“Nonetheless.” Adorra—the Frost Queen—turned sharply and, in a movement far more graceful than anything I could’ve ever managed, sat back upon her throne. “He’s claimed her publicly now. You know the law. Only either of them can renounce the claim once it’s been made before a court.”
I opened my mouth and then quietly shut it when Orion caught my attention and shook his head at me. Whether or not he knew what I’d intended to say, perhaps now wasn’t the best time to argue about my engaged status. When Orion seemed satisfied that I’d keep my mouth shut, his eyes slid across the room. I followed his gaze, which was settled on the stranger who’d called him brother—Tyr.
“We will see,” the Crimson Queen responded with a low hum in her throat.
The Frost Queen lifted her hand and waved it, lifting the volume of her voice as she addressed the room. “Hear me now. The Courts’ Council has been called. The tradition of respite will continue. During such time, we will host the Feast of Beasts and, at the news of Prince Roan’s engagement, we will also host the Run of the Gods.”
I frowned—I’d heard of a Feast of Beasts before; it was something the wealthy back in Amnestia had celebrated, usually reserved for grand welcomings. But I’d never heard of the Run of the Gods.
“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Roan said, bowing. All around us, everyone bowed their heads, and when Orion lowered his, and I mimicked him. When we all lifted again, Orion shot me a look. I licked my dry lips and watched as his eyes zeroed in on the way my tongue moved from one side of my mouth to the other.
“With your permission, we’ll adjourn to our chambers, Your Majesty,” Sorrell said, drawing the Frost Queen’s gaze.
My eyebrows rose as her lips curled down. She could’ve been looking at a great big pile of pig shit for all of the warmth she showed her own son. And instead of responding, she merely nodded her assent and, before I knew what was happening, I was lifted into Roan’s arms and carted out of the room.
I glanced back, watching as Tyr stepped into the space left by our absence as people parted to let us leave the room. He folded his arms across his broad chest and the last thing I saw before we turned a corner was the wicked gleam of his smile and the wink he sent me.
How much trouble were we in? I wondered.
Chapter 16
Cress
As soon as the door to the suites closed behind us and I was set down, I spun and faced Roan. “What was that?” When he didn’t immediately answer, I gestured between us. “You know, traditionally, for someone to be considered your fiancée you have to actually ask them to marry you!"
"Believe me. I didn’t plan for this," Roan snapped back.
"Could have fooled me," Sorrell muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose before dropping his arm and giving Roan a look that could have withered an entire mountain range.
While Sorrell and Roan glared at each other, I turned away. This wasn’t happening. Or it was and I was fucked. Or perhaps this was a dream and I’d wake up any moment and find out that I’d actually been eaten by a pack of magical wolf creatures at the bottom of the Bavarian Pass. Either way, I was fucked.
Orion strode across the room and sat down hard on one of the many elegant chairs that had been placed in weird spots around the room. Who would place a chair by a dresser and not in front of the vanity? Oh, no. There was one in front of the vanity too, I realized. Were they there just for decoration? Who thought, hey, you know what this room needs? Random fucking chairs.
“And I did ask you,” Roan snapped.
“Asked who?” I replied.
“You.”
I frowned. “Asked me what?”
His face grew red. “Asked you to marry me!” Roan shouted.
“When?” I asked. “I have no memory of this.”
“In the forest, below the pass,” he replied. “That night—in the tree—when we were talking. You said that I could tell people that you belonged to me.”
There was a brief moment of shock and silence. When no one said anything for several long minutes and Sorrell’s and Orion’s eyes remained on me expectantly, I realized it was going to be left up to me to break it. Blinking fast and inhaling through my nose, I tried to staunch the flow of annoyance.
“That,” I said, eyeing Roan, “was your proposal?”
“Yes, it was,” he replied sharply at the same time Sorrell apparently found his voice.
“You proposed to the Changeling?”
“You can’t exactly propose to someone unless you ask the question ‘will you marry me?’” I pointed out.
They ignored me. “Yes, I did,” Roan said, snapping back at Sorrell. “Why is that so hard to believe?”
“You didn’t propose!” I shouted. “You insinuated a relationship—barely—and you talked about me belonging to one of you. But a relationship does not a proposal make.”
“Because you’re a Gods damned prince!” Sorrell yelled over me. “And she’s—”
He stopped as his gaze strayed from Roan’s face to look at me. I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes, daring him to finish that sentence. Apparently, my daring face wasn’t all that intimidating because he did. The asshole.
“She’s barely Fae!” Sorrell continued with a shake of his head. “Much less a Court Fae. She’s common—no education, no training, no anything. You’ve lost your mind.”
“Cress is acceptable,” Roan replied.
Acceptable! Acceptable? Oh, just what I’ve always wanted to be, I thought sarcastically. But of course, I didn’t say anything. I honestly didn’t know what to say. He continued.
“She’s certainly preferable to Ariana. What’s wrong with that?” Dig dig dig—he was digging a hole so deep, I doubted he’d be able to reach the bottom when I would eventually shove him into it.
Rage rocketed through me, heating me from the inside out despite the chill of the chamber and the castle itself. So far, Orion seemed to be the only one who had yet to piss me off. And it was mostly because he hadn’t opened his mouth. I shot him a helpless look, seeking out comfort or something. Anything to make this all seem far less dire than it was.
“You've been obsessed with the Changeling ever since you first saw her. When she decided to let Orion deflower her, you looked like you'd just lost your favorite pet," Sorrell growled. “You’re possessive and jealous, admit it!”
Orion didn’t even seem to notice my stare. He was focused on Sorrell and Roan, his face dark with distress and concern. Roan paced away from Sorrell, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. After a beat, I watched as he ran them through the flames of his hair—literally. Small little tendrils of fire had ignited at the ends of the strands, some going out as he patted them away and some remaining behind, though never burning him.
“Okay,” I said. It was definitely up to me to keep everyone calm. I was probably the worst person for the job, but alas, it was mine. “Can we just stop for a second and go back to when you announced me as your fiancée?” I turned to Roan. “Why?” I asked.