Scarred (Never After #2)(45)

She shakes her head, the ornate metal tea tray clanking as she places it on a side table. “You just…” Her eyes gloss from the hem of the lace up to the risqué neckline. “You look fit to be a queen.”

Nerves tighten beneath my skin.

I’m very anxious about tomorrow night—and all the nights that will follow—though I’d never admit it. To play in the realm of men, you have to stuff emotions down until you can barely find them, and there’s a lot riding on my future here. Specifically, at the engagement ball itself. Everyone who’s anyone will be there, including the entire royal family and the Queen Mother.

I blow out a deep breath, trying to collect my racing thoughts and stem the slight tremble in my hands.

There’s a knock, and Timothy pokes his head in, his brows rising to his hairline, doing a double take when he sees me in my gown. All three ladies turn to face him as he opens the door, stepping to the side to allow for my uncle to move into the room.

The ladies twist back toward me, and after they do, Timothy shakes his head, winking as he rests a hand over his heart. Warmth trickles through my chest at his display, and a smile breaks across my face. He may not speak it out loud, but whether he wants to admit it, we’re becoming friends.

“Sara, sweetheart. You look beautiful,” Uncle Raf croons, his fingers tight around his cane as he makes his way across the room.

My gaze leaves the door where Timothy just was and I focus on Raf, a comfortable blanket of familiarity coasting over me as I take in his blue eyes and dark hair with thick streaks of white; more prominent than they were a few years back.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

He stops when he’s in front of me, his gaze moving over the faces of my ladies. “How much longer will you be? I came here to have tea and catch up.”

I glance down at Marisol. “Boss?”

She scoffs at the nickname, a slight smirk lifting her lips as she stands up. “We can be done now, milady.”

My hands clap together, eager to have alone time with my uncle. He’s the most important man in my life, and while I may not trust his son; Raf, I trust implicitly.





“It is time.”

Raf’s voice is serious, his fingernails creating a steady tapping rhythm against the top of his cane.

My stomach churns as though a thousand bees have swarmed and stung my insides, and I swallow around the swelling.

I nod. “I know.”

His brow rises. “Have you gained the ear of the king?”

I lift a shoulder, my teeth scraping the inside of my cheek until it bleeds. “As much as I can, but he’s not always around.” I glance down at my fingers where they tangle together on my lap. “And your son is… not as helpful as I had expected.”

Uncle Raf’s bushy brows draw in, his lips twisting. “That boy is always doing something.” He leans forward. “But you can trust him. Change is on the horizon, sweet niece, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.”

I don’t speak the questions that are heavy on the tip of my tongue. Like asking him to explain what on earth he means. I’ve learned long ago that Uncle Raf’s riddles and nonsensical statements are best left as they are.

He hums. “You’ve always been the smartest child in our family.”

“I’m not a child anymore, Uncle.”

He chuckles. “To me, little Sara B., you’ll always be a child.”

Smiling at him, I pick up my tea, letting the hot water scald my tongue as I sip from the cup, wondering how smart he’d think I was if he knew I spent my time dreaming of dark corners and dangerous princes.

Uncle Raf’s grin drops, his eyes sparking as he leans forward. “Your father would be very proud of you. And every single person with Faasa blood running through their veins deserves to pay for what they’ve done.”

I nod. A heavy ball of sorrow surges into my throat until I can hardly breathe around the ache, and the weight of responsibility bears down on me in a way I haven’t felt since before arriving in Saxum.

I let myself get distracted.

It won’t happen again.





CHAPTER 25





Tristan





“Most of you already know that tomorrow evening is the engagement ball for my brother and his bride.”

Boos ring out from the sneering faces inside the tavern, and someone spits on the ground in obvious disgust.

I bring up my hand, picking at a fingernail as I sigh. “They will most likely not expect me to show. But we all know how much I enjoy doing the unexpected.”

Laughs trickle through the room.

“We’re on the cusp of a new dawn; one where you aren’t limited based on circumstance. Where you aren’t thrown to the lions because you’re a little different.”

I pause, my gaze meeting the eyes in the crowd, feeling the blaze burn through them as surely as if it was licking against my skin. “The king has gone mad, although he wishes for no one to know.” My lips pull back from my teeth. “But I know.”

“Why can’t we just storm the castle now?” a young woman in the front screeches, her stringy hair falling in her sunken face. “We have the numbers!”

Rumbles spread through the crowd. I raise a hand in the air, silencing them. “I understand the plight. But instant gratification rarely satisfies the need, and my desire, with your help, is to ensure freedom for us all. Ending Michael’s reign is not enough.”