Page 15
As soon as I’m a few strides ahead of him, I let out the breath I was holding. Ever since I met this man, all I’ve done is notice him. His presence rattles me in ways I care not to admit.
“You look cross with me.” Priscilla Graves stands like the goddess of death herself in all black, her white hair even paler in contrast.
I glance around the room to make sure my uncle and brothers aren’t listening. Bell stands with them near the window, a fresh whiskey in hand. But his eyes remain on me. It sends a chill up my spine, as unnerving as it is alluring.
I narrow my eyes at my mother. “Did you know what was to happen last night?”
Her eyelids flutter as she crosses her arms over her chest. “In your bedchamber? Of course. You had to complete the wedding ritual.”
My cheeks flush. “No. Did you know that two initiates were there to inspect me? They refused to leave. It was humiliating.”
She sighs. “Your uncle doesn’t trust anyone right now. It was for your own good and the good of this family. I’m sure Lord Erebus understands these things coming from such a wealthy family himself.”
I could strangle her. It has now just occurred to me that the only thing keeping this world from suffocating me was my father’s authority. Now that he’s gone, I have been thrown to the wolves.
I grit my teeth. “Bell did the inspection himself. Because he agrees that it was indecent. How could you allow two strange men to touch me like that?”
She rolls her eyes as she shuffles past me toward a table with a stack of paperwork on it. “Don’t be so dramatic, Arkana. They were not just any men, but Atreus’s top initiates. Don’t forget who we serve, my child. And besides, it was a clinical inspection, not some carnal act of perversion.”
I practically nip at her heels, my fury growing. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see the way they were practically foaming at the mouth to stick their chubby little fingers inside of me. If Bell hadn’t told them—”
“Enough, Arkana! I won’t hear another word. You have been reckless and insolent your whole life. While your father allowed you to sneak into ritual rooms and climb rafters, I was the one curating your reputation in Melancholia. Ensuring that you would get a husband worthy of this family. Bell is here because I facilitated it.” Her nostrils flare and her lips purse so tight I fear she might draw blood.
The room goes quiet at her outburst. Then the whispers follow.
I look down. There are few people who terrify me more than my mother. She has never struck me, but her lack of warmth and affection is colder than ice. It creeps into my bones and rots. “Forgive me,” I murmur.
A firm hand grips my arm. I raise my chin to see Bell glaring at my mother. “Are you unwell, my lady? You’re looking rather pale.”
She grits her teeth, displeased that her pick for a husband is not kissing her asshole. “I have just lost my husband, Lord Erebus. How would you feel?”
He tsks, feigning sympathy. “Devastated, I imagine. To find yourself, an aging woman, alone in this world without a man to care for you must be terrifying. At least you have your sons. Well, until they marry, of course.”
I squeeze his arm, a warning.
My mother snickers. “We Graves women can take care of ourselves just fine. Thank you for your concern.”
He smiles, ignoring my fingernails, which are currently digging into his flesh. “Ah, I have no doubt. Except you aren’t a Graves woman. I mean by marriage, yes. But not like my Arkana here is. Isn’t that right, beloved? You showed me last night how well you can take care of yourself.”
The vein in her neck protrudes to near bursting as she glares at him. “I see that she did not choose the poison. And yet you defend her. Be careful, Lord Erebus. My daughter is as cunning as she is beautiful.”
“Stop it, mother. Tell me about Father. What has caused his passing?”
Her eyes darken. “He was as healthy as an ox. The examiner and the priestess have determined that he died of fright. Something evil attached to his soul and didn’t let go until it took him with it.”
A shudder rolls through me. “What kind of evil like that exists?”
She glances over at Atreus, and they exchange a knowing look. “That’s not for you to worry about, dear. You are in your betrothal period, so you must focus on that. Your brothers and I will tend to everything else.”
The swish of her skirts blows a fragrant burst of air into my face as she saunters over to where my brothers are huddling with my uncle. And I’m left out again. As always. Now I’m convinced she married me off to be rid of me. We’ve had our tender moments, but Priscilla Graves has always seemed to prefer the company of men. I almost throw up as I watch how she dotes on Silas and Finn.
“Who taught you how to wield a blade?” Bell’s raspy voice shakes me out of my self-pity reverie.
My heart skips when we lock eyes. There’s a possessiveness in the way he stands next to me, in the firm grip that he still has on my arm. “My father. He wanted every one of us, including my mother, to be prepared for anything. So when I was done with piano lessons and dress fittings, I trained.”
He arches an eyebrow. “And poison too? You are immune.” He saw me drink a vial last night.
I nod. “It is the Nocturnus way. I should’ve warned you to be careful what you drink around the manor. But then again, I wouldn’t be sad if you accidentally drank some and keeled over.” I am only half serious.
