.”

“The bogeyman is dead. It was time to mend fences with the fam.” He salutes me with two fingers and heads inside the chapel.

Sebastian’s last words to Ludovic were pretty much the high-point of the last decade. Despite his obnoxiousness, you had to admire the guile of the kid. A newborn vamp telling the vilest vampire king in centuries to go fuck himself…it was a sight to see.

If he hadn’t been a Chastain, and the prime minister’s only son, his skull would have been welded to the throne.

Chapter 13

In A Crown

ARIELLE

The string quartet’s delightful rendition of “Swan Lake” lures me from the chapel into the ballroom, the celebratory ball only just beginning. Chandeliers twinkle above our heads as the guests filter in, in stark contrast with the dark, mysterious atmosphere of the chapel. Alec nips at my heels, the pressure of his gaze on my back almost as vivid as a graze.

The royal guard was sitting behind me during the coronation, and yet his piercing eyes were more interested in watching me than his new king. After riddling the nape of my neck with goosebumps for the first half of the ceremony, he spent the next hour studying my crown of braids like it was a marvel of modern engineering, and even adjusted a loose clip in my hair.

Now that it’s over, I should scold him for touching me, but I can’t bring myself to do it. The soft gesture chased away the boredom, preventing me from nodding off to sleep.

Exotic flavors of human blood tickle my gums, the delicacies like catnip to my newborn vampire senses. Hemoglobin chocolate cake, A-negative cherries…I decide to steer clear of the hors d’oeuvres table altogether. I’m not here to stuff my face and need to keep my wits about me, not argue with my bodyguard in front of the whole court.

I grab a flute of champagne from an offered tray to wash off the tantalizing aromas from my mouth and weave through the crowd to find Lucas.

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