Chapter 37 #2
My mother’s expression hardens at his words and Carina drops her gaze to her lap, a feeling of unease filling the room. I want to probe deeper into the underlying tension between them, but keep silent, knowing now is not the time. Vin stands to signal it is getting late.
“It is late indeed. You all must be tired from such a day. Let us continue our talks tomorrow morning,” he declares in a booming voice as he gestures for a servant to show him to his quarters.
“Yes, we have much to discuss. We can chat after Adina goes into town?” my father suggests, looking at my mother.
“You’re leaving in the morning?” I ask my mother, staring at her in confusion.
She nods. “Yes, I have my usual hair appointment tomorrow. Carina, you’re welcome to join me, if you’d like.”
Carina smiles politely. “Yes, I would very much like that.”
“Good, bring your handmaiden, she can carry our bags; we might do a bit of shopping afterward,” my mother says, and I cut my gaze across to my mother who smiles politely.
As everyone begins to disperse, the weight of the impending discussions settles on my shoulders, and I clench my teeth. Carina rises to her feet, staring toward where her father wandered off to with my parents. “Are you alright?” I ask Carina, and she glances back at me, nodding.
She peers up at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty. “I… I don’t know. This is all happening so fast. And the way that guard looked at me…”
I squeeze her hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry about him. He won’t bother you again, not here at least. Have you had issues with your father’s guard before?” I ask her, and she tenses.
“We should get to bed,” she whispers, wandering off, and I rise to my feet. I want to go back to Sienna, but with Carina’s father under my roof, I know I must keep up the facade of a happy husband.
As we make our way back to our room, I can’t shake off the feeling of unease that lingers within me.
I brush away these thoughts, forcing myself to focus on the present.
Carina is quiet and subdued, the only sound that fills the corridors is the soft rustle of our clothes and the faint echo of our footsteps.
When we reach our room, I close the door behind us and turn to face her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, searching her eyes for any sign of discomfort.
Carina slips out of my grasp, moving toward the wardrobe to change into a nightgown. As I stand there, watching her, I can feel the tension between us growing.
Carina turns to me, her eyes searching for answers. “Your explanation?” I ask her, and she chews her lip then changes the subject.
“How is Sienna?” she asks.
“Fine, she tried to run, I forced her to mark me.”
“So, what happens now?” she asks.
I take a deep breath before answering her. “I don’t know,” I admit. “You can sign the divorce papers?” Carina rolls her eyes, bored with me constantly asking. “Exactly how long do you plan to keep this up?”
“As long as it takes until you realize I am not going anywhere,” she answers, and I growl, turning for the door. “You can’t leave, my father catches you sneaking off to her, you put her in danger. I know you don’t want that, just as I don’t want to be forced home.”
“And why is that, Carina, what happened on the drive here?”
“Nothing, my father is overbearing, you know that, pressuring me to get knocked up, solidify the alliances, the treaty and all that crap.” I curse. Yet something tells me she isn’t being completely honest, she was scared when she arrived, now she seems more herself.
I cross the room in a few strides, pulling Carina toward me. “Tell me the truth,” I demand, my eyes burning with intensity.
She stares up at me, her eyes flickering nervously. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me, Carina,” I growl, my grip tightening around her arms. “What happened on the drive here?”
Carina stands at that moment, an eternity stretching out between us. I can make out her harsh breathing and the rustle of her clothes as she pulls away from me. “Nothing, Xandros,” she spits, her voice laden with venom. Fury burns in her eyes, like embers ready to consume.
I reach for her arm, and she recoils like a feral cat. “We’ve been together two years, Carina,” I plead. “I know you’re being forced into this. If it’s your father, I can protect you.”
Her laugh is a caustic bark, scraping against my skin like blades of glass. “You can’t protect me, no one can,” she sneers, fingers entwined in the hair at the back of her neck as if trying to strangle the fear away.
“What does he have over you?” I growl.
She closes her eyes briefly before slowly opening them again, a resolve now resting there which sends a chill through me.
She takes a deep breath and speaks in hushed tones, as though afraid someone else might hear.
“Let’s just get this marriage over with, and then I’ll go on an extended vacation.
” Her lips quirk up into a twisted smirk as she adds: “You can be with Sienna.”
My blood runs cold. “I’m not sleeping with you,” I say through gritted teeth, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles shine white.
Carina waves me off dismissively, her gaze still focused on some distant point beyond my shoulder. “Because you’re incapable? Come on, we’ll find another way.” An unfamiliar darkness settles around us, filling the space with an air of sinister foreboding.
Carina stares at me for a moment before bursting into an angry, sarcastic laugh. “Oh come on, Xandros, what do you think this is? You have no choice in the matter, and neither do I,” she says, her voice laced with bitterness.
I take a step back, still not believing what I’m hearing. “No, I won’t do that either,” I say firmly, shaking my head. “I am not having a child with you.”
Carina’s face contorts in rage, and she takes a step toward me. “It’s not like we have any other options,” she hisses, her words dripping with venom.
Carina’s eyes flash with anger. “You don’t have a choice in this, Xandros. You’re my husband now, and you’ll do whatever it takes to maintain appearances,” she spits.
I can feel my temper rising, my patience wearing thin. Carina takes a step forward, her body presses against mine. “Things change, Xandros. You need to adapt if you want to survive in this world,” she says, her voice low and dangerous.
“What, like forcing yourself on me?” I spit out the words, barely able to control my temper.
Carina’s eyes flicker with something that looks like fear before hardening again. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she insisted. “I just… I don’t know what else to do. My father is relentless, and I can’t keep living like this.”
I feel a flicker of sympathy for her, but it is quickly drowned out by my own feelings of frustration and helplessness. “There has to be another way,” I say, my mind reeling as I try to come up with a solution.
Carina shakes her head, her hair tumbling around her face. “There isn’t,” she says simply. “Not unless you can convince my father to call off this ridiculous arrangement,” she shrugs.