Page 61 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
Clay wasn’t exactly sober and one of us had to be responsible. Getting drunk with him wasnotresponsible.
His expression turned serious for a moment, his gaze trailing to where my hand rested on the door. “He’s going to chain you tomorrow.”
I froze, the words hanging ominously between us. That couldn’t possibly mean what it sounded like… could it?
“It’s a tradition of House Zion,” Clay explained, stepping forward so suddenly that I stumbled back. “Instead of the typical marriage bracelets, we use the Chains of Zion. They’re forged by Dragonfire. During theceremony, the magic hardens them, making them unbreakable until one spouse leaves this realm.”
I thought of the bracelets I’d seen the Queen of Athenia wearing. I had, of course, known they were symbolic of her marriage to the Dragon, but I hadn’t realized they were sopermanent.
“It’s meant to symbolize the strength of the union,” Clay continued, his voice quieter, “in honor of Zion’s unbreakable love for his wife Isidore. Tomorrow, at the engagement celebration, when you accept his proposal, Veric will chain your left wrist. At the wedding, he will chain your right wrist. Those chains will stay there for the rest of your life.”
A coldness settled over me as Clay’s eyes grew distant, focused entirely on my hand.
“Why are you telling me this?” I whispered.
He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to know what to expect?”
We both knew that wasn’t why he was here. It wasn’t why he’d shown up at my door with a bottle of wine. It wasn’t why he’d moved his room to the hall where I was staying. It wasn’t why he’d insisted on coming on this trip in the first place.
He sighed, sensing my frustration. “I’m telling you this because tonight is the last night you’ll be just Thea. Here, in Tenebris, you’re not a Councilwoman. No one cares if I come into your room or if we stay up all night talking. But tomorrow? Once that chain is on your wrist, you’ll be Veric’s fiancé. Everything will change. So I’m asking you to spend one night with me before that happens. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I wanted to remind him that while Veric’s chain wasn’t on my wrist yet, his was most certainly on Elaina’s. We weren’t just Thea and Clay. We couldn’t be.
But I couldn’t move past the looming dread his words had inspired. He was right. Tomorrow, once that chain was on my wrist, there would be no going back. Everythingwouldchange.
Well, fuck. I supposed I deserved a night off from being responsible.
Reaching out, I took the wine bottle from his hand. I held his gaze as I brought it to my lips and drank deeply. His smile grew, and I stepped aside to allow him to walk into my room.
Tenebrisian wine must have been far stronger than anything back home, because a single glass had my head spinning.
Admittedly, there was something… nice about just sitting and laughing with Clay. He was still so shockingly relaxed here. I savored every moment I got to see him like this, comfortable and happy. Lounging back on the on the floor, leaning against the couch with an elbow propped on his knee, he smiled softly as he recounted a story about some mischief he and Iris had gotten into as children. His gray eyes sparkled as he stared up at the ceiling, his expression distant yet content.
“Play a game with me,” he said suddenly, his gaze snapping to mine.
I took another deep drink from the bottle, eyeing him warily. “What kind of game?”
A game felt…risky.
Perhaps it felt that way because we were alone in my bedroom, me curled in a blanket on the foot of my bed and him only a few feet away. Perhaps it was the glint in his eyes. Or perhaps it was the heat lingering betweenus ever since we had danced together despite both of us being engaged to others.
His face lit up with a genuine smile, the kind so rare it left me momentarily stunned. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’d seen him smile like that and I remembered them all because they had all amazed me with their utter beauty. The fact that my mere willingness to humor him had earned it made my chest tighten.
I would play any game he asked to see that smile again.
“I’ll ask you a question,” he explained. “And you answer truthfully.”
My stomach sank and faces flashed in my mind—Hyrax’s and Caldrius’. This was indeed a risky game for someone with as many secrets as I had.
“And the fun of this game?” I teased, narrowing my eyes.
“We take turns.”
I should say no.
But then again, I hadn’t ever been very good at saying no to him.
Curling my feet beneath me, I sat up and tossed my hair back over my shoulders, catching the way his gaze followed the strands. “Fine. You start.”
