Perhaps she and the king made a excellent match after all.
• • •
King Gaius and Amara notified the captain of the guard that rebels had infiltrated the palace and poisoned the royal family. Amara was the only Cortas to have survived this stealthy attack.
Of course she’d blame it on rebels. Who would ever believe that Princess Amara poisoned her family?
Amara went to see her grandmother after the bodies were removed from the solarium. Her smile and embrace made some of her pain fade away.
“This is all for the greater good, Dhosha,” she said. “I knew you’d be victorious.”
“Without your belief in me, I don’t know if I could have been.”
“Do you have doubts about what must come next?”
“Yes, Madhosha,” Amara admitted. “Many. But I know it has to be done.”
Neela pressed her cool palm against Amara’s flushed cheek. “Then there’s no reason to wait.”
• • •
She finally saw Felix again in the halls near her chambers and went to him immediately. He eyed her with uncertainty.
“So . . .” he began. “That was rather unexpected, wasn’t it?”
“Perhaps for you. But not for me.”
“You’re a dangerous girl.” He cocked his head. “But I think I already knew that. Perhaps that’s what I like best about you.”
“So you do like me.”
He let out a nervous laugh. “Was that ever at question, princess? Haven’t I shown you how much I like you on a nightly basis?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Apologies, I’m being crude. I rely on my roughness when I feel off balance. And that’s exactly how you make me feel.” He cleared his throat. “Congratulations on your marriage. Quite the match.”
“It is, isn’t it? For now, at least.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I need the king so I can acquire the remaining Kindred and learn how to access their magic.”
“So you’re telling me the king isn’t safe around you? Are you sure that’s wise, princess? To be so open with me, his bodyguard? It’s my job to protect him.”
“You don’t fool me, my pretty beast. The day he dies, you’ll be cheering right alongside everyone. You really should have agreed to work for me when I gave you the chance.”
“I suppose I do work for you, now that you’re his wife.”
Amara took his arm, making him flinch. “Apologies. You’re still hurt?”
He rubbed his forearm, which she knew was bandaged underneath the sleeve of his shirt from an injury he’d recently obtained. “I’m healing.”
“Good. Now come with me. I need you.”
He glanced nervously up and down the hallway. “I’m not sure this is a good time, princess. You were, after all, just married to the King of Blood. I don’t think he would approve of our arrangement. In fact, I’m quite sure he’d chop off certain parts of my body if he knew about it.”
“How strange. I wouldn’t have thought you to be a coward.”