Chapter 8

Senka

Time felt like it stood still. He stared at me, and I stared back at Prince Bazaan. He knew who I was instantly. I could feel the recognition bouncing between us. The gently parted lips, paused mid-sentence, and the way the echo of his deep voice boomed off of the walls told me exactly how abrupt his silence was.

Fuck.

I should have known this would happen. It was my eyes. They were too recognizable. In my whole life, I"d never known another person to have this exact shade of silver. Not even my twin, with eyes as black as voids. Against my lightly browned skin and midnight hair, they were vivid. I knew that he knew, that I knew.

Prince Baz composed himself in a matter of heartbeats, but his pause was just long enough and so out of character, that the crowd of ladies began to murmur while looking around suspiciously. Some of them were openly preening, hoping to be that special pair of breasts that caught his majesty"s eye.

The good thing was that though he recognized me, he'd only known me long enough to help me escape the cargo hold of that ship, but I never told him who I was. For all he knew, I was just some Lord's runaway daughter who failed at going her own way.

He probably assumed my family's guards had caught up with me after my daring escape and dragged me and my brother back to our estate with our tails between our legs.

My mind raced with a new story I would need to spin. I thought this would be easier going in anonymous, but now I had to prepare a detailed backstory that would explain that day nearly twenty years ago.

I could feel Wolfe's eyes burning into the back of my head. I knew he'd seen what passed between Prince Baz and me. Wolfe didn't know anything about my past or how I came to this place from my home in the Ashwater. I had a feeling I was going to be questioned.

The prince announced the first dance of the evening, in which he would have the opportunity to select a group of fifteen women with whom he would dance tonight. He would apparently be doing this every week after a grand dinner and a culling, in order to get to know his concubines. I mean, ladies.

Servant women flooded into the room wearing shimmering golden dresses made of fine silk. They carried trays with golden sashes draped over them. They passed out the sashes to specific ladies as the crowd mingled and music began to fill the room.

Prince Baz sat on his throne next to his father, who was still in the wheeled chair, and the two of them spoke in hushed whispers. It made me curious about exactly how competent and aware the emperor still was. His eyes appeared alert and alive, even though his body was wilting hour by hour, day by day.

Ladies squealed with excitement when they received a golden sash. This meant the prince had hand-picked them as one of his dance partners for the evening. How the servants knew exactly who to pick was a mystery to me, but there had to be some rhyme or reason to it.

I myself did not receive a sash. When the last one was passed out and the dejected ladies without sashes tried and failed to hide their disappointment, my shoulders dropped in relief. Although I knew I would win this little pageant one way or another, I needed the evening to reevaluate.

I spent the evening dancing with various men. They were mostly the brothers and fathers of the ladies in attendance, content to use this pageant as a way to mingle and peacock. The feel of their greasy, grubby hands on my bare skin made my eye twitch, and my shadows itched to come out and play. I could feel the poison writhing and slithering inside me every time those sweaty fingers dipped a little too far down on my waist.

Baz was dancing now, twirling the shashed women around and around. His face, though handsome, was cold, distant, and maybe even a little bit sad. I doubted anyone was paying enough attention to notice.

My current dance partner was a younger man with a handsome face and kind green eyes who was unusually light on his feet. He swept me across the ballroom easily.

"You're not enjoying yourself," he said, catching me by surprise. Pulling my eyes to his, I pasted on a false smile that didn't reach my eyes in the slightest.

"What makes you say that, Lord…"

"Darius," he supplied with a slight grin, tilting his full lips. He was handsome, sure, but not handsome enough to make my heart race. "My sister Sasha was chosen to dance with his highness tonight. I'm here as her personal escort. But you, the raven-haired beauty with the silver eyes, look like you're having a miserable time."

I raised a brow. "Well, you're awfully bold, aren't you, Lord Darius?" He twirled me again, and my long black dress appeared to float around my feet. "I like that. It's hard to find someone worth having a conversation with at court." He chuckled, and I found myself smiling genuinely. "To answer your question, I'm just tired. It was a long journey from the Ashwater, and my feet have been sore for hours. I'll be in better spirits with some sleep."

"The Ashwater," he said, dragging out the name as if impressed. "I should have known you weren't from around here."

"And why's that?" I asked, feigning audacity.

He flashed me a white smile that would have dazzled me had he been my type of lover. "Because I'd have stalked your beauty through the streets until you spoke just one word to me."

"Oh, you"re dangerous," I teased with a sly smile. He twirled me around again, and over his shoulder, I caught a pair of golden brown eyes watching us with predatory intent.

Wolfe watched our every move, his eyes dipping to where Darius held my waist. His mouth flattened into a harsh line. He knew the role I had to play. The game was to become an object of desire for any and all males in this room. The prince wouldn"t spare a glance at anyone who couldn"t manage at least that.

The prince danced next to us with a golden-haired woman who couldn"t be much older than twenty-four. She giggled at whatever Baz was saying, but one glance at the look on his face had me hiding a smirk. He looked utterly bored.

This game was going to be easier than I thought.

Our eyes caught as Darius twirled me again. My heart lurched as they held, but I managed an unbothered grin, which caused Prince Bazaan's dark brows to dip into a deep frown. I was twirled away before I could study his reaction.

There was a tap on my shoulder, and we turned to find an older man waiting for his turn to dance with me. Darius bowed out with a kiss to my knuckles and a cheeky wink before passing me to the man, whom I did not recognize, but he looked important.

The night continued much the same, and soon I"d danced with just about every male in the room. The soles of my feet were on fire, and all I could think about was getting back to my room so I could soak in a boiling hot bath.

As I glided across the ballroom floor with a man I promised myself would be the last of the night, I couldn"t help but steal a glance at Prince Baz. He"d run out of gold-sashed dance partners and now stood at the head of the room, surveying...me.

His expression had turned sour, and his jaw was clenched tightly as he watched us dance. A thrill of satisfaction coursed through me, knowing that I had successfully provoked a reaction from him.

It wasn"t jealously, though; I could tell right away. It was suspicion. I was going to have to get control over this situation before Baz decided to dig any deeper into my background.