“Tonight I introduce Mia Regina and place the sacred Dragon Eye upon her head.”
Vector stepped forward and knelt before her. Lifting the black velvet box toward Katy’s waist, he held it steady as Ryker opened the box to reveal a crown. A real freaking crown that Katy realized perfectly matched the rest of the jewelry she was already wearing. In the center of the crown was a gigantic black diamond surrounded by sparkling white. The pattern repeated in a full circle with the black diamonds decreasing in size from front to back. The crown sparkled like it had stars inside each gem. Or fire. She’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“Ryker. I—”
He paused, crown in both hands, his gaze lifting to meet hers. “You promised me tonight.”
“I know, but—”
He leaned forward and kissed her in front of everyone. When he ended the kiss, the crown was on her head, clinging there as if by magic. She’d felt nothing. No pins, no poking or prodding. In fact, the thing felt light as air.
The crowd erupted with a sound she’d never heard before. Not clapping or shouting.
Are they roaring? Mia Regina. Mia Regina. Dear God. They think I’m going to be their…their what? Their queen?!
Frantic, about to be sick with her new level of betrayal, she grabbed Ryker by the hand and dragged him off the side of the stage and into a side corridor. Once they were alone, she lifted the crown from her head and placed it in his hands. “Ryker, I can’t. I can’t accept this. You don’t understand.”
With a grin she now found more infuriating than adorable, he lifted the crown back to her head and then cupped her face in his palms, gently, his thumbs stroking her cheeks, as if she might break. Which wasn’t far off the mark. She was about to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces.
“Tell me then. Why can you not be my queen?”
Katy closed her eyes. “Stop touching me. I can’t think when you touch me.”
“Then I shall never stop.” He chuckled but let her go. “My attention is yours. Tell me what bothers you.”
She closed her eyes and sucked in air, hoping courage would come with it. “I’m not Emily Toure. I’m Katy Toure, her twin sister. I’ve been lying to you the entire time.”