hand and brought it to his lips. “I sent the Minister a letter
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right away.” He turned back to his guests. “I’d also like to get married first then have our meal.”
Galen smoothed the annoyance and suspicion that had
creased his face. “Of course. It’s your night.” He shouted
for everyone’s attention, and when silence descended, Galen
gestured to the Minister.
He moved into position, standing to face both the clan
members and us with his wife by his side. The dusting of gray
along his temples and the fine lines around his eyes gave him
a distinguished air. Nancee opened a book and held it for him
to read. Minister Heath loomed over his wife. The way they
moved in unison and the image of the two of them side by
side felt…right. This couple belonged together. Unlike Walsh
and I.
Walsh pulled me close as the Minister began the ceremony.
Heath’s young voice didn’t match his older face. With the fog
and firelight and the magic forcing me to kneel with Walsh
in front of the Minister, the whole situation felt surreal. My
mother would be livid when she found out I was married
without her.
I glanced at the gathered crowd. Wouldn’t this be the ideal
time to revolt? No one moved. The Minister reached the part
where he solicits objections to the union.
Dead silence. No revolt. No outcry. Even Devlen didn’t
speak. Just when I lost hope, one voice said, “I object.”
Unfortunately, the voice was Galen’s.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Walsh demanded.
“Taking over your little family.” He whipped out a knife
and before anyone could even blink, he stabbed it into Walsh’s
throat.
Blood gushed and I reached to help him, but Galen ordered
me to stop. None of the guards moved a muscle.
“Any objections?” Galen asked everyone.
Walsh’s family stood there in silence, watching their leader
die. A few nodded as if they witnessed justice. The Minister
and his wife gaped with horror.
“I—”
“Be quiet,” Galen said to me.
No one else objected.
Galen motioned to Devlen to drag Walsh’s body to the
side. Devlen kept a neutral demeanor as he carried out the
orders.
Galen knelt next to me. “Please continue with the service,”
he said to the Minister.
Nancee clutched her husband’s arm in a death grip. He
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opened his mouth and closed it, searching the crowd for
anyone who was upset by the murder.
“Please continue,” Galen said again.
I marveled at how fast Heath recovered. Although he rattled
off the vows in a rush. Galen allowed me to speak again and
my mouth betrayed me, saying all the right things at the right
time. In a matter of minutes I was married to Galen. No revolt.
No rescue. Nothing but the creepy fog.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur. I hoped to get a
moment alone with Devlen, but Galen kept me close to him.
At the end of the night, Walsh’s body was thrown onto the
fire without ceremony. A couple of the clan members added
wood to the bonfire, stabbing the branches into the f lames as
if they could pierce his heart.
At the end of the evening, Galen escorted the Minister
and his wife to the guest cottage. I stayed behind them, but
through our connection I felt him draw magic, seeking the
couple’s emotions. Fear, horror and the desire to keep some-
thing from Galen reached us. I sensed Galen planning to in-
terrogate them with his drugs, but for now he tugged at their
emotions. Drawing magic from me, Galen erased the horror
and fear over Walsh’s murder from their minds and replaced
them with fondness and joy for the happy couple, masking
the bad memories.
They said good-night with wide smiles. When their door
closed, Galen looked pleased with himself.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“I knew I could control a person’s emotions, but I never
had enough power to do it. With your added magic, I have
more than enough strength.”
his new ability. I bumped against him.
“I feel dizzy,” I told him when he shot me a nasty glare.
“That’s what you get for not eating.”
We swung by the kitchen. The woman cleaning the counters
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stopped and prepared a snack of bread and cheese for us. I
avoided the cheese, but ate a big portion of the bread, taking
my time, delaying the inevitable. Galen ate absently.
“How long were you planning to assassinate Walsh?” I
asked.
“Not long after I met him. His little kingdom was just too
tempting. Black diamonds, pearls and an in-house workforce
that’s not going to cry foul about anything. Not a squawk from
them when I murdered their leader in front of their eyes.”
True. No love lost over Walsh’s demise. Not even his guards.
“Did you bribe his bodyguards?”
“Oh yeah. Devlen’s been working on them since he arrived.
That man has a golden tongue.”
I bit my lip, dredging up memories of long ago when Devlen
had twisted my words. When I had wanted to sink my switch-
blade into his heart.
Galen laughed. “Do you hate him more than me?” he
asked.
“No.”
“Good.” Then Galen added, “You already know I hold all
the power. And tonight the Bloodrose Clan has realized the
power had shifted to me. Three against one. Quinn’s magic is
minor, and Walsh wouldn’t let me increase the boy’s strength
with blood.” Galen ripped off a piece of bread. “Worked out
in my favor, and now I can turn him into another slave.”
That
was
not going to happen. Not while I lived and
breathed.
Galen watched me with amusement. “You haven’t asked
the big question.”
“Maybe I don’t want to hear the answer,” I said.
“Doesn’t matter what you want. Not anymore. Ask me why
I married you.”
No choice. I repeated the question.
“You were mine in all ways but one. And the thought of
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you sleeping with Walsh galled me. I don’t like to share. Now
you’re legally joined to me.” Galen stood. “Come.”
I followed him to a cottage near the office building. The
fog obscured most of the compound. We encountered no one,
and the moist air dampened any sounds.
Dread slowed my steps and I lingered outside, peering into
the dark fog. At this time, I would welcome a distraction.
Perhaps a backup plan would be put into action. Something
must have gone wrong during the bonfire. Surely, Devlen
didn’t plan for me to marry Galen.
“Opal, come here now,” Galen called.
Despite my mind’s frant
ic screams, my body complied.
He had lit a lantern and waited for me in his bedroom in the
back. Galen lounged on the bed, but he sat up as soon as I
entered.
“I can taste your fear. It’s an unexpected addition to the
excitement. Don’t you agree?”
“No.”
“Doesn’t matter anyway. Take off your dress,” he said.
I peeled it off.
“I thought you were supposed to be naked underneath.”
“I wasn’t comfortable,” I said. I wore a sleeveless shirt and
white short pants. A knife, compliments of Mother, was tucked
into my waistband.
“What were you planning to do with that weapon?”
“I was hoping an opportunity to use it on Walsh would
present itself on our wedding night.”
Galen laughed. “You’re full of surprises.” But then he
stopped abruptly. He clutched his guts as his face paled. “Did
you poison me?”
“No. How many clams did you eat?”
He blanched, turning green. “Don’t talk about food.” Galen
groaned and curled into a ball. Sweat dampened his clothes.
I suspected his food had been spiked with beach root. If the
clan members planned to revolt while he was incapacitated, I
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shouldn’t be close enough to hear Galen’s commands. I moved
to leave, but Galen ordered me to stay in the cottage. At least he was too sick to do anything besides shiver and moan all
night.
The gray fog still clung to the compound in the morning.
Galen felt better, but he dropped into an exhausted sleep. I
had spent the night on the couch in the living area.
When a soft knock sounded, I rushed to open the door
before another knock could wake Galen. Even when sound
asleep, Galen could rouse in an instant. In that regard, he
reminded me of Valek.
His guards had taken up position next to the door, but
Devlen waited.
“Where’s Galen?” he asked.
The bodyguards seemed interested in the answer, so I
crossed my arms and frowned at Devlen. “Sleeping.”
“He asked me to report to him this morning.”
“You’ll have to come back later. He had a strenuous
night.”
The guards chuckled, but Devlen pushed his way inside.
“I’ll check for myself.”
He peeked into the bedroom then pulled the divider be-
tween the rooms closed. He returned to the guards. “He’s
fine. I’ll wait here until he wakes.”
This time the guards leered as Devlen shut the door. He
leaned against it as if he would collapse without its support.
Wearing the same clothes as yesterday, he gazed at me as if I
might explode. Deep lines of weariness marked his face. His
hollow bleary eyes a sign that he hadn’t slept.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Galen from killing Walsh and
marrying you,” he whispered. “Did he…have time….” He
averted his gaze. “…have time to…”
“To rape me?”
He f linched as if I had slapped him.
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“Why couldn’t you stop the wedding?” I asked, keeping my
voice low despite my desire to scream at him. “Was it part of
your plan for me…for him to consummate the marriage?”
“No.” He slid to the f loor and dropped his head into his
hands. With pure misery in his voice, he said, “He was sup-
posed to get sick.”
Regret immediately bloomed in my chest. I knelt next to
him. “Nothing happened. He did get sick.”
He gathered me into his arms and held me close. “Thank
fate.”
“What’s been going on?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you.”
Gritting my teeth to keep from yelling at him, I tried an-
other question. “Why did you let him kill Walsh and marry
me?”
“A tactical decision.”
And then I knew. His answer was classic Valek. Last night
was all part of a grander scheme that I knew nothing about.
Which kept everyone safer except for the clues I’d already put
together.
“What can I do?” I asked.
Devlen closed his eyes for a moment. “When the fog burns
off, keep Galen busy.”
“You’re not serious. Are you?”
“I am. It’s critical that he is distracted when the fog lifts.”
“The fog…Kade’s here.”
He wouldn’t say anything. I understood, but for sand’s sake
it was so frustrating. I had already guessed Valek and Kade
were nearby. “Why doesn’t someone just assassinate Galen?
Valek could—”
Devlen covered my mouth with his hand. “Don’t speculate
out loud. I know this is difficult for you. Waiting and trusting others are not your best qualities.” He whispered in my ear.
“There has been some discussion over Galen’s death. We’re
worried his demise would also cause yours.”
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I shook my head, planning to argue, but he continued. “Your
and Galen’s blood are mixed. Your souls are intertwined. If
one of you dies, we believe the other will, as well.”
“Yelena—”
“She won’t return a soul to a dead body.”
“Oh.”
“I can’t exist without you, so killing Galen is not an option.
I would rather lose you to the Stormdancer than lose you to
the sky.”
“But what about Curare—”
“Please. Stop. Trust us to have considered all the angles.
Just keep Galen busy.”
“How distracted do you need him?” I asked, dreading the
answer.
“It would be best if he wasn’t walking around the compound
until nightfall. Going between buildings is okay as long as he’s busy with a specific task.”
“You do understand the longer I stay with him, the greater
the chance he’ll force me to consummate the wedding.” It
needed to be said. Although stating my fears out loud didn’t
alleviate them one bit.
He squeezed me tight. “I’m painfully aware of the danger.
This would be an ideal time to use that clever brain of yours.
You have gotten out of more difficult situations than this.”
But I hadn’t been bound to a sick bastard. I buried the
doubts deep and promised to try. I nuzzled his neck, inhaling
Devlen’s distinctive scent. My connection to Devlen seemed
stronger despite Galen’s hold. Just like my glass animals, I felt his song deep inside me. A desire to repeat yesterday’s liaison f lushed through me.
I lifted my head and he turned as if he read my mind. We
kissed and I moved so I straddled his lap. I ceased worrying
about my situation and was just satisfied to be with him.
Eventually, Devlen broke off. “Too dangerous.”
He was right, but I didn’t have to like it. When he left, all
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warmth f led my body. I shivered and planned different ways
to distract Galen. If I was lucky, he would sleep all day.
I wasn’t lucky. Galen woke when the sun burned through
the fog. Grumpy
and irritable, he ordered me to fetch him
something to eat with a specific request to make sure the
food came from a container that served everyone. I hustled
to the dining room, trying not to search the faces of the clan
members I passed. If I spotted a disguise, I could endanger
the person, who would most likely be a good friend or a
relative.
Without the fog, the entire compound was visible. Sunlight
sparked from the blue-green waters of the sea. We were a few
days into the hot season—my favorite time of the year. Kade
and I had promised to visit his parents and we were going to
return to Booruby, as well.
My heart ached when I thought of Kade. I still cared for
him, but the fire had died.
By the time I returned to Galen’s cottage, he had washed
and dressed. He ate without saying a word, then ordered me
to follow him to Walsh’s office.
“Until I’m certain the Bloodroses won’t do anything stupid,
you’re to stay with me at all times unless I say otherwise,”
Galen said.
Quinn’s sister jumped a foot when we entered. I feared she
would go into labor, but she pulled it together and helped
Galen find Walsh’s files and important documents. More
armed guards stopped by, reporting on the evening’s patrol
and on a few minor incidents.
Devlen arrived a couple hours later. He had changed into
fresh clothes. Ignoring me, he said, “You were right, Galen. No problems. The Bloodroses have accepted your leadership.”
“We’ll keep things as is for now, but once they’re comfort-
able, we can start implementing our changes,” Galen said.
“What should I do next?”
“Take a contingent and sweep the coast. Make sure no one
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is hiding in the rocks. Damn fog is a pirate’s best friend. And then find the woman who worked in the kitchen last night.
She put something in my cheese to make me sick. Pepper and
salt her and put her out to dry in a very public location.”
Devlen nodded and left. I hoped for the poor woman’s sake
he didn’t follow all of Galen’s orders.
“Opal,” Galen said, jerking me from my thoughts. “Tell
Penny to fetch the Minister and his wife. I want to speak with
them before they leave.”
Happy for a break, I hurried to the outer reception area
where Penny worked and relayed Galen’s message.
She stood, but instead of dashing off, she inclined her head
as if she wanted me to follow her. I couldn’t go far, but she