Page 16 of Tarnished Crown

I opened my eyes and looked up just in time to see Evander opening his. He clamped his hands on either side of me and practically threw me away from him, setting me on the far side of the bed that suddenly felt much, much too small.

“Do you mind, Lemmikki?” He brought his hands back to his sides before thrusting the blanket toward me. “You can have this. It’s plenty warm in here now.”

Humiliation spread through me. I was certain if the fire had been burning any brighter, it would have been plain to see the bright red hue of my entire body. Taking the blanket, I rolled over so I wouldn’t have to face him anymore.

Der’mo, again.

CHAPTER13

Ispent the rest of the night so concerned about accidentally rolling into him that at least by the time morning came, I was too tired to feel awkward.

It helped that Evander had already left the bed and the room when the maid woke me up to leave.

The discomfort we had been spared was more than made up for on the road, though. An ominous feeling permeated the air, and it wasn’t only the uncomfortable night that hung between us.

It only got worse when we finally reached the estate.

Nestled in the imposing mountain range was an expansive castle with the same domed towers I had seen throughout Socair, only instead of being garishly colored, these were patterned black and white.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my breaths came in short, white puffs of air. The Duke was somewhere in that castle, the man who had wantonly murdered his own people and mine.

What will he do now that I’m here?

It was a surreal feeling, realizing that in another life, my Aunt Isla would have been his wife, the Clan Wife of this estate. She wouldn’t even have been my aunt, technically, if she hadn’t married Uncle Finn, just my father’s cousin.

Stranger still, she would have been Evander’s stepmother. Maybe he would have been nicer then, some of her innate goodness seeping into him.

Though she had a solid temper to rival my father’s, so maybe he would be the same arseling he was today.

It wasn’t long before my apprehension about what awaited me edged out my slew of what-ifs. When we made it to the stables, Evander leapt down from his saddle and muttered something to one of the stableboys, who went running toward the castle.

“Now, it’s my turn to tell you to keep your hands to yourself,” he said, firmly grasping my waist and lowering me to the ground.

I shot him a confused look and the edge of his mouth pulled up.

“I just know how you feel about stableboys,” he explained. “And Pavel here is much too young for you.”

I glanced at the gangly boy at least five years my junior.

“I’ll try to restrain myself,” I said drily.

A younger man in the same black livery as the rest of the soldiers approached us. He clasped hands with Evander, Kirill, and Taras before his wide, gray eyes landed on me.

He was a cross of Evander and Taras, though he looked even younger than I was.

“Lady Mairi...eagerly anticipates your arrival,” he said gravely.

“Thank you, Yuriy.” All traces of humor vanished from Evander’s features, replaced by wary resignation. “Come, Lemmikki.”

I followed his stoic steps into the castle, reminding myself that no matter how ominous this felt, it wasn’t permanent.

Whether it was Da’ or Theo, someone was going to come for me.

Our footsteps echoed on the marbled floors up to the high, domed ceilings. Servants scurried past us in the halls, looking at me with expressions of confusion or horror.Ah, something familiar, at least.

We finally came into a room that was tucked away down the grand hall. A large window took up most of the far wall, while the others were covered in bookcases and a crackling fire lit the hearth.

“Stepmother.” Evander greeted the small figure standing by the window.