Page 36 of The Shadows Between Us
Thank the devils. And I really hope he doesn’t do too much damage on his own.
We finally take our seats. Rhoda sits in the middle between me and Hestia, the chair to my left unoccupied.
“Remind me why we brought him with us?” Rhoda asks.
“I had no choice. My father demanded I introduce him to some new people,” I lie.
“Quick thinking on getting rid of him, though,” Hestia says.
“Thank you. I wish I’d never been—friends—with him.” I hurriedly interject the word I’d almost left out. “He’s only using me due to my favor with the king.” I glance to the girls to my right. “Is that the only reason we’re friends?”
Hestia looks affronted. “Of course not! It was your dress that made me want to be your friend! And now that I know you, I couldn’t care less about what you wear! Well, for the most part,” she amends.
“I admired your ability to snag a man so quickly,” Rhoda adds. “It had nothing to do with the king specifically. Aren’t we all drawn to our friends in the beginning by trifling things? True bonds develop afterward, when character is revealed.”
Satisfied with their answers, I look out toward the empty stage.
A gentleman with tan locks eyes the empty spot beside me and gives me a grin.
Leandros.
“Alessandra,” he says after walking over. “I’m so delighted to see you’ve joined us outside the stuffy palace for a night. However did you manage to separate yourself from the king long enough? You wouldn’t be giving me false hopes, now, would you?”
Oh, he’s such a flirt. I love it.
“It’s all in your head, I’m afraid, Lord Vasco,” I say.
He throws his hands over his heart dramatically. “You wound me with your formal address.”
“Where are your cohorts this evening?” I ask, looking behind him for signs of Rhouben and Petros.
“I’m surprised you can’t sense Rhouben’s distaste from here. You’ll find him to the right. Third row from the front.”
The brightness of his attire stands out like a beacon. I would have seen him if I had but looked. His clothing shimmers with golds and reds. On any other man, it would look ridiculous, but he pulls it offwith confidence. To his right, I can see the very reason for his distaste.
Melita Xenakis. She has his arm in a death grip, looking quite pleased with herself. As though Rhouben were a fish she’d just caught. As if sensing my stare, she looks in my direction. Once she sees the empty seat beside me, where the king should be sitting (or perhaps she’s thinking of Orrin?), she grins to herself and looks away.
What a little bi—
“And Petros is off giggling in the corner with Lord Osias.”
“Isn’t that the man who was flirting with his beau at the ball?”
“Yes, well, Petros has decided that two can play at that game.”
“How very conniving of him,” I say with a smile.
“Oh no!” Hestia suddenly says. “A footman is bringing Lady Zervas this way. Leandros, sit down!”
Leandros attempts to eye me for permission, but Hestia rises and shoves him into the empty seat beside me before regaining her own. The footman doesn’t miss a beat, slightly altering his course to deliver Lady Zervas to a new location.
“Why don’t we want her sitting with us?” I ask, leaning into Rhoda.
Hestia does the same, bending over Rhoda’s lap so I can hear her whisper. “She’s a terrible bore. So melancholy all the time. We wouldn’t have any fun with her around.”
“I don’t recognize her from the queen’s sitting room,” I say.
“That’s because she doesn’t join the other ladies,” Rhoda says. “She keeps to herself most of the time.”
