Page 21 of The Rat King
I had a feeling there was more to the story. “There seems to be a lot of animosity between you. More than sibling rivalry would warrant.”
“What scent are you wearing?” he asked, ignoring my inquiry. He closed his eyes, then leaned forward. I thought he was going to kiss me for a brief second before his head moved to the side of mine. He inhaled deeply and hummed. My eyes fluttered shut and I resisted tilting my head to the side, so he’d have better access to my neck, as messed up as that was.Touch me, kiss me, taste me.Oh no. Sometimes when my brain got started, it really took a detour.
He moved away, walking over to the window in a few steps. I peeled my eyes open, hoping he hadn’t noticed, and picked up the perfume bottle. It was one of those Nest fragrances which I had many of. I brought the travel variety pack, but the scent my aunt had spelled was the only full bottle.
“Sun-kissed hibiscus,” I replied, making a mental note to select something different to wear whenever he was around. New rule: do not attract the beast.
“I like it. It reminds me of summer. Since the curse, the weather has been cool like this. I don’t know why except that somehow everything about it was designed for our misery.”
I didn’t want to speak ill of my sister witches, but I still said, “Your mother seems like a real piece of work.”
Nighval chuckled and eyed me in a way I couldn’t interpret. “You have no idea,” he said, and I wondered if he was thinking of the moment we’d shared in her room like I was.
April and Alice shuffled into the room carrying a flowing white gown—my wedding dress. Like the king and his brother, they also had a reprieve from their rat form for a few hours overnight during the full moon.
Normally, I could see their scars through their soft fur, but now old lines from where their flesh had been torn were so much more garish that they were almost hard to look at. Especially since April had a fresh cut on her eyelid that I had a feeling wouldn’t heal well. Did they not have stitches? I made myself look at them because if I were going to be their queen, I would not shame or disrespect them.
I made an estimation of the dress as they laid it on the bed. Running a hand over the lace, I realized it was the one thing in this plane that was completely unmarred. But the dress didn’t appear new. I imagined they had made this dress for one of Nighval’s first brides, executing the artisanship when they could work without ruining the fabric. And then they just kept it, for this very moment. Had they adjusted it for my form or was it still sewn to the measurements of the first witch? I glanced at Nighval. He was staring at the dress, and I wondered if he was having similar thoughts. Perhaps he remembered the first witch this dress was made for and when I considered that, I could almost interpret a little glimmer of melancholy in his eye.
Then his eyes flashed to me, and his face immediately hardened. Any sympathy I might have felt for him evaporated in a blink. “Are you going to stand there while they dress me?”
“I was planning on it. Only an hour to go and you’ll be his wife. Technically, there’s still time to run. The last thing I want to do is watch my brother’s bride flee. Then he might get an understanding of what I went through for the last seventeen years, and I wouldn’t want that. Anything to shield my younger brother from any discomfort.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me. He was not going to budge, so I snapped, “Turnaround at least.”
He did, returning to his perch at the window ledge, leaning over it with his arms braced on the ledge and his head tilted to the sky. His broad shoulders almost took up the entire breadth of the window, blocking out the moonlight and it took an effort to tear my eyes away from him.
No, brain. We are not making a mistake. In an hour, we’ll be a queen and we will have kept our word.I clenched my teeth, swatted the gnats filtering about in my stomach away and hardened my resolve.
My girls didn’t seem to notice as they made quick work of dressing me. I discovered the gown had a large V in the back and laces that could cinch the fabric to my figure, which it did, hugging all the way to the knee where it flared out like a modern-day mermaid style dress. There were delicate straps and a long lace train. The curved neckline was modest, but when the girls tugged on the strings at my back, my chest heaved up and out. A line of cleavage appeared, and I grimaced.
Oh God. The last thing I wanted to do was appear like a sexy vixen because, as much as I had agreed to go through with this wedding, all bets were off for the wedding night. A lot was going to have to change in a few short hours for me to decide to sleep with the king. And the good news was I didn’t think that he would force me. My aunt had been right. Xavier was a nice man, albeit a little pasty, and he was trying to make every accommodation for me. He didn’t even get frustrated whenever I still flinched at him in his rat form.
“Okay, you’re ready, Your Majesty,” April said, urging me toward the mirror, and the giddiness in her voice didn’t escape me as she used my title for the first time. My attendants were excited a witch was finally going through with this wedding.
Nighval heard the pronouncement, turned, but froze when his eyes snagged on the dress. His stare trailed up and down my form and his throat bobbed. Without directly addressing my girls, he said, “Get out.” His voice was so rough I started, but the women didn’t hesitate before scurrying from the room. When they closed the door, he stepped behind me and stared at me in the mirror. His hand reached for me. A finger slid inside one of the thin straps at my shoulder, and my heart skittered as his rough finger grazed my skin leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake.
“What are you doing?” I asked, as the breath caught in my throat.
“The first witch sent here was supposed to wear this dress. You’re clever. I’m sure you’ve guessed that much.” He released the strap, and his hands went to his sides, balling into fists.
“I did. And I’m sorry if seeing me in it bothers you.” His angular face softened as I said it. I really was sorry. In that moment, my clarity of what it must have been like for him struck me, and I wanted to reach out to him to somehow take his pain away.
Instead, I turned and tilted my head up so I could take him in better. His eyes had a faraway look for a moment, like he was reliving a memory, and then they focused on me.
“The first woman who should’ve worn this dress was beautiful. Yet, she pales in comparison to you. Another reason for me to hate my brother…” he trailed off as I sucked in a breath at the weird sensation his compliment caused. “Ifyou make it down the aisle.” His gaze hardened. “Let’s go.”
He didn’t look back as he strode toward the door, expecting me to follow. He held it open, as I passed under the archway. Then he offered me his arm and led me through a maze of dark hallways to the chapel where I would seal my fate.
Chapter 13
Nighval
Ihatedeverysecondof walking the witch to the chapel. I hated seeing her in that dress that had been meant formywife. I hated how fucking perfect she looked. I hated those stupid freckles that dappled her cheeks and nose which also grazed the fine bones of her shoulders and collarbone and were just begging to be kissed. I hated how eager my brother appeared, standing at the altar bouncing on the balls of his feet as we stepped in the arched doors, and he got the first sight of her.
I walked her up the aisle. And when her fingers dropped from the crook of my elbow, I hated that, too. I should recuse myself, but to support my brother and our kingdom, I needed to stay put. I handed her off to him. He held the tips of her fingers, raising them so he could get a good look at her. The chapel only held a small crowd, and the woman garnering everyone’s attention seemed so alive, so vibrant in the space, it seemed even smaller with her inside it.
Was I such a selfish bastard that I was considering stealing her away? Taking her from my brother? Yes, I was. After everything I’d been through, the seventeen years of rejection, standing strong against the witches’ fear and revulsion, and the weight of the expectation put on me by our people. I bore it all, and she should be my reward. It should be me standing next to her ready to say our vows. I could do it—take her to Lieden Palace, my home on the other side of the kingdom. With my power, it would be a small feat and Xavier wouldn’t dare come after us.
