8. Harlow
HARLOW
T he Carrenwell House ballroom is full of all the people who gawked at me the night my betrothal was announced, only now they’re being way less subtle. Their looks are a mix of judgment and curiosity.
I’m only recently out of my formal widowhood mourning period, but many of our people believe a year of mourning would be more appropriate than six months.
I stare back, challenging them to say anything.
These dinners always begin less formal because everyone arrives fashionably late.
I lean against the bar and look at several couples swaying on the dance floor to the soft music played by the string quartet.
The power is on tonight, so the blown-glass chandeliers shimmer in the large glass windows that look out to the front driveway.
The bartender tops off my wine, and I take a bracing sip. I cross the room and take my seat next to Kellan at the table with all of my siblings. I ignore the empty seat on the other side of me, just like I ignore that my new fiancé is late.
“So?” Kellan says, keeping his gaze casual, his smile playful as he looks around the room.
“Well, what?” I ask .
“How is your husband-to-be, Low?”
“Who?” I ask, sipping my wine.
Finally, he turns to narrow his gaze on me. “Really? That bad?”
I shrug. “He tried to work me like a common schoolgirl.”
Kellan purses his lips. “So he was nice to you?”
I scowl. There’s no way to explain without admitting where I’ve been going when I sneak out.
While I’m sure that Kellan wishes his loyalty could be to me first, I don’t live under the illusion that it is.
If I admitted that I was putting myself at risk this way, that I was risking people finding out about my power, that I am the Poison Vixen he’s been hunting for the past six months, he’d be forced to tell our parents.
The only reason I’ve kept him off my trail this long is because of the signature vials of poison I leave behind and the fact that he doesn’t know about the glamour necklace Aidia gifted me.
By changing my appearance for every job and leaving behind empty vials with traces of different poisons, I seem to have sufficiently convinced him that it’s a group of women working together.
Our parents love to say loyalty to the family comes first, but they mean loyalty to them . Kellan tries, but he’s always been torn between appeasing them and standing up for me and Aidia.
If I don’t make him choose, I’ll never be disappointed when he doesn’t pick us.
“Henry is ridiculous and condescending,” I say when I realize Kellan is not going to let it go.
“So his flaw is being a man?”
“His flaws are numerous, but his most critical is underestimating me,” I say.
Kellan grins. “You’re in a mood tonight.”
“I was born in a mood. Where’s Libby?”
He nods to the bar, where his wife is chatting with our sister, Electra.
“Should I save her from what I’m sure is another awful garden party invitation?” I ask.
“What do you even do at those things?” Kellan asks.
“Drink tea and daydream about how much more pleasant it would be to just feed myself to the Drained.”
Kellan laughs, and his whole face lights up.
He’s always had an ease about him. I know he has a serious side, but while Aidia was loudly rebellious and I was quietly clever, Kellan was the magnanimous peacemaker.
It’s part of the reason he is such a good captain of the city watch.
He knows how to get people to compromise.
“You shouldn’t joke like that, Low,” Kellan says. “Not everyone gets your dark sense of humor.”
I sip my wine and scan the room. Henry isn’t here yet, but his parents are. Every eye in the room that’s not on me is glued to the table where they sit chatting with my parents.
Henry’s mother is doing an admirable job of pretending to be interested in whatever my mother is saying, but her gaze is too vigilant. She’s constantly sweeping the room, like she expects a pack of Drained to descend upon us.
Kellan leans closer and lowers his voice. “So what’s he really like?”
I glare at Kellan. “Are you asking as the captain of the city watch or my brother?”
“No reason I can’t be both. I am the rest of the time.”
That’s the whole problem. Kellan doesn’t know how to separate his duty from his sense of self. He will always put his job first. I miss when we were younger and he was as carefree as me and Aidia.
I shrug a shoulder. “He’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Kellan frowns. “I’m looking forward to speaking to him. I don’t like this whole thing. You’ve already done this once. You shouldn’t have to do it again, and out beyond our walls. It’s not safe out there.”
“Gaven will be with me, and I’m well trained. If all else fails, I know how to run. Besides, I might not make it quite so easy on our dear parents this time. I was enjoying my spinster life.”
His eyes go wide. “What do you mean?”
“I said I would help them so long as I get something in return,” I say. “But that is none of your concern. I can take care of myself. You have a city to protect.”
“And Poison Vixen to catch,” he sighs.
I dig my fingernails into my palms so I won’t react. If my magic kicks up, he will see it in my aura. “Oh?”
He takes a long swig of his wine. “She killed two more men last week.”
“And you’re certain it’s a woman?” I ask .
“Who else would be able to lure them away without force and kill them with ease?”
I cock my head. “Good point. You men do prefer your violence loud and flashy.”
Kellan cants his head to the side and eyes me.
I click my tongue and give him my most patronizing glare. “Honestly, Kellan, I had thought you’d not immediately take the easiest solution presented to you. Maybe she’s being put up to it by some man with his own agenda. Maybe she’s just a pawn. You cannot presume to know.”
“There’s something else. I’ve noticed a pattern.”
“Oh?” I try to sound casual, but I feel Kellan’s eyes on me.
He frowns like he’s unsure if he should say the next part. “She only kills men who have been unfaithful to their wives.”
I whistle. “Sounds like she’s got a score to settle. Safe to say she’ll have her hands full with how unfaithful the men of Lunameade are. That body count won’t be ebbing any time soon.”
Kellan opens his mouth to say more, but his gaze locks on something behind me and he frowns. “Your guest is here. I’ll leave you to it.”
I turn and find Henry poised in the arched doorway. He steps into the light, and the collective attention of all of our guests washes over him in a wave.
He pretends not to notice as he crosses the room to me.
I stand, and he pauses in front of me, then bends to kiss my hand.
I’m frozen the way the rest of the room is, waiting for him to do something more vicious than just kiss me.
But after a warm brush of his lips over my knuckles, he draws back to standing and smiles.
Bleeding woods, he’s handsome. His dark hair is neatly styled into waves, and a dusting of dark stubble on his jaw gives him a more rugged look. His clothing is perfectly tailored, and his smile is wicked and devastating.
He nods. “Harlow.”
He’s far too comfortable.
“Good evening, my feral wolf.”
The pet name lands just how I wanted it to. The warmth leaches from his face, and he sighs.
“Don’t you look broody,” I tease .
His gaze rakes over me, and it’s like I can feel his hands on my skin again. “And you look like murder wrapped in sin.”
I intentionally wore something that my mother would consider inappropriate.
The fabric is such a dark purple, it’s almost black.
The slit up my right leg comes nearly to my hip and most of the strapless bodice is sheer.
As long as my parents have something I want, they can make me do their bidding. But they can’t control how I do it.
I swish my dress from side to side. “That’s exactly what I was going for.”
As if suddenly aware of the eyes on us, he leans in to kiss my cheek. His lips are so warm against my skin. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until he starts to draw away.
“Want to tell me why you tried to kill me?” he whispers as he meets my eye.
“Want to tell me how you survived?” I counter.
He offers me nothing but a smug grin. His aura shimmers in a dark purple halo around him. I glance at his hand and, sure enough, he’s not wearing his magical ring.
“Then I guess we’re at a stalemate.” I scoop his glass from the table, dipping my finger into his wine as I hand it to him.
I let a little bit of Slyven Seed poison run into the glass.
I probably shouldn’t do this in front of all the magical families in Lunameade, but I can’t help but take this chance to see if he was telling the truth about his protective ring.
Using a different poison than I did the first time will tell me if he’s immune to one poison or all of them.
Henry eyes the wine skeptically, so I draw my finger into my mouth, trying to pull back the magic that has turned my fingertip temporarily purple and licking it clean as suggestively as possible.
He takes the cup from me, staring at my lips as he takes a long sip. I watch with rapt interest and a hint of delight.
“What?” he asks as he lowers the glass.
This is the moment of truth. He’s not wearing his ring, which I don’t believe could really protect him from a magical attack.
I stare at him, waiting for him to fall over, but he looks unfazed.
“Really? Nothing?”
Realization tears over his face. “You tried to poison me again?” His voice is low, torn between humor and disbelief .
I roll my eyes. “Relax. It was just a test.”
He looks at my hands like he knows exactly what I did. “You can poison with your?—”
I clap a hand over his mouth. “Keep your voice down. My magic is a well-guarded secret.”