Prince's Pawn: An epic fantasy (The Nightshade Tournament Book 1) by Victoria A. Williams

Author:Victoria A. Williams [Williams, Victoria A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Herne Press
Published: 2023-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

Cassian watched her move, caught sight of her bare feet and growled, striding after her. She was going to do something stupid. He could see it plainly and he needed to stop her before she did so and wound up dead. When he entered her suite, he could hear tearing fabric and entered her bedroom as she ripped her ballgown down the middle in fury, wearing only her underwear.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ he breathed.

‘I will not wear anything your father gives me.’

His father. She looked stunning in the dress, and he’d merely assumed it was another creation that had been charged to him. Not a gift from the emperor.

‘Get out, Cassian, I’m not about to fuck you again.’

He shouldn’t be offended, and yet he was. Whether it was the words she used or the fury in her voice, he didn’t know.

She tore another strip from the dress and stalked towards the fireplace. Cassian moved and blocked her path before she could throw it in.

‘Stop,’ he demanded. She tried to shove him out of the way, and he took her wrists. ‘Aloisa, this isn’t you right now.’

‘You don’t know me, Cassian,’ she snapped. ‘Now get out!’ She yanked herself backwards, and he lost his footing, tripping and they fell against the ground together. She grunted as he landed on her, even as he tried to twist so that he wouldn’t hurt her. Cassian cursed and shifted off her quickly.

‘Are you ok?’

She lay on the floor in stunned silence. Cassian sat up, looking down at her. She slowly released the dress, then rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. He was reminded of a hedgehog that had been threatened and his heart shifted as she turned her face into the rug beneath her and sobbed, curling her arms around her head. Cassian stood, picked up the dress and tossed it into the fire, then scooped her up. She was a limp doll in his arms as he lay her gently on the bed.

Cassian studied her a moment, lost, then went to the back of her corset and unlaced it, letting her breathe again. He dropped it to the floor, then pulled the blanket at the end of the bed over her while she continued to cry. The need to hold her surged through his body and he forced himself away from her, his back to the wall. Cassian closed his eyes and sank to the ground, holding his head in his hands.

He’d seen her in the ballroom with his father, the terror on her face, and been powerless to do anything. When he’d followed her into the garden, Kestrel had been with her. He’d not dared interrupt. Coward. The word reverberated in his head again and he growled, stood and forced himself to her, taking her in his arms and holding her close.

He couldn’t be a coward anymore. He had to be more than a Prince of Valder or the son of the emperor. He had allowed those things to define him – he’d allowed his father to define him – and wouldn’t any longer.

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