Page 76 of Dhampira

I looked between them over the rim of my glass. Did Lorcan speak in Vander’s mind? He’d probably been doing it all along. If their claims were true, they worked together to undermine Rasimir even as they served in his inner circle. But their relationship transcended mere alliance. I could dismiss their argument in front of the maze. Their interaction in the Everless was different. They were lovers—or something close to it.

Perhaps I should have been shocked. And I might have been if Mama hadn’t raised me. But on a handful of times over the years, she’d bundled me up and taken me to quiet cottages in the middle of the night. On one occasion, a woman had waited nervously while Mama nursed the woman’s female companion through a high fever. On another, she’d stitched a man’s jaw after a horse tried to take a bite out of his face.

Because you give it sugar cubes, the man’s friend had said, his arms folded tightly as he watched my mother work. The damn creature won’t do anything without a treat now. I told you to be more careful.

The injured man had given Mama a weary smile. I think Hal is just upset about me being a lot uglier now.

With another exasperated sound, Hal crossed to him and stroked his hair. I don’t care about the scar, you idiot. I’m terrified of losing you. Bending low, Hal pressed a soft kiss to the injured man’s lips.

On the walk home, I asked Mama if the men were married like a man and a woman. Unflappable as always, she stopped me in the middle of the path. Hal and Sigric aren’t married. The crown doesn’t permit it. But in their hearts, they’re wed as a man and a man. Their love is as real and true as any other, and they’re fortunate to have found it. The next day, she’d mixed a salve to reduce scarring.

Music rose over the crowd’s chatter, pulling me from my memories. As courtiers surged onto the dance floor once more, I slanted another look between Vander and Lorcan. Did they share a love like Hal and Sigric’s? Did they share a bed? It was none of my business—except for two niggling, inconvenient facts: In three months, I had to wed Lorcan. And two days ago, Vander had kissed me.

You’re beautiful. And I’m stupid.

Stupid because his heart belonged to Lorcan? It didn’t matter. Vander’s heart would never belong to me. And mine would never belong to Lorcan, not even in name only. Because I couldn’t marry him. Joining his and Vander’s cause wouldn’t change that. I wouldn’t tie myself to a man I didn’t love.

The king watches, Lorcan said in my mind. He waved over a servant and handed the man our wineglasses. Then he spun me onto the dance floor. Blood-wine sloshing in my otherwise empty stomach, I gripped Lorcan’s shoulder as I struggled to make my feet cooperate.

Lorcan gave me a mild look. “Do mind my toes.”

“I’m trying,” I muttered. “The music is different.”

“It’s faster.”

“Well, I hate it.”

Lorcan’s lips twitched. He lowered his gaze as he spoke in my mind. Stop fighting and let me lead.

Easier said than done. And I couldn’t help but wonder if he intended the double meaning. Was that what he wanted? Was that the plan he and Vander spoke of? For me to fall in line while allowing them to use whatever power I managed to discover?

Are you a tool or a blade?

My breath quickened, and not from the dance. Lorcan and Vander claimed the witches weren’t my friends. But so did Rasimir.

Pillars whipped past, flashes of windowpanes between them. As I settled into the dance, movement at the edge of the crowd caught my eye. The vampires from the maze stood together, their conservative clothing setting them apart from the courtiers around them. As Lorcan and I spun past them, they stared with hard, glittering eyes.

Unease spread through me. On the next turn, I looked past Lorcan. The strange vampires followed our progress.

Pay them no mind, Lorcan said in my head. When I looked up, his face was its usual impenetrable mask.

Except for the slightest tension in his jaw.

“Who are they?” I murmured.

He pressed his forefinger against my shoulder blade, alerting me to the next turn. Swallowing a sigh, I stared at his chest and resigned myself to more silence.

My countrymen.

The unexpected answer brought my head up. The Drachvi. Lorcan was their king—or had been. But they didn’t look at him like a king. Their hostility followed us as we made another circuit around the room. The next time we passed the Drachvi vampires, one of the men turned his back. The woman beside him followed suit, the gesture deliberate.

Lorcan missed a step.

Instinct tightened my grip. I took over the next turn, steering us in a wide circle. Lorcan jerked his startled eyes to mine, and I whispered the cadence while my back was turned to Rasimir and the Drachvi.

“One, two, three…One, two, three…”

Lorcan recovered quickly, taking over the lead on the next turn. “Thank you,” he said softly.