Chapter 19
Rummy
Ibarely slept. Even a scalding bath could not calm my racing heart. Cornelius knew. He knew.
He’d sensed that tiny piece of darkness I had hidden from everyone my entire life.
Everyone living, anyway.
Chaos magic.
The gift of death.
No, I didn’t have a connection to the dead like he did. I didn’t…
Honestly, I had no idea what I could do with my power. All I knew was that my magic held unbelievable darkness. That any time I even considered trying to use my power, I regretted it.
Death. Destruction. Demise.
That’s all that awaited me.
My entire life, I had hidden that piece of myself. I had no magic. It was better to believe that than to face the reality: that I was evil, twisted.
Everyone else used their power for good. Huntyr? Wolf? They had gifts from the damn goddess herself.
What did I have? A curse?
I wasn’t sure. But I sure as all hells couldn’t tell Jessiah about it.
He would never look at me the same. Cornelius was the one person who had the potential to understand what I’d been through. And it was possible that he could help me figure out what kind of beast lay resting deep in my soul, ready to pounce.
If I was being honest, sometimes it felt as though that beast was going to claw its way out of my heart, whether I wanted it to or not.
This was better. This way, I wouldn’t be so alone.
Did I feel guilty keeping details of my conversation with Cornelius from Xavier and Jessiah? Of course I did. They wanted to help me. I believed that.
But I’d take solace knowing I’d given them a partial truth. That was better than nothing, right? Cornelius did possess a death magic.
But I knew a lot more than I’d let on.
After Cornelius had informed me that he sensed a gift of the dead within me, he’d told me so much more.
He claimed that he could sense others who were like him. He sensed the gift inside my chest the moment I arrived at his front gates.
It was like a magnet, he said. Like he had been looking for me his entire life and he’d finally found the missing piece.
Was it creepy? Sure. But the wine had been flowing, and that kept my paranoia from taking over.
And unlike just about everyone who knew me well, he didn’t look at me like I was broken.
He looked at me like he needed me. Like he wanted me, even.
And not just for the bullshit persona I wore to earn that charming smile of his and any secrets I could get out of him.
I wasn’t a damn idiot. I knew Cornelius was… suspicious at best. But for the first time, I’d found someone that I didn’t have to keep my secret from. When he told me he could sense my magic, a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For the first time, I felt as though I could confide in someone.
Because unlike what even my closest friend believed, I wasn’t entirely magicless.
No, magic coursed through my veins, begging to be released day in and day out.
Darkness becomes the chain that binds.
A chill ran down my spine as the words echoed in my mind. The words the healer had mumbled. The words that had screamed in my brain since the Whispering Caves.
I didn’t want to go back there. Even thinking of that place made me uneasy. But Xavier had a point. If the caves were trying to help us by speaking those strange riddles, maybe another visit could help us piece together this puzzle.
I shook the thoughts away. That would be a problem for later.
For now, I had a ball to prepare for.
The ball was beyond excessive, and not even in a glamorous, money-showing way. And every damn person of status in the kingdom seemed to be in attendance.
I stepped through the massive, arched doorways and into a massive ballroom. Instantly, my lungs constricted.
Relax, Rummy. You belong here. Act the part.
Jessiah and Xavier loved to treat me like I was nothing more than a problem to be handled. But tonight? I would show them I was much more than that.
Cornelius would confide in me. I would make sure of it. They thought I was charmed by his white teeth and his striking eyes. They were wrong, and if that’s how poorly they thought of me, then they didn’t know me at all.
My chest twinged, and a strange pain made my breath catch. I shook it off quickly. I didn’t give a fuck about what they thought. It was just an annoyance, that was all.
And with any luck, I’d get to the bottom of things so I wouldn’t have to travel back to those damn Whispering Caves. I’d use my loose, blonde curls and my glittered silver dress to the full extent to get the work done.
The dress I’d chosen tonight was incredible, though it took a mental pep talk to find the confidence to actually walk outside wearing the thing.
The sloped neckline was adorned with crystals that were strung together like teardrops, and the silky fabric accentuated my curves effortlessly.
Jessiah was going to lose his mind when he saw it.
Not that I cared about what he thought. Goddess above, Rummy. Pull it together.
“There she is.” Cornelius approached from my right, wearing a fitted black suit. “And look at you.” He took me in from head to toe, his eyes stalling slightly on where the dress tightened over my chest. “You look like the most marvelous thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“You flatter me.” I smiled, my face heating. “You look quite impressive yourself. This entire place, really. It’s… it’s stunning.”
Cornelius nodded, like of course the place was stunning.
“It’s my duty to ease the minds of the citizens of Pericius, to give them something to look forward to when life gets mundane. The Autumn Victorial ball was one of my father’s favorite traditions. Food, drinking, dancing. And magic, of course.”
I stiffened, though when Cornelius slid a hand onto my lower back and began guiding me deeper into the ballroom, I forced my body to relax.
“Magic?” I questioned. “In what ways?”
He scanned the crowd, his blue eyes warm.
There were hundreds of fae in this ballroom, yet there was so much open space.
The roof was lined with white archways, and the walls on either side were made mostly of massive windows with fractured, colored glass, allowing for the light of the setting sun to glisten inside.
When it finally dipped below the horizon, I could only imagine the view of the stars and moon would be incredible.
He came to a stop and leaned in. He came so close, that I felt his breath against my cheek as he whispered, “That’s a surprise. One I hope you’ll thoroughly enjoy.”
I laughed quietly, forcing the sound to remain light. “You should know that I’m not a big fan of surprises.”
A server passed, carrying a tray of glasses filled with sparkling liquid.
Cornelius took two and turned back to me. “This one, you’ll like.” He held one drink out to me, and I easily accepted. “Enjoy yourself tonight, Rummy. King duties call, but I hope to see you again soon.”
The subtle flirting tone of his voice told me he meant it.
I fluttered my eyelashes the same way I always did, playing my part, and smiled. “I guess you’ll have to come find me later, then.”
His eyes darkened, his pupils dilating. But without another moment’s hesitation, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Goddess fucking above. It was about to be a long night.
“That was painful to watch.”
I nearly spit out my drink as I turned at the unexpected voice.
Xavier stepped closer, his shoulders rolled back, his chin high, and surveyed the crowd around us.
“Hells,” I mumbled, wiping the liquid from my chin. “Would you stop sneaking up on me like that? It’s creepy!”
He didn’t even look at me. He was too busy cataloging the fae filling the ballroom, as if he was memorizing each face and assessing any threat. “I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said.
“How long have you been standing there? Are you following me now?”
“Considering you and the charming king were practically eye fucking each other in the middle of the ballroom, I’m not surprised you didn’t notice me.”
My heart lurched. “We weren’t—”
“You don’t have to explain to me.” He held up a hand. “He’s an attractive man, you’re an attractive woman, I get it.”
“Please,” I huffed, bringing my drink to my lips. “It’s just business. Nothing more.” At least, nothing more that I could explain without sounding crazy. “I really wish I didn’t have to keep explaining that to you two.”
He laughed under his breath, dipping his chin to his chest, the sound anything but humorous.
“What?” I pushed.
“Nothing.” He shook his head, his eyes closing. “It’s just… I’m really not sure how much more of this Jessiah can take. You flirting to get close to Cornelius. He’s one naughty look away from putting you on the back of his horse and marching you back to Scarlata.”
My chest tightened. “That’s ridiculous. I’m doing this for us.”
“Doing what for us, exactly?”
The subtle music from the quartet in the corner grew louder as more partygoers arrived.
“Where is Jessiah, anyway?” I asked, ignoring Xavier’s question.
He shrugged. “If I had to guess, I’d say getting as far away from you and Cornelius as possible.”
Unease swirled in my stomach. “You’re kidding, right? We were just talking. Jessiah really needs to grow a pair if watching me speak to another male sets him off so badly.”
And I don’t have to explain myself to you.
I wanted to force the words out so badly, but this was not the time for that fight. I’d explained my reasons for spending time with Cornelius—or what I wanted the guys to believe—but apparently nothing I could do or say would make these two believe I had good intentions.
So fucking be it. If that’s how they wanted to play this game, that was fine by me. I had my own business to take care of, anyway.
“Don’t act coy, Rum. This little game of yours is getting exhausting. You know how Jessiah feels about you.”
I scoffed, even as my heart twisted in my chest. “Yes, his insults and nasty looks tell me just how much he admires me.”
He grunted. “You haven’t exactly made things easy for him, have you?”
I inhaled sharply, but before I could snap at him, I clamped my mouth shut. Xavier had a way of pushing my buttons when he wanted to, but tonight? I was at a damn ball, for crying out loud.
I wouldn’t let him walk in here and ruin my mood.
“Go enjoy yourself, Xavier. I don’t need you following me around like a little lost puppy.”
I didn’t wait to see how my insult landed. I already knew what the pained expression he’d make looked like.
Head held high, I turned on my heel and pushed farther into the crowd.
This was a damn party, wasn’t it? It was time to have fun.