Page 85 of Tarnished Crown

“Clan Lynx.”

“Is this your business here?” I turned on my other side to face him.

“It is.” Two curt words.

“Why not just say that?” I questioned.

He was being oddly close-mouthed, considering he normally conducted his business in his sitting room with the door open.

“I wasn’t sure they were still coming until we got here, and Nico’s bird returned with a confirmation.” Something was still off in his tone.

“Why is Arès coming here?”

“He isn’t. Lady Mila is, and her brother Lord Luca. To discuss an alliance.”

At the sound of my friend’s name, a thrill of excitement went through me, nearly pushing out my suspicions around Evander’s odd behavior.

Then, I considered the situation more deeply. It was unusual enough to bring a woman along for political talks in Socair, let alone an unprecedented alliance with the most neutral clan in the--

I froze, an emotion I didn’t want to identify stopping me in my tracks. My voice was curiously devoid of emotion when I spoke next.

“What kind of an alliance?”

Evander hesitated only briefly before answering. “A marriage alliance.”

“Oh.” I found myself at a rare loss for words.

Why did it seem so unusual that Evander would think of marrying for the good of his clan? Wasn’t that what Theo was doing? What Mila had talked about doing? Though she said she would rather die than marry into Bear, but perhaps her father had convinced her the rumors were just that. Arès hadn’t seemed particularly afraid of Evander, or even disdainful of him.

I was suddenly very, very conscious of the fact that I was in Evander’s bed. That I had been for the past several weeks. That there was no real part of me that wanted tonotbe.

Which felt like a problem, in and of itself. Worse still, if he actually was considering...allyingwith Mila, how would she feel about this? A sick feeling churned in my gut.

“Is that something you want, though? Marriage?” I couldn’t seem to stop myself from asking.

He shrugged, a barely visible movement of the outline of his shoulders. “It’s generally considered an inevitability.”

“How very romantic.” I thought about how Theo had spoken of marriage, how he said he had chosen me to spend his life with. Of course, in the end, it hadn’t been his choice to make, so maybe that wasn’t better.

Evander scoffed. “Not everyone has the luxury of romance, Princess. Some of us have responsibilities.”

“Yes, I’m sure marrying Mila will be a real chore for you. No one wants a wife who’s funny and gorgeous and smart.” There was a bite to my tone, but it wasn’t directed at my friend. She was all of those things, and more.

“So, am I to understand you think Mila and I would make a good match?” He turned over to face me, something in his voice sounding just a bit mocking.

Flames from the hearth danced in his silver eyes, and I let out a frustrated breath.

“I think Mila would make a good match for anyone.” I said, looking away and focusing on repositioning my pillow instead.

Evander sighed like he was the exasperated one. “Well, I’m sure Taras will be thrilled to hear that.”

I abruptly stopped moving. “Taras?”

“Yes, Taras. He is the third-highest-ranking person in Bear.”

My lips parted. I was almost certain he had baited me on purpose. Not that there was any reason I should care, and I didn’t.Obviously.

“Not you.” It was a statement as much as a question. “Even though marriage is an inevitability?”