Chap 18
"Her name is Pen-Nello-Pea."
The prince announced it while walking straight past the king and depositing the abandoned gown into a servant's arms.
"She couldn't breathe in that thing, so she changed."
"Who changed her?" the king asked.
The question was immediate.
Sebastian kept walking.
"That is a surprisingly complicated question."
The king turned toward his son.
"Sebastian."
"Good?"
Penny offered helpfully.
Both men looked at her.
She pointed proudly at herself.
"Pen...Nello...Pea."
The king's attention snapped fully to her.
The irritation vanished so quickly it was almost embarrassing.
"She spoke."
"We taught her words too," Sebastian said.
The king looked back toward his son.
"We?"
The prince was already backing away.
"The flowers mostly."
"But I entrusted her to you."
"Yes."
"And you left her with the flowers."
"In my defense, they travel in packs."
"Sebastian."
The prince pointed down the hallway.
"I should probably go get ready for the ball."
Then he fled.
The king watched him disappear.
Only after his son was safely gone did he look back at Penny.
His gaze swept over her.
Loose hair.
Pink cheeks.
The simple flower dress tied together with braided cords.
No mud.
No bruises.
No mysterious injuries.
A marked improvement.
His expression softened.
"No twigs in your hair this time."
Penny smiled.
The king almost smiled back.
"Better than last time, my little songbird."
He paused.
Then corrected himself.
"My Penelope."
Penny blinked.
The name sounded beautiful when he said it.
He offered his arm.
She immediately took it.
His gaze drifted down to the makeshift dress.
"Good?"
He touched the fabric.
Penny nodded firmly.
"Yes."
Then she pointed toward the abandoned court gown.
"No."
The word came slowly.
Deliberately.
As if she was still testing it.
The king followed her gesture.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"No?"
Penny shook her head harder.
"No."
For a moment he considered the gown.
Then he looked back at her hopeful face.
And felt the answer through the bond before she ever spoke another word.
She hated it.
That night the ballroom blazed brighter than before.
Crystal chandeliers spilled golden light across polished floors while hundreds of candles turned the white stone walls to honey.
Penny entered on the king's arm wearing another noble gown.
A compromise, apparently.
It still laced tight enough to make her suspicious, but not tight enough to steal her breath.
White silk flowed to the floor while deep red velvet wrapped the hem. Crimson roses embroidered along the border climbed upward like blooming flames.
The ribbon had been tied around her throat once more.
After an impressive amount of cleaning.
And swearing.
Mostly swearing.
Nyx had somehow been promoted to Penny's personal attendant.
The promotion appeared to have made her significantly angrier.
Which resulted in even more swearing.
Penny liked her immensely.
As they entered the ballroom, Penny's attention was immediately drawn to the dais.
A new chair sat beside the king's throne.
Not a chair.
A throne.
Smaller than the king's.
But unmistakably carved from the same black wood.
Her throne.
The realization sent a strange flutter through her stomach.
Tonight, another figure stood beside the King's throne.
Prince Sebastian.
Penny almost didn't recognize him.
Gone was the awkward young man who had spent the afternoon being terrorized by human flowers.
Gone was the prince who had hidden with her beneath a willow tree.
Gone was the prince who had nearly kissed her.
This was something else.
Midnight-dark hair brushed his collar.
Silver-gray eyes followed her approach.
Confident.
Composed.
Every inch a prince.
As though he had been born for rooms like this.
His gaze met hers.
A smile tugged briefly at the corner of his mouth.
Then he dipped his head.
Just enough for her to know the gesture was meant only for her.
Penny smiled back.
Then she noticed who sat beside him.
The smile vanished.
The queen.
One elegant hand rested lightly upon Sebastian's arm.
Possessive.
Claiming.
Protective.
Her son.
For the first time Penny truly understood that every time she looked at Sebastian
She was looking at the queen's child.
The orchestra was still tuning when the king took his seat.
The doors opened.
The court poured inside.
Almost immediately the whispers began.
"I thought he hated balls."
"What's he doing here?"
"He never attends."
Sebastian ignored every one of them.
Ignored the stares.
Ignored the curiosity.
The flowers entered.
The music began.
And before anyone else could approach her, Sebastian stepped directly into Penny's path.
The ballroom seemed to notice all at once.
Unlike the vampires, warmth still lived beneath his skin.
He bowed over her hand.
His lips brushed her knuckles.
A collective gasp rippled through the room.
Then he smiled.
"Please dance with me."
Penny's heart stumbled.
Across the room, the queen watched.
The smile touching her lips reminded Penny of frost spreading across a windowpane.
Then the king lifted one finger.
The entire room went still.
"Last time I entrusted her to you," the king said mildly, "she returned dressed like a beggar."
A few nearby nobles immediately looked away.
Sebastian closed his eyes.
Just once.
"Yes, Father."
The king extended his hand.
Evander stepped forward immediately.
The commander moved with the calm confidence of someone answering a battlefield order.
The king took Penny's hand.
Then placed it into Evander's.
"Keep my Penelope close."
The king's gaze swept the crowded ballroom.
"Keep her safe."
The prince's smile disappeared.
Only for a moment.
Only long enough for Penny to notice.
"Always, Your Majesty," Evander replied.
The king leaned toward his commander.
"One dance."
Something amused flickered through his eyes into the magic thread he shared with Penny.
"I have a surprise for her."
Penny immediately tugged at the bond, trying to discover what the surprise was.
The king only smiled.
Evander led her away before she could learn anything.
As the music swelled, he slipped an arm around her waist.
Then, just as he had at the last ball, he lifted her lightly onto the tops of his polished boots.
Penny laughed.
Evander smiled down at her.
The song drifted toward its end.
Penny wished it wouldn't.
Evander spun her one final time.
The dancers moved together as one.
Then he dipped her low.
Close enough that only she could hear him.
"I have a surprise for you too."
Penny blinked.
Now there were two surprises.
One from the king.
One from Evander.
Curiosity immediately began pulling her in opposite directions.
The music ended.
Applause swept through the ballroom.
Evander helped her upright and escorted her back toward the raised dais.
As they approached, one of the great doors opened.
A single attendant entered.
Dark midnight blue.
Garden colors.
Penny tilted her head.
The king reached for her hand.
She slipped hers into his automatically while watching the newcomer approach.
Someone followed behind him.
At first she only noticed the blue hair.
Then the braids.
Then the familiar shape of his face.
Penny stopped walking.
Her mouth fell open.
Alyrina's brother.
The sea prince looked wildly out of place in a ballroom full of vampires.
Gone were the loose trousers and tunics she remembered.
Tonight he wore the white one-shouldered garments reserved for the male flowers during the balls.
His expression suggested he would rather be anywhere else.
The attendant reached the dais.
Then immediately bowed so low Penny worried he might pass out.
The king's attention shifted between the attendant and the sea prince.
"This is him?"