I sighed. “So, tell me more about the Frostfire Festival.”

“What do you want to know?”

I shrugged. “I don’t really know anything about it. Other than that you’ll be playing a solo.”

“That’ll be the highlight of the entire festival,” he joked.

“I’m sure it will be,” I said, giving him an encouraging grin. “What else will happen?”

“You’d be better off asking Florence...” He started to say.

I cut him off with a groan. “That’s what you always say.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Fine. But I’ve never actually been to it.”

“I thought Frostfire was celebrated all over Sangratha.”

“It is. But I’m sure Bloodwing’s traditions will be different.” He looked thoughtful. “I know there’s a feast. The Feast of the First Flame. Everyone sits down in the refectory for that on the first night of the festival. If it’s anything like the one back home, there'll be visiting guests and performances. I’ll be performing with the ensemble that night.”

“What else?” I asked. A feast didn’t sound so bad.

“There are some little traditions that they seem to do everywhere. Like ice sculpting contests. Things that are just part of winter. But I’m sure Bloodwing will make an even bigger deal out of them.” He thought for a moment. “And then there's the ball.”

I frowned. “A ball?”

He nodded. “You’ll be expected to go, whether you want to or not. I’m pretty sure it’ll be mandatory since you’re a consort. For the rest of us, well, we don’t have to go but we can be awarded the privilege. Though, for First Years, we can’t attend unless we come with a partner to dance with.”

“So you have to ask Florence,” I said quickly. “Perfect.”

He grimaced. “We’ll see.”

“Is there a theme to this ball?”

He nodded. “It’s called the Dance of the Longest Night. It’s held on the Winter Solstice.”

“A ball, a feast, ice carving.” I ticked them off on my fingers. “None of this sounds especially vampire-ish to me.”

Naveen laughed. “That’s why you should ask Florence about the rest.” His face turned serious. “There is one part of it I just remembered that you probably won’t like. But we’ll all be expected to take part. Even back home, we’d do it.”

My heart sank. “Oh? And what’s that?”

When I got back to my room that night, I found a note that had been slipped under the door.

I unfolded it and read: “Dear blightborn bitch, go fuck yourself. I work alone. I hope you die a slow and painful death in the Games. I can’t wait to watch. Love, Regan.”

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 35 - BLAKE

Thank the Bloodmaiden for vampire reflexes. I’d been gawking at Pendragon like a fool, but every time her head seemed to be about to move in my direction, I’d glance away so she’d have no idea.

I’d noticed Regan looking at me strangely once or twice but I didn’t think she’d seen anything. I still glared at her to put her in her place. I was her fucking archon and she knew it.

Things between us were rocky. I mean, they had been all last year, if not before that. But now, with Pendragon thrown into the mix, they were worse. Regan had always been insecure. I think she actually thought her feelings for me were real.

She knew I didn’t reciprocate. Honestly, I found it hard to take her “feelings” for me seriously. I didn’t think they were based on anything more than her hunger for power and status. Being paired with me gave her both. She seemed to think “love” should be part of the bargain. But that wasn’t how it worked. I wasn’t obligated to love her.

We’d been paired together to be mates out of political convenience. Because my uncle needed to shore up power and Lord Pansera  had shoved his daughter in front of him at the perfect time. I had no idea if my father would have ultimately approved of our match, especially considering how Regan had turned out. Even though our families had grown up together and Regan had always been pushed my way, I’d always hoped he’d let me do my own choosing. After all, he’d wound up with my mother–and with only her. That had been their choice. They’d opted not to form a triad, even though they might have been stronger with a third mate.

Sometimes I wondered if my father would still be alive if he’d formed a triad. Who could say.

I wasn’t the only one with my head in the clouds as we sat in the refectory.

Theo wasn’t even pretending to listen as Regan and Quinn went on and on about what they were going to wear to the Dance of the Longest Night and what they were going to eat and who they were going to talk to–and not talk to, of course.

He was too busy staring across the refectory at Vaughn Sabino, not even caring who saw.

I looked over at the blightborn boy. Sabino’s arm was no longer in a sling. He had it perched on the table and was holding a quill as he scribbled something on parchment. That was a good sign. I knew that Sabino had wanted to be a scout. Coregon had bragged that the blightborn wouldn’t be able to become one now, thanks to the damage to his arm. Maybe Coregon hadn’t done as much harm to the boy as he’d liked to think.

I winced, thinking about Coregon. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe he was really gone. Deep down, he’d been even more of a cold-blooded asshole than I was. But he’d hidden it well.

There were times it would have been nice to have him back. Or at least, useful. He’d been good at helping me to shut Regan up, to put her in her place. He’d helped me keep everyone in line.

He really would have been a good choice for my second.

But now I knew what he’d really been thinking. That I hadn’t been capable of managing my house on my own.

I gave Theo a playful punch on the arm. “Hey. Stop staring.” I said it low enough that only he’d be able to hear.

He jerked his head up, then glared at me.

“What are you looking at me like that for?” I said, frowning. I lowered my voice again. “I’m not the one who did that to him.”

He shook his head. “Right. And you expect me to believe that.”

I felt my face flush. “I do expect you to believe that. Because it’s the truth.”

He looked at me. “Next thing you’ll tell me Uncle Viktor didn’t tell you that you had to keep me in line. Keep me from humiliating our family with my little ‘indiscretions.’”

I leaned towards him. “You know I don’t give a fuck about your indiscretions.”

But there was no way I was going to tell him the truth about just how little Viktor cared about him. Or Marcus.

I slung my arm around his shoulder. “You’re my second now, Theo. We have to trust each other.”

He shrugged my arm off and stood up. “Maybe you should pick someone else.”

He slunk out of the refectory before I could think of the right thing to say.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

The girls were still gossipping about some bullshit.

It was only when Quinn brought up the Consort Games that I tuned back in.

“You must be looking forward to putting that little Pendragon bitch in her place, Regan,” Quinn gushed. She was such a suck-up. She’d managed to crawl so far up Regan’s ass I didn’t think she’d ever come out again. But then, Regan loved that sort of thing. She only wanted girls around her who would worship her.

“Oh, I am, believe me,” Regan started to say.

I slammed my palms down on the table. “What was that?”

Regan fell silent.

I slid down the bench and positioned myself across from the three girls. Regan, Quinn, and Visha.

Visha was the only one who met my eyes.

“Regan, you know my position on the Consort Games,” I said firmly. “And you’re going to toe the fucking line. Aren’t you?”

Regan twirled a strand of hair around her finger and sighed.

“Regan, look at me, dammit.”

She sulkily met my eyes. “Yes. Fine. I am. You know that. A girl can still dream, can’t she?”