Chapter 2

TWO

Tempest

Tempest hid her smirk as the youngest royal continued to exchange secretive smiles with her across the table as servants came in to clear the dishes and bring out sumptuous, rich desserts for everyone to sample. Chocolate cakes shot through with dark coffee beans, topped with impossibly light and airy whisked cream. Exotic fruits macerated in vanilla sugar and liquor were served with wafer-thin shortbread and a brandy chaser. Her mouth watered as flaky cinnamon pastries were set near her. Her favorite. While the evening had been ghastly, at least something good had come from the night. She took a bite, and cinnamon goodness exploded across her taste buds. She hadn't enjoyed the taste of one since—

Before my trial. When Juniper pilfered some from the kitchens for me.

She lowered the pastry to her plate, the icing sticking to her fingers. Tempest's heart stung merely thinking of her best friend. She had not spoken to Juniper since her return from the shifter village, for fear that she would open her mouth and all the secrets and lies she had become privy to would pour out. While she longed to speak to someone who wasn't stuck in her tangled web of lies, she couldn't put Juniper at risk. The king viewed all shifters as expendable, and if he discovered Tempest's treachery… Well, it wouldn't go well for her loved ones. She wouldn't put more of a target on her best friend's back than was already there, if she could help it.

Tempest wiped the frosting from her fingers and glanced to her right. Levka stood in a group of young men, his laughter boisterous and loud like his father's. She quickly turned her attention back to the table, her gaze scanning the sweet delicacies while her hands fidgeted in her lap. She'd been avoiding him, too, though for entirely different reasons. After he'd professed his attraction and kissed her a week ago, it was far too difficult to face him. She'd never been a coward, but how was she supposed to tell him she didn't want him in that way without making things awkward?

Then there was the timing of it all. He'd never shown the slightest inclination toward her until she'd passed her trials and gained a place on the war council. Was he courting her just to gain status? Her lips pursed. It wasn't out of the realm of possibilities. Others had courted and married for less.

Temp sighed. Now was not the time to be worrying over such trivial matters.

"You have sighed a lot tonight, Lady," Madrid said, once more speaking so quietly that nobody else heard him—except for Ansette, who was still watching Tempest with a curious look in her eye .

Tempest forced a smile to her face. "I am tired, that is all. I look forward to the end of this meal so that I might retire to bed."

Madrid let out a huff of laughter. "You are on the council now. Your days of escaping social gatherings in favor of sleep are long since over."

"Perhaps I should reassess my life choices," she joked back, though it was not a joke at all. She'd spent much of the last week doubting and cursing every choice she had made that resulted in her being there, at the wicked King of Heimserya's table, with the intention of bringing him and his coconspirators down. Her stomach swooped.

Even if his coconspirators were her uncles. Even if they were her family.

She retreated into her own head as the desserts were cleared from the table and people began rising from their seats to mingle with one another, goblets of wine and glasses of fire whiskey in hand. Tempest made certain to avoid both princes when she stood up, as well as the king, and in the process of doing so found herself standing next to Ansette.

The young princess curled her lips into the smallest of smiles. "My dear father is about to make an announcement I believe you may quite like, Lady Hound."

That was debatable. "Tempest is fine," she replied. "Or Temp. I am not one for formalities." She blinked slowly at the words that had carelessly passed her lips. It wasn't done in court circles to refer to each other so informally. What the devil had possessed her to say such a thing?

"Then call me Ansette," the young princess said, her smile growing wider.

Temp eyed the princess, a true smile on her face for the first time all night. She didn't know what it was about Ansette that made her feel comfortable, but she seemed like a kindred spirit. The way the princess scanned the room spoke of maturity and knowledge above her fourteen years. It was as if she was somehow aware of everything that was going on. While she seemed on the surface to be a quiet, mousy girl with large spectacles, Tempest could see confidence gleaming in Ansette's gaze.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, pulling Tempest's focus to King Destin as he raised himself up to his full formidable height and accepted a new glass of fire whiskey.

"Here comes the announcement," Ansette muttered, her eyes wide behind her huge, round spectacles.

"Ladies and gentlemen," King Destin said, smiling broadly for everyone in the room. "Dear friends and family. I'm sure some of you are aware of what I'm about to tell you already, and it will no doubt become common knowledge spread all across the capital tomorrow. Therefore, it is my responsibility this evening to tell each and every one of you some very exciting, important news." The king glanced at his sons, who did not look all that enthralled by this supposedly exciting news.

Interesting. What was he all about? His sons certainly aren't happy.

"It is my pleasure to announce that both of my sons are being sent as ambassadors to our brethren in Kopal," King Destin announced. "This is a promising move for Heimserya and should mark the beginning of a long, happy, and very fruitful relationship with our new allies."

An alliance with the giants of Kopal. A bold move.

Polite applause and cheers erupted around the room. Several heads nodded in approval, though Tempest noticed Madrid's face was just as impassive as she expected it to be, but there was also something in his gaze… If her uncle was letting that much show, he wasn't happy. He does not like this plan.

A soft snort to her left pulled her attention to the princess. The girl covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head. "They are all empty-headed fools," Ansette muttered, clearly very amused.

Tempest's gaze shifted around them, searching for anyone near enough to listen in. There were none. One could never be too careful. "Whatever do you mean, Prin—Ansette?" Tempest corrected.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," Ansette replied, eyes wide and alert as she slanted a look Tempest's way. "Sending my brothers as ambassadors is going to cause more harm than good, don't you think? I mean, look at them. They aren't exactly… diplomatic material."

Tempest schooled her expression. There was no way she would ever admit how she felt about the princes. To do so was courting death. "As you say, my lady," she ventured.

Ansette snorted in laughter once more. "You're more intelligent than my father gives you credit for." She shook her head. "My father should be helping the kingdom as a whole, especially the shifters being disproportionately hit by the sickness along the Talagan border, instead of forming a treaty with a neighboring country, which will be an uneasy ally at best." Her expression darkened a touch. There was something about her father in her—an astuteness—that became glaringly apparent with such a look upon her face.

A ruler in the making. She was far more a monarch than her brothers already .

The royal's expression only grew more serious as she took a step toward Tempest. Ansette tilted her head up to stare directly into Tempest's eyes. "They will ruin this kingdom."

The whole conversation had teetered on the edge of treasonous, but that comment tilted it over. Tempest took a step closer to the younger royal. "Be careful, Ansette," she warned, speaking in low, furtive tones. "If you would permit me, I would advise against speaking of such topics in the company of strangers. You do not understand the danger of your words."

The girl chuckled, the sound managing to sound pretty and jaded at the same time. Tempest studied the royal. The princess was not yet fifteen, and yet she knew the girl had experienced more of the world than she should have. Ansette bore a shrewd and calculating mind already.

"I know much more than you think, Temp," Ansette replied. "More than anyone thinks. Don't think me ignorant. Being raised in the palace exposes one to all sorts of plots, machinations, and assassinations. Young I may be, but my soul is old and tired. I grow weary of the games."

"Don't we all," Temp murmured. "I always thought it more sporting to state your problems outright."

Ansette patted her on the arm. "A woman after my own soul." She sighed. "Alas, there are not more like us. I am so very glad I was able to make your acquaintance tonight. I feel like I may have found a kindred spirit in you, but only time will tell."

What did that mean? "Thank you for your stimulating company."

The princess nodded and turned to speak to a woman who'd approached them wearing a shimmering golden dress. Tempest tuned out as soon as the woman began to gush about new court fashion. Cocking her head to one side, Tempest regarded Ansette. The girl could be a formidable ally if she played her cards just right.

She blinked slowly and scanned the room, disgusted with herself. The princess might be shrewd, but she was still a child. It was Tempest's goal to spare the innocent, not embroil them in treachery and deceit. While the princess was not ignorant, she was an innocent, one Tempest had sworn to protect.

Madrid caught her eye, and Tempest wiped all expression from her face. She sighed, feigning boredom. He scowled, and she hid her smile. Needling the stoic man would provide some entertainment until she could be released from the hellish evening.

Winter's bite, she wanted her bed.