To Bloom in the Shadows by Valerie Lillis

Author:Valerie Lillis [Lillis, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Valerie Lillis
Published: 2023-11-10T06:00:00+00:00

Shadows of Doubt

Chapter 9

Sebastian awoke to the light streaming through his open window and a twisting of his gut. By the Order, that was not what I went there to do last night. He sat up, groaning at the remembrance of the previous night. Right after sunset, he had gone to check on her, to see if she needed anything. In the soft glow of candlelight, every detail stood out from the few loose curls of her long brown waves and the shadow of her form beneath her thin night slip. He should have turned back, but he hadn’t. True to the natural way of life, he had followed his instincts and she had followed hers.

The familiar throbbing made him reflexively pull more blankets into his lap. If he couldn’t control himself around her, then he didn’t need to be around her alone. There would be plenty of time for lovemaking after they were wed, provided his mother approved of the match. If it all went the way he wanted, he would owe many thanks to Nicolas for the poetry lessons and for finding out which poets she checked out most often from the library. As for today, he needed to focus on the day’s duties. Renée’s challenge was scheduled to be held before lunch, his would be held after.

With the help of his servants, he made quick work of the morning routine before heading to the great hall. Servants bustled about on the floor and in the air. Tables flew overhead collecting before the throne to create a stage, a large red cloth bound the tops together and stuck snuggly to the underside as directed by the more experienced mages. Stairs assembled from the stage to the doors at the end of the hall, and a podium was set facing where the masses would be seated.

Sebastian’s wings twitched as he supervised the proceedings. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind to ask Renée about her proposal. Her falling out of favor with the court, or worse the public, would ruin the outlook on their betrothal. While he loathed the opportunity that would give the council to pressure his mother into opening his engagement to other suitors, he found the thought that he would be driven to court anyone besides the Vedivin Princess to be more distasteful. Whether planned or not, she had opened a door inside of him that he thought locked. Just last night he had begged her to claim him as her own, and she had done just that. It was an arrangement he became more comfortable with each passing moment.

“Son, you appear nervous. Is there something amiss with the preparations?”

He started, facing his mother for a shallow bow. “No mother, I’m just worried for the princess. This will be her first official challenge, and her first appearance to the public.”

“Have more faith in her,” she chided gently. “Good things have been said about her proposal.”

“She’s allowed someone to read it before the challenge? That would give Lady Imyria an advantage to directly counter it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.