Page 27 of A Story of Sinners

The midday meal was very much a repeat of last night, held in the same ballroom with the same decorations, but this time, tension settled over the occupants as they quietly discussed the negotiation. It went without saying that favors would need to be granted by Aiden, even though each kingdom would be doing themselves a courtesy by assisting with closing the rift.

I knew how the rift was closed last time, a little-known fact that seemed to be kept secret. The rift had been closed with Ryken’s powers, and after the way he’d taken them back without a care for the world we lived in, there was little hope of him returning them. The negotiations were a pointless exercise, performed to settle the masses.

Gabriella leaned into me. “I tried convincing Aiden to let you wear something else, but he seems to believe dressing you as an object gives him leverage over the High King of Faerie.” She shook her head. “What he fails to see is that it makes your male even angrier. This plan of his will only go wrong and gain him an enemy he doesn’t have the resources to handle.”

It was clear Ryken was trying his best to remain impassive. His eyes didn’t glance in our direction, not even once, but he wasn’t fooling anyone with the nonchalant act. The clench of his jaw and stormy demeanor were both noticeable, to me and to everyone else. The male gifted to me by the fates was anything but dispassionate. His emotions were volatile and indiscriminate.

Bearing the brunt of them was a nightmare.

“Maybe Aiden deserves what’s coming to him,” I said, turning my attention back to Gabriella. She looked beautiful, as always, but her glow had seemed to dampen. The sweet, youthful nature she held seemed to be more reserved and wary. Her eyes, once filled with joy and life, seemed dull, like a spark had been snuffed out.

“How has it been for you, Gabriella? We’ve hardly had a chance to speak.”

Gabriella glanced over at Aiden, but he was distracted and vehemently whispering with George. The vein in George’s forehead bulged as he argued with Aiden about something.

“It’s been…different. Aiden leaves me alone mostly, except to give me orders on what I can and cannot do,” she sighed. “I’m sorry I haven’t visited. It was strictly forbidden after what happened the last time I tried.”

She’d hit George, I remembered. A chuckle slipped past my lips, and I smiled. “I was coming to at the time. I heard the blow. I think the whole palace heard it. Good for you.”

A smirk graced her red lips, and her brown eyes twinkled with delight.

There she was.

“What’s going on between you and Aiden?” I looked off to the side to ensure nobody eavesdropped and whispered, “And George.”

Gabriella’s smile immediately dropped, and I grimaced at ruining her mood. She leaned back in her chair and blew out a breath. “I don’t know. Aiden keeps his distance, but he and George seem to have an agreement between them. Something about ruining my life, controlling my every action, and stealing every bit of happiness from me. I’m not allowed to move about the palace without George biting at my heels, and anytime I complain to Aiden, he simply shrugs.” She shot a quick glare in their direction. “I wish I never got married.”

“Politics,” I shrugged. “I doubt you had a choice.”

Gabriella swallowed, and her eyes hazed over. “No. My parents deemed it necessary. I went along with their plans, thinking my life would be better here. It’s worse.”

Gabriella’s parents had always been possessive. For her to claim that Aiden and George were worse—well, it did not bode well. I took a sip of wine and studied her expression, working up the nerve to ask her what I really wanted to know.

“Are they…” I leaned in closer. “Are they sharing you?”

A loud guffaw spilled from Gabriella’s lips, and she slapped her hand against her chest as she laughed hard. “Goodness, Dahlia. Share? I wouldn’t let either of them touch me with a ten-foot pole, especially after what they did to you and how they’ve treated me.”

Aiden and George’s eyes sliced to the two of us, and George ground his teeth, whispering to Aiden. Aiden nodded at his friend as Gabriella’s laughter morphed into something hysterical.

George stalked towards me and halted, his hand gripping the back of my chair as he tugged.

“Up,” he demanded.

I rose steadily from my chair, my body tense at the tone of his voice. They’d warned me to stay away from Gabriella, to leave her be, but they still sat me next to her, expecting obedience.

I didn’t care what the punishment would be. It was worth it to see her smile and hear her laugh, if even just for a moment.

George gripped my arm, tighter than ever before and hissed, “Were our instructions not clear?”

I met his eyes, that spark of rebellion rising. “Yes. They were clear instructions, but if you don’t want myevilto rub off on her, then you should probably think twice about sitting us together.”

He rolled his eyes and tugged on my arm, leading me away from the table. “I know you are being sarcastic, but it’s the truth. You are evil, and it’s only a matter of time until Aiden sees it. You can’t be saved, not knowing what you are. Aiden has convinced himself there is still something left inside you worth salvaging, but all he really wants is to fuck you, no matter how much he claims otherwise. Maybe you should simply lay down, spread your legs, and let him get it out of his system once and for all.”

My stomach churned at his words. I should have known Aiden’s feelings hadn’t changed, but now, instead of love, his lust was driven by hatred.

George hated me too, that was for sure. He despised me for all I’d done, for all I was. He blamed me for the direction of his life and the loss of the woman he loved, a woman who never belonged to him in the first place. He’d twisted the blame of his family’s death and placed it on my shoulders. Never in a million years had I expected we would be here, in this state of hatred.

The two of us passed by Brandon, George still gripping my arm as he dragged me towards the exit. He was seated next to Lord Henshall, enjoying a brief reprieve from guard duty, but when he caught my eyes, he knew something was off. His vision traced my face and the tilted lines of my lips, shifting to where his brother’s fingers squeezed my arm. He flung himself from his chair without excuse and sprinted towards us.

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