Page 15 of Obsidian Throne

EVANDER

My stepmother’s claws gripped my hand and shoulder more tightly than was necessary, ten pinpoints of revulsion I had to fight not to shake off.

But there were appearances to be made.

A fact I very nearly let myself forget when I caught sight of Rowan’s face. Her porcelain skin was even paler than usual, her mouth set into a hard line…all because of something my father had said to her.

Her eyes flicked to me, and she rearranged her features into something resembling neutrality, or at least, closer to it than she usually managed. Then he turned her, and I couldn’t see her face anymore.

I reminded myself that she was fierce, and that he wouldn’t physically hurt her now that she was a clan wife.Myclan wife.

My gorgeous clan wife, I amended, taking a moment to rake my eyes over the crimson curls that were artfully arranged, the subtle muscles in her back and her slim waist.

And the scars that she had put on display for the entire court to see.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

In the few times we had played Dominion with her family, Rowan had occasionally managed to get an edge with the sheer nerve of her bold, unexpected moves.

But sometimes, they were reckless as hell. Sometimes, they cost her more than she could afford to lose.

On the other hand, I had been worried that she was afraid to return to the castle where Ava resided. Instead, Rowan began her life here by rattling my stepmother in a way few people were capable of.

Even now, Ava looked at her silently, her usual sneering remarks noticeably absent.

And for that, I couldn’t help but be proud. Even if that pride was edged with concern for what underhanded method Ava might use to retaliate.

The dance finally ended, and so did that line of thought. Rowan was passed off to Mikhail, who was only marginally preferable to my father. That would have normally left me with Lady Galina.

I barely suppressed a sigh. The girl was terrified of me, evident by the way her pale-blue eyes widened and her hands trembled every time we had danced in the past few years.

Relief coursed through me when I saw she was occupied, talking to Korhonan, and I took my opportunity to speak with Arès instead. He was one of the few dukes I actually liked, a feeling I suspected was mutual, but he had made his unhappiness with me clear since I returned.

I had been too focused on this wedding and Rowan’s arrival to deal with that. He was leaving in the morning, though, so I approached him now. The way he was standing alone by the refreshments table made me think that was exactly what he intended to happen.

“I hope you’re devising a way to fix this in that clever brain of yours,” he said without preamble.

That was fair, all things considered. And I was, slowly but surely, thinking of solutions.

“An alliance with Lochlann isn’t a bad start,” I pointed out.

He shook his head. “An alliance you could have procured while she was still here, or by sending a bird when she left, rather than gallivanting off to Lochlann for four months and giving that bastard his opportunity to move in on the throne.”

It was the closest he had come to admitting that he knew my father wasn’t the one in control of Bear.

I thought of the responses I could give him.

Because I wasn’t sure she wanted to marry me. Because I would rather have had no alliance than feel like I tricked her into one or took advantage of the power I had over her.

“It didn’t honestly occur to me that he would do that,” I said instead, referring to both Iiro and my father. “I thought by leaving I would ensure hedidn’tget the alliance.”

Arès gave me a look that clearly said,Don’t treat me like an idiot. We both know why you ran off to Lochlann.

But since he didn’t say it out loud, I didn’t bother to respond.

When I glanced back at Rowan, the dance had ended, and Korhonan was taking Mikhail’s place.

I suppressed a sigh.