A Dance Of Masks

Edrian's POV

The banquet hall was a jeweled cage.

Golden chandeliers filled the air with light and polished marble floors, courtiers in silks and velvets swirled there like peacocks in disguise. The big tables creaked with the burden of roasted meats, sugared fruit, and jeweled goblets of wine. Music was coming out of one corner where minstrels played the lute, and under the music was a continual under pitch of whispering, hungry, cruel, and always watching.

And there I was in the midst of it all, bearing a golden tray like the servant they would have had me be.

The palace seamstress had dressed me in better clothes than I had ever possessed, dark tunic, trousers, boots polished to a shine and yet, no matter how finely the cut, the tray itself had a way of reminding me how it was, in their eyes, that I was indeed a slave only dressed up as a man.

Every whisper followed me as I moved between nobles. 

“That’s him,” one woman murmured, hiding her smirk behind a jeweled fan. 

“The stray the prince keeps.” A man chuckled. “Xander always did have strange tastes. At least his mutt is easy on the eyes.”

My wolf, Berry, snarled inside me, restless, but I swallowed him down. Korran’s words echoed in my mind: Survive first. Bite later.

Then I saw him.

Xander.

He stood at the end of the hall, and with easy command, his broad shoulders wrapped with black and gold, and glistening under the light with his crown. His face wore the mask that I had got used to, cold, unreadable, untouchable. And next to him, slung over his arm like a jewelled snake, was Amber.

Her dress was tight to her figure, and the ruby silk gleamed as she moved. She pressed nearer as she talked, lips in his ear, and her hand on his chest. She was laughing at something, and her voice was high and sweet, but her eyes looked at me across the room.

And she smirked.

The tray in my hand trembled. 

My mate. With her. Berry’s growl rattled through my bones. 

"Careful," I heard a voice say behind me, "You will knock down the wine and everybody will laugh."

I stiffened. Prince Kael.

He glided like melted shadow, sliding beside my side without difficulty. His smile was natural, pleasant, his eyes flashing with something more keen beneath. 

"Such fire in your eyes," he said, "Be careful, or they will know what you are."

“I’m nothing,” I muttered. “Just a servant.” 

“Oh no, Edrian. You’re much more than that. I can smell it on you. The bond.” He chuckled softly.

My heart stopped.

“Does he touch you the way a mate should? Or does he let you starve, watching him with her on his arm?” His smile widened when I flinched. “If he doesn’t claim you, I might.”

"Leave me alone,” I hissed, moving away, but his hand brushed my wrist, lingering just long enough to make my skin crawl with unease and something darker.

Kael only smiled wider.

“Wine!” a noblewoman snapped, jolting me. I quickly bent, offering the goblet with lowered eyes, masking the storm inside me.

When I dared glance up again, Xander’s gaze was on me.

Sharp. Burning.

For a heartbeat, the whole hall disappeared.

His gold and fierce eyes fixed me, and I could feel the cord pulling between us. He knew. He saw.

Then Amber laughed aloud, bringing his face back to hers, and kissing him. He did not shudder, did not drive her off. He let it happen.

My chest burned.

Amber made her move later when the music swelled and dancers took the floor. She drew Xander out of his throne and into the middle, all eyes upon them.

They moved like fire and steel, her body pressing shamelessly against his, her hands possessive. And all the while, her gaze flicked to me, daring me to break.

“You look like a man watching his own funeral,” Kael murmured, appearing at my side again with a goblet of wine he had no need to fetch. 

“I wonder—if the king knew what you truly were to his son's mate." His lips curved. "Would he laugh… or would he burn you?”

“Stay out of my head.” I clenched my fists.

“Gladly,” he said, “if only Xander would stay out of yours.” His smile was serpent-smooth. “But he doesn’t, does he? You feel him even now, don’t you?”

The music ended in a flourish and applause rang through. Amber leaned up and kissed Xander full on the mouth.

My tray slipped. 

The goblets clattered, crimson wine spilling like blood across the marble. Gasps rose from the crowd. Heat rushed to my face.

“Clumsy dog,” Amber’s voice rang out, clear as a bell, dripping with mockery. “Perhaps someone should teach you how to serve properly.”

Laughter rippled.

My breath came fast, Berry clawing at my chest, but before I could speak, Xander’s voice cut through the hall like a blade.

“Enough.”

The laughter died.

Amber blinked up at him, caught off guard. 

“You want to defend...”

“I said enough.” His voice was low, dangerous. His golden gaze swept the hall, silencing whispers, daring anyone to speak. Then his eyes locked on Amber, hard as steel. 

“He is free. He serves because I command it. He is no slave and no one...”his gaze cut to her, sharp enough to draw blood “...no one speaks to him that way. Not even you.”

The hall froze. Amber’s lips parted, fury flashing before she smoothed it with a practiced smile. She slipped her arm back through his, purring, 

“Of course, my prince.” but her eyes promised murder when they slid to me.

My heart thundered. 

He had defended me for the second time in a row.

Kael chuckled under his breath, sipping his wine. 

“Interesting,” he murmured. “Very interesting.”

I stood there trembling, torn between shame, fury, and something far more dangerous... hope.

The dance of masks continued around us, laughter and music filling the hall once more, but beneath it, I could feel the sharp edges pressing closer. 

Amber’s hatred, Kael’s knowing smile and Xander’s eyes, burning with something I couldn’t name.

Chains or wings... I couldn’t tell which the bond would give me.

But one thing was certain.

This banquet was only the beginning.