“Renna, what has gotten into you?” Her voice was laced with panic. “Go upstairs and put something appropriate on.”
“Who says this dress isn’t appropriate? The Council of Essentials? They don’t even follow their own rules.” She tried to make her voice sound kind, easing her mother off the ledge. There were too many people around for her mother to make a big scene.
Renna wriggled her arm free from her mother’s grasp and continued through the crowd. With each stare, look, and nod, she grew bolder and bolder until her feet were taking her past the king.
“You’re testing my patience, girl.” The king’s fangy teeth were barred. He looked like a wolf ready to devour her.
“Like you said, I’m a liability.” She returned his gaze with a fierce look of her own. “I can’t help it.”
Was he going to rip off her dress like the evil stepsisters in the pre-Desolation Cinderella fairytale? That would draw too much attention, but the look in his eyes suggested he was contemplating it. His boney, sharp chin jutted out, but then his body turned from her, and he walked away.
The breath she had been holding escaped.
There was one last person to confront.
Trev stood in the middle of the ballroom with Drake. Both men hadn’t taken their eyes off her since she’d descended the stairs.
Despite Trev’s good looks, his elegant suit and the glittering gold crown on his head, right now, Renna knew she looked better.
Trev
The first thing Trev saw was Renna’s smooth, lean leg as it gracefully kicked out from the slit in her dress as she walked down the stairs into the great hall. The sight rattled his insides like nothing ever had before. To say he was speechless would be an understatement.
Drake was mid-drink when he saw her and practically choked.
All Trev could do was stand there and stare at Renna in that red dress.
“It’s the dress from the magazine,” Drake somehow got out.
“I . . .” Trev couldn’t locate his voice. It was caught somewhere in his throat or caught up in Renna. “She . . . she . . . looks way better than the woman in the magazine. How did she . . .” Trev’s words trailed off as Renna approached, her bare skin affecting every nerve in his entire body.
“Good evening, gentlemen.” She bent down in a slight curtsey. Trev’s eyes followed a little too closely, and judging by the smug smile on her face, she knew exactly where he had looked. He hadn’t done a good job hiding it this time.
She paused for a moment in front of them, and then walked away, lost in the crowd. All that remained was her perfume floating in the air.
Drake slapped him on the back. “You’re in big trouble tonight.”
Trev had to peel his eyes away from Renna’s smooth shoulder, from the stretch of her neck, the lengths of her bare arms.
He couldn’t just stare. Oh, but what he would give to just stare.
“There you are.” Seran’s sleek hand wrapped around his forearm, startling him. “The king said you were looking for me.”
Trev glanced at his father and knew what the king’s stern expression meant.
“He said you wanted to dance with me.” She smiled in her flirtatious way, raising her right shoulder in the process. Apparently, she had been unphased by Renna and her red dress.
This was the agreement he had made—the life he had chosen. From the outside looking in, it was the most straightforward trade-off ever.
Marry a beautiful princess and stop the murder of King Adler.
Trev could imagine people rolling their eyes at his pain.
“Yes, he’s right.” He gestured to the dance floor. “Let’s dance.”
The crowd parted, letting the royal couple through to the center of the ballroom. Trev nodded at all the admiring faces as he took Seran in his arms. They were the perfect couple—the ideal future for Albion.
They swirled around the floor in coordinated grace until his eye caught on something he couldn’t look away from. Renna.
One of his officers held her close as they swayed to the music, his face nuzzling into her bare neck. Trev stumbled a bit, stepping on Seran’s toes, making her squeal in pain. Their bodies awkwardly bumped into each other as they tried to get back to their graceful steps again. Everyone’s eyes were on them, and his face heated with embarrassment. Did everyone in the room know he had been tripped up by Renna?
The song ended, prompting him to part from Seran. “Sorry. I’m usually better at this.”
Seran smiled tersely but pulled him to her as another song started. “Let’s just do it better this time. Everyone’s watching.” Her smile widened as she looked at their audience. Trev spun them around, positioning her so that her back was to Renna, giving him the perfect angle to watch her. She was dancing with a new officer now, laughing and leaning her body into the young man’s, making him pull her closer.
Slow song after slow song played. Who were these musicians? They were all fired. Forever.
As Trev held Seran in his arms—Renna in the arms of everyone else—he realized with sickening clarity that none of the other men could ever possibly feel as much for her as he did.
Renna
The line of men wanting to dance was a bit overwhelming. Officer after officer grabbed Renna’s hand and kept her out on the dance floor. Her feet were sore, and she was so hungry, but King Carver was somewhere across the room, so she kept dancing, kept acting like she was having the time of her life, like a corrupt king couldn’t control her.
At the beginning of a new song, Mr. Tybolt grabbed her arm, his sweaty palms sticky against her skin. “I have been waiting for this moment all night.”
Instinctively she leaned away. “Where’s your lovely wife tonight?”
He licked his perpetually chapped lips. “She’s not here.”
Where was all the luck in the world?
Tybolt wrapped his arm around her possessively, turning her to him. She was trapped.
“Tybolt.” A new voice broke in. “You’ll have to excuse me, but I’m going to steal Miss Renna from you.” Renna’s eyes went wide in surprise.
“Officer Doman.” Tybolt coughed nervously, obviously not wanting to let go of his turn. “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until we’re done.”
“I’m done with waiting,” Joniss said, pulling Renna free from Tybolt’s grip. He wore a dark purple suit, and his brown hair was slicked back away from his face. “My apologies, sir.”
Tybolt looked stunned, but what could he do? Joniss Doman was intimidating in the most charming, charismatic way.
“I’m surprised you even remember my name,” Renna said sarcastically as they started to dance. “It’s been so long since we’ve talked.”
“That was clearly a mistake on my part.” He scanned her body with his eyes.
Renna had wanted attention tonight. She wouldn’t have worn the dress if she hadn’t wanted to be noticed, but she hadn’t thought about how it would make her feel to have guy after guy drooling over her. Or drooling over her body, at least. That wasn’t the kind of attention she wanted. She wanted to prove she had a mind of her own. She wanted to challenge the rules of society.