I spun, my stomach plummeting. A burly man staggered down the hall toward me, his blue eyes too bright and his gait unsteady as an armored golem strolled along behind him.
Ari stepped in front of me. “Cronus. It’s Kaleah, not Mariah.”
The man blinked, brushing wisps of greasy blond hair out of his eyes as they focused on me. I offered him a hesitant smile, cringing inside. Maybe it was a good thing there most likely wouldn’t be time to get to know the man I would be bound to. There wouldn’t be time for us to fall in love. There wouldn’t be time for me to break his heart and soul as Mariah had shattered Cronus’.
“Crystal?” I winced as he mentioned the name of my aunt who’d died before I’d been born. I didn’t know much about her, but according to Ari, I resembled her even more than I did my mother.
“No. Kaleah,” Ari practically growled. “Your daughter.”
Cronus sniffed, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. A coldness settled around him when he straightened his shoulders and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t have a daughter,” his voice slurred, and he stumbled past us with his personal golem in tow.
I stared after him until he disappeared down an adjoining hall. My father. Or all that was left of him. A shell of the handsome, charismatic man I’d only come to know through the stories Ari shared. Fighting hard not to let the pain show, I started walking again.
“You know it’s only the wine talking; he doesn’t mean it,” Ari said, taking up her place at my side once more and touching my arm.
“Actually, I know he does.”
Ari flinched. “Kaleah, before your mother’s Ascension, your father loved all of you very much. After she left. . . There’s always a risk with blood bonding. Her departure shattered something inside him.”
“It’s okay. I don’t blame him for pushing us away. It’s evidence of how much he loved her,” I murmured. “More than the money he was given for volunteering to be her bonded, more than the honor and prestige his station afforded him. . . more than the two daughters she gave him.”
“Kaleah—” I couldn’t quite decipher the look on Ari’s face—something between pain and shame—before she hid her thoughts behind a weak smile. “Enough about your father. Tonight is about you and the next chapter inyourlife.”
We stopped in front of a grand wooden door, the same blackwood as the rest of the palace. Fine ironwork twisted over the surface, depicting a beautiful silver tree melding with the pillars on either side where two more golems stood in their black and gold armor, silent and still as statues.
“These are his rooms?” I’d never been to this particular set of guest chambers. Then again, the need had never arisen. Ari nodded, pursing her lips. Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders, and before I could lose my nerve, entered.
I stared, frozen halfway across the threshold. Several people occupied the lavish sitting room, their voices a gentle purr, yet I couldn’t tear my eyes from the young man standing a few paces away.
Tall and lean, with raven black hair braided past the middle of his shoulders, his posture was straight and stiff as a golem. Dressed in a sleeveless navy tunic and dark leather pants, he stood with his back to me. I didn’t need to see his face to know who he was—his whole being exuded confidence and danger.
My heart pounded so hard I was surprised I couldn’t hear it echoing off the walls, bouncing between the woodland paintings and pine cone sconces.
“Your Majesty,” a familiar voice addressed me, and I shifted my attention to the right, where a red-haired guard stood, his green eyes watching me.
“Marshal.” I nodded to the captain of my mother’s guard, and he gave a curt nod in return, sparing his usual smile in lieu of formality.
“There you are, Kaleah. I was wondering how much longer you’d be.” The empress rose from one of the cream-silk sofas that dominated the center of the room on an ornate rug. Dressed in an elaborate mauve gown, her golden hair pooling around her shoulders, she was the picture of perfection.
I finished crossing into the room, allowing my entourage entry. “I’m sorry; it took longer to get ready than I expected.” I released a shaky breath and bowed low, Ari doing the same beside me. Forcing myself to keep my breaths even, it was a good thing I’d foregone dinner; otherwise, my roiling stomach might have brought it all back up.
To my left, Ryker accepted a goblet from one of the servants. I could make out his profile now, but I still couldn’t see his eyes, and he didn’t turn or acknowledge me in any way.Strange.I righted myself, continuing to stare at him.
“No matter; you’re here now and the extra time was worth the wait. You look ravishing, Daughter.” Lilitha offered me an approving smile.
“Thank you, Mother.” I swallowed, noticing the white-robed high priestess on another couch, several of her subordinates standing around her, while my mother’s captain and other advisors were scattered around the room. What were they all doing there?
Someone squealed, and a pair of thin arms encompassed me. “Kaleah! It’s so good to see you!” a girl’s voice said. She pulled away to arm’s length.
I recognized her pale blue eyes and curly blond hair, and grinned. “Tarra?” I tugged her back into a quick embrace while my eyes darted to the assassin.
“You look so pretty,” Tarra murmured, stepping away to get a better look. “So grown up.”
I ducked my head to hide my grimace. Growing up at the monastery, we’d all worn the exact same white frock that covered us from our necks to our ankles. She’d never seen me dressed in so little, and I felt practically naked compared to her lavender evening gown.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, shifting back and forth on my feet.
Tarra’s eyes lit up. “Two days ago was my sixteenth birthday and I finally graduated from the Sanctum! The empress invited me and a few of our other sisters who are apprenticed in the palace to attend the formal meeting of your intended—I’m continuing my training to be a healer!”