A Court of Bones and Sorrow [PAPERBACK]

The gorgeous prince with enchanting blue eyes wanted to marry me, but I wanted to stab him in the heart and set his corpse on fire.

He was the reason our people were dying.

The wards that had protected our outposts for over a century were failing and the wraiths were getting in, and he was the fucking reason. My memory helpfully served up the image of a discarded doll from the last outpost that had been slaughtered by the shadowy monsters. That child had died, and Prince Draven was the Moroi who had let the monsters in.

Fury burned through my veins as I desperately struggled to keep it off my face. It’d been three days since we’d learned the truth at an abandoned temple in the badlands. The wraiths were actually the Unseelie Fae. Somehow, they’d pushed their shadow magic too far and turned themselves into monsters. We’d killed three of them when the prince had left with their leader, Erendriel.

Now Prince Draven was here, standing on the wide stone stairs that led to the inside of House Harker. My home. I kept my gaze on him, but from my peripheral vision, I didn’t see any guards with him, and the only people I’d seen since we’d walked through the gates had been ours. We’d covered our tracks well at the temple. Was his being here a coincidence?

“This wasn’t exactly the response I was looking for,” the prince drawled, the smile never slipping from his face even as something else flitted through his eyes. His hair fell in a straight, black curtain to his waist, the silver streaks glittering in the bright sunlight.

“Apologies, my prince.” I forced the words out as I bent my knees, giving a slight bow, hoping he mistook my rapidly beating heart for excitement about him being here. Though it was possible he knew exactly what we’d been up to and was just toying with us. “I’m beyond delighted by this news; it simply caught me off guard is all. Given how things went with my first marriage”—I lowered my eyes and clutched my hands together in front of me in what I hoped was a convincing show of uncertainty—“I just never expected another offer to come my way, and certainly not one like this.”

Warm fingers titled my chin up, and I barely restrained myself from slapping the proprietary touch away. Something in my expression must have given that away because Prince Draven smoothly pulled his hand back.
“I’ve always thought Demetri was an over-entitled fool, and the fact that he did something to drive you away only confirms that.” Prince Draven’s expression was charming, but there was an edge to his voice. “Would you think poorly of me if I told you I was secretly delighted when I heard the two of you were ending things? And that I might have a chance with you?”

His smile morphed into a sheepish but unrepentant grin.

Die.

Instead of voicing how I really felt, I forced the corners of my lips to curl into a sultry smirk. One that always made men think of wicked things. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kieran’s jaw harden, but he remained a few steps behind Prince Draven. He hadn’t been with us at the temple in the badlands and had no idea the prince was the traitor we’d been looking for. I hoped he knew everything I was doing right now was an act and that I wasn’t actually falling for the prince’s charming bullshit.

Alaric hadn’t said a word but remained a steady, calming presence as he stepped from my side to be one step above me, as if to put himself between me and Prince Draven. I couldn’t see Vail without turning around, but I assumed he was still somewhere behind me. Probably glowering and very obviously plotting murder.

They would all die if I failed to play this right. We didn’t know what Prince Draven knew. We’d killed all the wraiths who had seen our faces . . . hopefully. But it was clear the wraiths had been using that temple regularly, which meant Erendriel had surely returned there at some point. It wasn’t like he wouldn’t have noticed that the three wraiths he’d left behind were no longer there.

Prince Draven’s showing up here now couldn’t have been a coincidence. Maybe he didn’t know who had been in that temple, only suspected someone from House Harker. Maybe he did know it was us but wanted to find out what we knew and who else we had told, but two could play this game. We had questions, so many moonsdamned questions, and he had the answers.

I might not be much of a fighter, but when it came to politics and deceptive words, there was no one better than me. This was a game I knew how to play.

“My prince,” I purred, “you’re too kind.”

“There’s no need for titles, Samara.” He gave me a smile that was pure sin and took another step, forcing Alaric to back up until he stood by my side. “We’ve known each other our entire lives—Draven is fine.”

It didn’t escape my attention that he could have gone to my other side instead of stepping into Alaric’s space. I wasn’t the only one who knew how this game worked. Draven not only survived, he flourished in the Moroi courts. I needed to be careful. He held an arm out for me, but I shook my head and waved a hand at my clothes. “I don’t want to get dirt and grime all over you.”

There was a very real chance that if I had to hold his arm like he wanted, I’d lose my temper and sink my claws into his flesh. That would kind of ruin the whole flirting thing.
“They’re only clothes.” He shrugged and kept his arm extended. “I’m more than willing to pay the price of a little dirt on me if it means you’ll be by my side.”

I forced myself to let out a breathy laugh and slipped my arm around his, fighting against the revulsion at the contact, and allowed him to lead us up the stairs towards the main entrance. A dull ache was already settling into my cheeks from how hard I’d been smiling. As we walked past Kieran, I brushed my free hand against his, our fingers curling together for the briefest second. Then I glanced over my shoulder at Alaric as Draven led me inside, and I found him staring at the back of the prince’s head with a look of absolute hatred.

The staff and courtiers of House Harker scattered as we strolled down the hallway, Kieran’s and Alaric’s footsteps trailing behind us, but I couldn’t tell if Vail had followed or not. I was a little surprised none of the higher-ranking nobility were here, trying to capture a moment with Prince Draven.

“I’ve already spoken to many of the advisors and officials,” he said with a thick note of satisfaction.

“Oh?” I tilted my head towards him and arched an eyebrow.
A wry, mischievous smile played across his lips. “You were wondering why a hundred Moroi aren’t lining these walls, trying to beg a favor of me so they might have a better chance of getting my mother to agree to whatever they are scheming.”

“Was I?”

“You were,” he said confidently.

A laugh slipped from my lips, and this time, it wasn’t forced. I’d forgotten this, how easily Draven could make me laugh. Growing up, we’d spent a lot of time together because I’d visited the Sovereign House regularly. Not as much as I’d spent with Alaric, Kieran, or even Vail, but in the moments when Draven had let go of the charming prince act . . . he’d become someone real. Someone I’d liked.

And that was dangerous. I shored up my mental defenses, my smile becoming sharp like a blade.

“Kieran and I got here early this morning, so I passed the hours by pacifying them to ensure I could have your full attention. I might have implied that I would be willing to speak with them further if they left us alone this afternoon.” He leaned closer to me as he spoke, and I just barely heard a growl slip from Kieran . . . and Alaric. If Draven heard them, he ignored it as he tugged me down a hallway that led to a balcony overlooking the beach.

It was one of the best views from the main house, and I was a little surprised he remembered it. He’d only been to House Harker a handful of times to my knowledge. Although I hadn’t seen him much over the past couple of years—maybe he’d visited more often while I’d been living in House Laurent.

When Alaric and Kieran moved to follow us out onto the balcony, Draven turned and took a step towards them while raising his hand. “Would you mind giving us a moment alone?”

They both looked at me, and I could see the word “no” in their eyes, but further in the hallway, I saw Vail slip into one of the side rooms we used for storage. I didn’t exactly love the idea of relying on Vail to come and save me if the prince tried anything, but it wasn’t like we could deny the request without an explanation.

“It’s fine,” I told Kieran before nodding at Alaric. “Go and get cleaned up, and then we can catch up over dinner. Maybe find that book I need in the library. Kieran can probably help.”

Alaric’s bright eyes held mine, a completely unreadable expression on his face. “Of course.” Then he spun around and stalked back down the hallway. I hoped he understood my unspoken request to fill Roth and Kieran in on what we’d learned. Kieran’s jaw flexed as he looked between me and Draven before following Alaric out. Something was going on with him. He didn’t know what we knew about Draven, so I didn’t understand why he was so apprehensive about leaving me alone with him.

I’d make him tell me later after I thoroughly made it clear I had no interest in a marriage to the prince. Kieran was mine and I was his. Nobody would be getting between the two of us. Well . . . I wouldn’t mind Roth between the two of us, but I was pretty sure they were more likely to pin us down with those rather useful blood ribbons of theirs. A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered what it had felt like to have the hard wood of the library table pressed against my back while Roth kneeled between my legs and lashed me with their tongue.

“Samara? You alright?” Humor sparked in the prince’s blue eyes, as if he knew what I’d just been thinking about. “You look a bit . . . flushed . . .”

“I’m just glad to be home is all.” I walked over to the corner of the balcony wall and leaned against it, letting my elbows rest on the sun-warmed stones. Draven hopped up onto the wall and took a seat with his back to the beach so he could fully face me. Then he lazily planted a hand on the stones and leaned on it, radiating an easygoing confidence.
If he knew we’d been the ones at the temple, he was truly skilled at hiding it. Granted, he wasn’t acting like someone who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Moroi either.

“So,” he started, “I’m guessing you have questions?”

Why are you doing this? Why betray your own people? I thought bitterly. “You’ve never wanted to marry,” I said lightly instead. “I believe your exact words when I told you I was marrying Demetri were, ‘That’s unfortunate. Hopefully I have better luck at avoiding such a fate.’”

He winced. “To be fair, I do really dislike Demetri. Always thought he was a pompous ass.”

“That literally describes over half of the Moroi court.” I frowned. “Probably closer to three-quarters at House Laurent. As the Heir of that House, I suppose he never really had a chance.”

“I suppose that’s accurate,” he replied with a chuckle. “It’s rather amazing when you think about it. A century ago, we were barely managing to survive, hiding behind the thick walls of the Houses. Now, we’ve outgrown the Fae fortresses, have dozens of thriving outposts, and we’ve reached the point where some of us have nothing better to do than float about the courts of the Houses and gossip while making deals with each other behind closed doors.”
“It’s the same in the Velesian realm,” I admitted. “Although they’re less about the secretive deals and more about the violently overthrowing each other.”

“They’re shifters.” He shrugged. “Their animal nature is an intrinsic part of them.”

“If you’re about to go into a spiel about how much better we are than the Velesians because of their animal nature, I will shove you off this balcony.” Despite my words, I smiled brightly at him. “Fair warning.”

“Ah.” He let out a raspy chuckle. “I see you’ve heard Marvina Laurent rant about those filthy mongrels up north.”

“Unfortunately.”

“Alas, you will have to find another reason to push me off this balcony, because I didn’t mean any disrespect by that.” He leaned further back, resting on both hands this time before tilting his head back. For a few seconds, I let myself admire the early afternoon sunlight reflecting off the silver strands set against his inky black hair. I’d never met anyone who had hair like his, and more than once over the years, I’d had to fight the urge to run my fingers through it.
When I drew my attention away from his hair, I found Draven smirking at me. If his hair was different, his eyes were truly unique. All Moroi had two-toned eyes, a dominant color and a secondary color that expanded whenever our emotions were heightened. Usually, those two colors were similar shades. Bright blue and green. Brown and gold. Odd colors popped up here and there, particularly with the bloodlines that ruled the Houses.

The Nacht bloodline, Draven’s bloodline, all bore the same eyes, which were a deep blue, like the color of the sky just after the sun dipped below the horizon, and dark red threads ran through the blue. I’d only seen Draven truly pissed off once, and his eyes had turned almost solid bloodred, only the thinnest lines of blue had still been visible. It had been years, but the memory had stuck with me.

“Just think of how often you can stare at my hair if you marry me.” He winked.

“Please.” I snorted. “We both know you love being the center of attention.”

I turned so I was fully facing the beach. If I hadn’t seen Draven at the temple speaking with the wraiths with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. Right now, he was acting so . . . normal, but he’d definitely been there. I frowned. Was it possible to control someone with blood magic?

No. I was just trying to come up with excuses because I didn’t want him to be the bad guy. It was terrible enough to know a Moroi was betraying us. I didn’t want it to be someone I had a history with. Someone I liked.
Brick by brick, I erected a wall around my feelings. I needed to look at this rationally and be open to any possible explanations. Including that Draven had fooled me all these years and wasn’t the charming and often kind male I thought he was.

Draven slid off the wall and turned so he was leaning on the railing next to me before bumping my shoulder with his. “Something troubling you, Sam?”

I frowned up at him. “I don’t think you’ve ever called me that.”

“It’s how Kieran always referred to you.” He shrugged, but there was a forced casualness to it. “Given that we’re considering marriage, I thought I’d try out nicknames.”
My stomach tightened. I let my gaze fall back to the white, sandy beach stretching out beneath us and the impossibly blue waves rolling in and out.

“Nothing is troubling me,” I lied smoothly. “I was just thinking about how much I missed this view during my marriage to Demetri. House Laurent is on the coast, but their fortress is set back further from the water. More than once, I longed to be able to hear the tides while falling asleep.”

“The Sovereign House is far inland,” Draven pointed out.

“Then you’ll have to work quite hard to convince me to marry you and move there,” I said in a breezy tone, not taking my eyes off the water even as I was acutely aware of just how close he was standing.

“Kieran can tell you just how persuasive I can be.” I went still at his words before slowly turning to face him. Draven cocked his head and studied my expression. “You didn’t know about us? Given how close the two of you were growing up”—he gave me a knowing smile—“and how close the two of you are now, I assumed he told you.”
I smiled wide enough to show my fangs. “First you remind me that the Sovereign House is nowhere near my beloved ocean, and now you try to drive a wedge between me and the man I love with my entire soul. You used to be far more charming, prince.”

Draven stared at me for a long moment, and the deep red threads that ran through his lapis blue eyes widened slightly like dark rivers of blood. I cocked my head to match his movement from earlier, and for a moment, his eyes flashed almost entirely red before he let out a deep, rumbling laugh.
“There you are.” He chuckled. “With all the false politeness and flirting you greeted me with, I was worried the Samara I knew had been lost to the bullshit of Moroi House politics. I knew when I got you alone out here, the real you would bleed through.”

“You’re the prince,” I said flatly. “You are the walking embodiment of Moroi House politics.”

“I am what I have to be.” He nodded in acknowledgement. My brows furrowed before I caught the movement and smoothed it out. What had he meant by that?
“You didn’t answer my question from earlier. About marriage,” I clarified.

“Technically, you never asked a question.” He shrugged a broad shoulder.

“Don’t play coy with me, Drav.”

He smiled at hearing the nickname I’d given him long ago. “I never wanted to marry because I’m surrounded by people all day who are only married for political gains. The Houses are all cutthroat with each other, fighting over resources and always trying to get one over on someone else. Even knowing everyone enters into these marriages willingly”—his lips twisted down—“it wasn’t a future I ever wanted. So I made sure to make myself useful to the queen in other ways.”

This wasn’t the first time I’d heard Draven refer to his mother as “the queen.” When we were having private conversations, he’d almost always refer to her as “Velika” or just “the queen.” Only when he was addressing her in front of others did he call her Mother.

I’d always wondered why but had never asked because it’d felt too intrusive, and because I hadn’t wanted to ruin the times when Draven had shed the charming prince persona around me.

But everything was different now, and I couldn’t afford to let Draven keep any secrets.

“You mean your mother.”

“Sometimes she’s my mother.” His frown tipped up into a smile, but I knew it was false. “Sometimes she’s the Queen of Monsters.”

“And was it the mother or the queen who suggested the marriage between us?” I asked carefully.

“You could do worse.” He glanced at me with an amused expression. “I am a prince. Most people are impressed by that.”

“I’m not most people.”

“No,” he said slowly, “you most certainly are not.”

We both turned back towards the ocean and watched the tide roll in and out in companionable silence for a few minutes. I didn’t know what to say or think. All I knew was I needed to find the others so we could strategize.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go get cleaned up now and then rest for a bit.” I pushed off the balcony wall and took a step back as Draven turned around to face me, leaning his back against the stones.

“Will Kieran be resting with you?”

“Careful.” My gaze turned flinty as I told him my next lie. “I’ll consider this marriage, but I will not tolerate you coming between me and Kieran or harming him in any way.”
For a second, Draven’s expression faltered, and something akin to sadness flashed across his face before he slipped on his charming and carefree mask once more.

“Understood.”

“Good.” I nodded. “I’ll see you for supper then.”

“Wonderful.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. And I couldn’t help but wonder how often he lied with his easy grins. “Enjoy your rest.”