Veiled Innocence (Book One, The Soul Cycle) (4 page)

Her father, Lord Feron, sat at one end of the table, looking
more frail
every day as Asilee’s economic stability teetered further over the edge of bankruptcy. Opposite him sat Ana-Elise, poised and prim, shining with a cold beauty that sent shivers down Lian’s arms. Lian picked up her goblet and took a sip of honey-drought, her shoulders relaxing as its sweet warmth trickled over her tongue and down her throat.

“Well, well. Aren’t I the lucky man at the table tonight?”

She nearly choked.

“Perhaps it was fate that made me late,” Count Wevern said, squeezing himself into the seat beside hers. “Funny how we keep running into each other, wouldn’t you agree?”

She grimaced. “Indeed.”

She had
been relieved to see him absent and hoped
he had been called away to his wife, who was expecting any day now and was on strict bed rest. She tried to ignore his hungry
stare as he
leaned toward her. Abruptly grabbing a pastry, she popped
it into her mouth in an attempt to appear too busy to talk.

It didn’t work.
“To be honest,
” Wevern said,
“
I was rather hoping I’d see you here tonight. For the record, I’m grateful you choose to wear breeches and a blouse over a dress. Leaves less to the imagination.”

The syllables slurred together, and
he was so close she could feel spit slap across her cheek as he spoke. Her stomach rolled, but she managed to keep down the bitter pastry she practically inhaled when he leaned toward her.
Still, she refused to meet his gaze.
Maybe if she ignored him, he would lose interest.

“You get prettier every time I see you.”
He rested a hand on her knee. “Though no one can compare to the fair Ana-Elise, you look more and more like a woman and less like a tomboy every day.”

She
closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she gave him a smile frosty enough to rival Ana-Elise’s. “Th
ank you for the compliment, my L
ord.” She inched her leg away, but his hand remained where it was. “How is your wife?” she asked, hoping the reminder of his vows – which she was fairly certain did not include feeling up young girls – would deter his intentions.

It turned out Dreaka, goddess of light, life, and luck, was not feeling so merciful. “Well enough, I suppose,” he replied. His hand slid up her thigh.

Lian dropped her fork and leapt away, but her chair caught on the rug. He seized her by the waist as she stumbled back into her seat, a smug smile on his flushed, round face. Several heads lifted.

“
She saw a s
pider, I’m afraid,” he said.

They chuckled and turned their attention back to their dinners. Wevern leaned in. “Feisty. I like that. Makes the ride more adventurous, so to speak.”

“Not in your wildest dreams.” She grappled with his arm and toyed with the idea of spitting in his face or maybe even biting him. “Let me go, or I’ll –”

“Or you’ll what?” He pulled her closer. 

A gloved hand clamped onto the count’s shoul
der. “Everything all right, my L
ady?”

Relief washed over her. “Gab – er, yes, Sir Gabriel.” She smiled up at him as the drunken count removed his hand from her back and nearly fell over as he swung around to face the fuming knight.

He surveyed the knight with a look of complete uninterest. “I was only complimenting the lady on her
gown. You’re not needed here, K
night.” He waved Gabriel away and tried to shrug off his hand.  

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as his fingers dug so deep into the count’s shoulder that he winced. He pitched his voice low. “Then I suggest you let your words speak for themselves and keep your hands where I can see them.”

Count Wevern sneered at him. “Careful, boy. You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

“Do you?”

Lian recognized the wicked g
lint in Gabriel’s eyes. She saw
it when she watched Gabriel battle
fifty opponents at the
tournament
last spring
, which he championed, winning the rank of White Knight.

She wrung her napkin in her hands as she looked from one to the other. Half of her wanted Gabriel to beat Wevern senseless; the more sensible half dreaded what might happen to him if he did. The conversations around the room had not died away completely, but those who were closest to them had stopped to watch with mild amusement.  

The air was so tense that the sound of a fork striking a goblet startled her so badly
that
she had to grip the table to keep from jumping. Every head swiveled to the end where Ana-Elise sat.

Gabriel lingered behind the count as a reminder to behave himself.
She
shot him a grateful smile before giving her full attention to whoever had struck the goblet.

A hush blanketed the room, and her face brightened when she saw the young man standing beside her half-sister. She wondered how she could have missed him.
He must have snuck in late.

Alastor was a prince from a wealthy land across the Jasper Sea with whom they had been trading for a few months now. He was one of the few noblemen merchants that still did business with Asilee, despite its growing reputation for not wanting to pay back debt to allying countries.

Tonight he wore
an elegant silver robe
with spirals and symbols she had never seen before sewn along the neckline and pockets. His pale skin blended in with the metallic material, like he was wrapped in moonbeams, and his glossy black hair was pulled half-way back.

Alastor smiled and swept the room with
open arms. “My lords and ladies, i
t is with great honor I share my good news with you this evening.” Ana-Elise fidgeted. His smile broadened as he glanced down at her, and she gave him a timid smile back as he reached for her hand and gently clasped it in his own. Her eyes warmed as she looked up at him.

Alastor faced the dinner patrons, his joy palpable. “The beautiful Lady Ana-Elise has agreed to marry me.”

There was a collective gasp of surprise as he lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across the back, her cheeks coloring as she dropped her gaze to her lap. Alastor nodded to Feron.  “The magnanimous Arch Duke has given us his blessing.”

Applause and shouts of joy rang throughout the hall. Lian sat there dazed for a few moments as she drank it all in. Not wanting to look like a simpleton, she applauded half-heartedly, trying to mask her growing confusion. 

She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Alastor was one of the few decent noblemen she knew, and Asilee would gain an invaluable ally through their marriage contract. Ruhge, Alastor’s homeland, was wealthy beyond imagination, perhaps enough to save their country from destruction. Then there was Ana. She wanted to love her sister, to be happy for her, but she couldn’t summon the will to be happy that such a good man was marrying a woman as frigid and cruel as Ana-Elise. Did that make her a terrible person? Part of her felt ashamed that she could think in such a manner, that she wasn’t strong enough to ignore her own prejudices and be happy for others. She cast another look at Alastor.
Him. I could be happy for him. Maybe then, in time, I could be happy for Ana.
 

Someone cleared his throat loudly to her right. Her father, who looked like he should not be able to move in all the furs, brocade, and golden chains dangling from his body, had managed to stand and was waiting for the excitement t
o die down. Even in his sixties
he was still a good-looking man. His auburn hair was streaked gray, but his brown eyes had long since lost their fervor for life. 

He cupped his goblet in one hand
,
and his mouth twitched, like it was broken and no longer remembered how to smile. “At this time, I would like to offer my congratulations to you both,” he said, extending the goblet. He looked at Alastor. “I shall welcome the time when I can look upon you as a son.” His words were polite, but that was all. There was no lilt to his voice, only monotone syllables mumbled in what had once probably been a powerful bass. 

No one else noticed the absence of enthusiasm and genuine happiness in his voice. Smiles and murmurs of agreement spread
around
the table as the courtiers took to their own goblets and raised them high in the air. 

To her surprise, Feron was not finished. “In honor of this engagement, I would like to invite you all to a celebration to be held three nights from now, an evening of gaiety grander than there ever was this side of the Jasper Sea.” He raised his glass to Ana-Elise and Alastor. “May you both live long, fulfilling lives, and may your rule be prosperous.”

“Hail, Lord Alastor! Hail, Lady Ana-Elise!”  
             

He tilted his goblet to his lips
,
and a sliver of red liquid dribbled down his chin. Everyone else followed suit. 

Lian took a sip and set her glass down, more in respect to Alastor than Ana-Elise, and
felt
the slightest bit guilty for it.

Within minutes, the hall was once again buzzing with laughter as people stood to shake hands and offer their congratulations to the co
uple. Lian finished her drought
and stared at Alastor and Ana down the length of her empty goblet, like a telescope.
At least they’ll have handsome
children.

Ana was clearly her father’s child, but she also possessed many features of the late Duchess, the most notable being her striking
gray
eyes. Her skin was as smooth as ivory, as her mother’s
had
been, but her hair was a deep auburn, almost black, that shimmered blood red in the light. She was exquisite, and her glacial demeanor only seemed to compound her beauty, a quality Lian had never quite understood.

Despite her reservations, Lian had to admit that Ana-Elise looked happier than she could ever remember. Was that what it was to be in love? To be so completely consumed by joy so as to actually glow from it? 

Lian turned her head and found Gabriel staring at her from a few feet away. His hazel eyes were intense. She had only seen that intensit
y when she watched him practice
throughout the years they had grown up together. He started, realizing she was watching him, and smiled and waved. She started to wave back when a voice spoke directly behind her.

“Little Lian.”

She yelped and whirled around to find Alastor grinning at her. He stifled a laugh as she grasped the arm of the chair for support while she caught her breath. 

Alastor dramatically clu
tched a hand to his chest. “My Lady,” he drawled,
“
I know I make quite an impression, but this? Really, you’re too kind.”

Her face felt hot, much hotter than it normally did when she blushed, and she felt surprisingly carefree. “You see what happens when you sneak up on a lady?
It’s positively devastating!
” She slowly blinked. The room looked funny, like it was not quite in focus. 

He smiled sheepishly. “I apologize for scaring you. I thought you heard me coming.” 

She eyed him with
a sloppy grin on her face. He may belong to Ana-Elise, but that didn’t mean she had to be blind.
As long as he was here, why not savor the view?
She clucked her tongue and rose to her feet, gripping the table as she tried to regain her balance. How many goblets of honey-drought had she consumed that night? She lost count at three.

Alastor moved to pull her chair out of the way as she took a step and stumbled backward. “Easy there,” he said, grasping her arm. He chuckled. “You remind me so muc
h of myself when I was your age: somewhat unsure of yourself and a little reckless.
”
He said the last word with a wink.

Lian giggled
and with considerable effort turned around to fac
e him. “Wherever are my manners?
I offer you both my sincerest congratulations.” She offered him her hand.

Alastor’s face lit up. “And I gladly accept.” He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. “I hope you don’t mind calling me brother someday, Lian. Your sister... well, she is the center of my world.” He stole a sidelong glance at his bride-to-be across the room, his expression growing starry-eyed and distant. 

Lian grasped both his hands between hers. They were soft, like silk
. Had she been sober, she might ha
ve thought the gesture too bold. “Lord Alastor –”

“Please. You told me I could call you by your nickname. Since I don’t have one, Alastor alone will do.”

She beamed at him. “Alastor, I already think of you as a brother, and I know you’ll be good for Ana. I just hope she grows a heart sometime before you’re permanently stuck with her.”

She realized what she said too late and bit her tongue.
             

Alast
or’s smile faltered, but luckily,
Wevern waddled up to them. He stepped in front of Lian like she wasn’t there, and she took it as a welcome chance to escape before she could embarrass herself further.