Chapter 3

Aldric's head snaps toward the voice. "Who said that?"

"The Crown Prince of Valdris, Your Majesty," Cedric murmurs from his side.

A man steps forward — tall, broad, dressed head to toe in foreign finery. He moves like someone who's never been told no.

"King Aldric. I'm Prince Kaelen of Valdris."

"Hand her over, and I'll guarantee a hundred years of peace. Not one drop of blood spilled between our nations."

Dead silence. Then gasps. Because this is insane — in the best possible way for everyone except me.

One dancer for a century of peace? Any king with half a brain would take that deal in a heartbeat.

Seraphina jumps in immediately. "My lord, surely this would be a wonderful opportunity for the girl. A prince's consort — what more could she want?"

Aldric hesitates. And I can see the war playing out behind his eyes. Logic says do it. Strategy says do it. Every political instinct he has is screaming take the deal.

So why can't he?

I lift my face and look at him. Just look.

Today I've painted shimmering marks near my eyes — they catch the light and make everything about my face more intense, more devastating.

But right now, those devastating eyes are filling with tears.

Something cracks inside him. I see it happen.

"You're too late," he says. "She's already mine."

Seraphina chokes. "My lord?!"

Kaelen bows — disappointed but graceful — and backs away.

My back is drenched in cold sweat.

Thank god. Thank god I didn't pull that Mindworm out in time. Without it nudging his emotions, he would've handed me over without blinking. No king in history turns down free peace for a girl he met two days ago.

That afternoon, he declared me his in front of the entire court.

That evening, the royal decree shows up at my door. I am now the Lady of the Moon.

I leave the dancers' quarters and look out over the castle grounds. In my chest, a vow settles like iron.

Everything they did to you, Caelia — to our people — I will repay it. Every last drop.

When I reach Moonstone Hall — my new chambers — Seraphina is already there. Waiting.

She looks at my face and smiles. Poison dripping from every syllable. "You lied to me."

"If I hadn't — would I have lived long enough to dance today?"

She laughs, stroking the cat in her lap. "Fair point. You do know me well." The smile vanishes. "But let me make something very clear. Title or no title. King's bed or not. I will kill you whenever I feel like it."

I hold her gaze. Steady. Calm as still water.

"So you've already picked how I die?"

"A fire. A tragic accident. The Lady of the Moon, burned alive in her own chambers."

She leans forward. "Aldric and I go way back — childhood sweethearts. My father and brother fight his wars. You think he'll shed a single tear over one dead mistress?"

Her men grab me. Bind my hands. Bind my feet. Throw me to the floor.

Oil splashes across the walls. The floor. My dress.

The first spark drops and Seraphina laughs — loud, wild, free. "He's drunk tonight. Dead drunk. No one's coming for you, sweetheart."

I watch her walk away through the growing flames. My face doesn't move.

The fire erupts. The guards at my door grab their throats — blood gushing from their eyes, nose, mouth, ears — and crumple. Dead before they hit the ground.

I step through the fire with Fang curled around my arm.

My little insects have already laid a trail. I follow it — running, running — until I crash headfirst into someone's chest.

I look up. Wide eyes. Trembling lip. The terror on my face is flawless.

Aldric crushes me against him, staring at the blaze over my shoulder. "Who the hell did this? Find them. NOW."

I bury my face in his chest and say nothing.

He knows who did it. We both know he knows. But he'll pretend — because Seraphina is his childhood bride, and her family has an army.

He's not going to punish her. Not for me. Not for a girl he barely knows.

"I'm scared," I whisper, pressing closer. Making myself as small and soft as possible.

He's really drunk. Flushed. I can smell the wine on every breath.

And I'm a siren. Every part of me is designed to make men lose their minds. Add the Mindworm stoking his desire, and the look in his eyes shifts from concern to something much, much darker.

He scoops me up and carries me straight to his chambers.

It won't take long for Seraphina to hear about this. And she will absolutely lose it.

Right on schedule — I've barely settled in when her steward drops to his knees outside the door.

"Your Majesty — the Queen is feeling terribly unwell. She's begging to see you."