Probably not.
Every day there were more unfamiliar faces. Those who weren’t in exile or banished were making their way back to Court. Most were making their presence known, reswearing loyalty and leaving for the villages at the fringes until the storm blew over.
Part of him wanted to do the same.
He finished his glass of wine and signaled for a refill.
Taryn’s laugh drew his attention again. For a moment he let himself watch her and only her. He didn’t want to see the way Gwyn smiled at her or the way his hand touched hers for longer than was needed. She was playing her own game. If he fouled it up for her, she wouldn’t speak to him again—and he certainly wouldn’t get the privilege of sneaking across the veil with her.
He should’ve gone looking for trouble in the mortal world instead of watching her empty smiles and meaningless touches. His stomach turned. She was learning the manners of the Court too fast.
She leaned closer to the King, but her words carried. “Sire, I beg a favor.”
Gwyn regarded her closely. Verden wasn’t the only one listening to the exchange. He was almost holding his breath for her. Please don’t ask for the pardon.
The King was having fun, spoiling it now would not win her any favors…actually, it would see her permanently removed from this table and all hope would be shattered. As much as he hated watching her with the King, he didn’t want her to fail. He didn’t want to see her grieving her parents’ death either. Did they realize the love and loyalty she had for them? More than he’d had for his parents. He pushed aside the thought before it had a chance to gnaw at him. There’d be time to see his parents later.
“You may ask, but I may not grant.” Gwyn placed down his goblet.
Taryn’s smile faltered as if she sensed the change in the King’s mood. “I would like permission to visit my grandmother Cerela. I believe she lives not far from Court?”
Gwyn raised one eyebrow. “Why do you seek to leave Court already?”
“I’m sure she is eager for news of my mother.”
“Are you always so thoughtful of others?”
“Perhaps it is a human trait I have picked up.” Taryn glanced away as if embarrassed to be admitting such a thing.
She was playing the King and he seemed to be believing it—or maybe he just wanted to believe it. The idea that a pretty young thing raised across the veil would fall into his bed must be powerful for an ancient King now facing winter.
Isn’t that why he was attracted to her? She was different. Fairy and yet…untainted was the only word that sprung to mind. The way Verden had been once, before the lust for power and status had made him who he was. He spun his goblet on the table. No, he’d never been as innocent as Taryn. He’d sought the power of Court where she didn’t want it; she only wanted her father’s pardon. While many would sneer, he respected that. Maybe she was stronger than he was. She certainly had a better heart.
Maybe she was playing him and he wasn’t even realizing.
If she was, he didn’t care.
He was enjoying it.
For once, he was going to do what he wanted, and the only way to do that was to keep playing in the dark, away from Court. Even as he planned his game, he knew he was betraying the King. Every kiss he shared with Taryn meant something. He wasn’t sure what, but it was more than a simple deal.
“Your grandmother isn’t far from here. There is a small hamlet where the tailors, cobblers, and tinkers live. Take the path that passes the maze. I give you permission to go and find her. I’m sure some of the Ladies will go with you to look at fabric and ribbons.” Gwyn leaned forward. “Perhaps the Hunter could accompany you to make sure you return safely.”
Taryn glanced at Verden and for a heartbeat he couldn’t find words. He nodded. Gwyn was only sending him to make sure Taryn didn’t take off. She was almost a prisoner of the Court. Felan could have invited her back and let her have free run of Annwyn, but no, he’d made sure she was here and close to the King. “I can’t think of a way I’d rather spend a day than escorting Ladies around.”
Usually that would have been a lie.
“Thank you, sire.” Taryn bowed her head.
Verden stood and bowed to the King. He didn’t have to offer excuses. The King acknowledged him with a slight raising of his hand and that was it. He was dismissed. Getting out of the hall and out of the castle had never felt so good.
Taryn might be kept there by royal command, but he’d willingly sold himself to the Court. He felt the weight of that deal with every breath. Yet if he had freedom, he didn’t know what he’d do with it. He’d been caged for too long.
Hunter of Annwyn was just the first slave of the Court.
As before, a white hound was waiting for her just outside the castle. The dog gave her a sniff and then loped away, heading in a different direction than last time. For a moment she hesitated, and she glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching. But she was alone, and if she wanted to leave Annwyn and see Verden, she didn’t really have a choice.
There was further to walk this time. As the castle became more distant, the knot in her stomach tightened. What if someone caught her out here? She knew sneaking away was wrong and yet…waiting to escape gave her hope and a reason to fake her way through dinners and games and all the other things she didn’t care about.
She’d almost asked for the pardon tonight. The words had burned her tongue, but she’d seen the look in the King’s eye change the moment she’d asked for a favor and had known that Felan was right about the timing, and it had to be something small first to test the water. The only reason she was no longer panicking every time the King smiled at her was because she knew it was a game for the Court—assuming Felan was right about that too.
He had to be. The alternative didn’t sit well at all.
The dog leaped over some brambles and she followed, lifting her dress so it didn’t catch. A flash of white in the shadows caught her eye. Too big for a dog. A horse.
“Finished playing cards?” Verden was hidden in shadows so she couldn’t read his expression, but she could hear the sharpness of his words. Was that jealousy?
“For tonight.” They both knew she had to keep going for her parents. “Finished scowling?”
Silence. Then he moved, stepping into the dappled moonlight. “I hate this. Yet I can’t stop. I want to play cards with you. I want to dance with you instead of pretending I don’t care.” His fingers traced down her arm. “Then I think maybe it’s only because I can’t have you that I want you.”
She knew exactly what he meant. Of all the men at Court, Verden was the one who could derail her plans, and yet he was the one who drew her eye. She wanted him. She closed the distance between them, her body almost touching his. “We could test that theory.”
He turned his head so his lips brushed hers. Not quite a kiss, but it was enough to make her heart flutter. “What are you suggesting?”
Her tongue darted over her lip. What exactly was she suggesting? Anything in public was out…but they could do anything they wanted in private. “Did you want to lose that bet?”
“I would only lose if we were found out. Some things are best kept secret.”
“True.” She drew in a breath. “If it weren’t for my father—”
“You wouldn’t be here.” He lifted his hand, his fingers brushing her neck as if he planned on kissing her. “I am glad you came.”
His mouth closed over hers, stealing her breath with a desperate kiss.
She didn’t want to be here a moment longer. “Let’s leave and pretend the Court doesn’t exist.”