Katerina pulled Rafe away from me and toward the center of the garden. He glanced back for a moment, but I quickly looked away. I didn’t want him to know I was bothered. He was free to do what he wished with whomever he wished. Katerina was Leticia’s problem, not mine.
Katerina pressed herself against him as they danced, and soon they were lost in the melange of masked couples on the dance floor, locked in romantic embraces and enjoying the freedom the masks gave them to behave in a manner they would not usually attempt.
I was left alone on the side, looking at what I believed to be the love of my life in the arms of another woman, and my heart sank. I had to steel myself against my feelings for Rafe—eventually they would go away, or at least that was what I kept trying to convince myself.
Brandon, who had been talking to someone else, spotted me and came over. “Why are you out here alone, Aurora?” His blue eyes gazed at me with genuine concern. “I thought you were with Rafe.”
“He went to dance with Katerina Valasis.” I looked over to the dance floor, but I couldn’t see them anymore.
“Ah!” Brandon sighed with a note of sympathy in his voice I hated to hear. “I should have warned you about Katerina, but after so many years I didn’t think she still wanted him. I should have known better. Rafael does tend to have that effect on women.”
“Rafe was with her?”
Brandon nodded. “They courted for a while, when Rafael was on an official visit to Brandor with his father. Santino was away at the time, so he never met the prince, but Katerina fell instantly in love with him.”
“What happened?” I wasn’t sure I was going to like the answer.
“Rafael did what he always does,” said Brandon, and I thought I detected a hint of jealousy in his voice. “He left to go back to Eldoren without a backward glance. And Katerina was left heartbroken.”
My face fell. Rafe had been with so many women, and I had to wonder if I was also another one of his dalliances.
Brandon took my hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow. “Come, we can have a walk around the gardens,” said Brandon, smiling. “Or maybe you would like to dance?”
“No, let’s walk.” I shook my head, putting my free hand on Brandon’s arm as he led me through the meandering garden paths, my thoughts whirling about Rafe and Katerina.
We passed the dancing couples and I saw Santino still swaying to the music, now with some new woman he had found since I last saw him. She was fawning over him and dancing closely, her voluptuous breasts the center of the pirate prince’s attention. I smiled. Santino was a complete rake and a massive flirt, but he seemed quite straightforward as far as I could tell. I hoped Brandon knew what he was doing by asking us to trust a pirate, even if he was a prince.
I spotted Rafe at the edge of the formal gardens, near a wooded area of the grounds. He was with Katerina; I recognized the dress. They were deep in conversation, and Rafe held Katerina’s hand in his as they spoke.
My heart slumped in my chest. For some reason this revelation hurt more than seeing him with Leticia. At least I knew he was marrying Leticia out of duty. But this exotic princess, who was clearly still in love with him, broke through my defenses. A dull ache seemed to clamp around my heart. I knew we were only supposed to be friends, but I thought what we had was special. However, the more I discovered about him, the more I realized there was so much I didn’t know.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the gardens; voices were raised, and the musicians stopped playing.
“Everybody, please stay where you are,” came a loud, booming voice.
I had heard that voice before, and I never thought I would again. I looked over at the steps, and my heart skipped a beat. I grabbed Brandon’s hand.
Lord Oblek was standing at the top of the grand staircase, surrounded by at least twenty of Morgana’s guards, all wearing the crest of a black rose. I recognized two of them flanking Oblek. Blue Cloaks, the King of Eldoren’s elite warrior-mages. What was Oblek doing here?
“Stay where you are and no one will get hurt,” said Lord Oblek, scanning the garden. “No one leaves the mansion until I have checked your identities, by order of the king.”
“Not until you tell us what is going on,” shouted one old gentleman.
Oblek grinned at the crowd, a wolfish smile, and stepped to one side.
A black-cloaked figure moved forward, gliding down the steps to the garden. His robes were dark as night with a gold border edging the flowing fabric. He removed his hood, and his dark, piercing gaze immediately quieted the garden. No one moved—it was as if he had the power to stop them with a single glance. I recognized the markings on his robes. There was only one mage who wore black with a gold border.
The archmage!
Lucian had come after me himself.
The Archmage of Avalonia
I froze. My legs started shaking and my palms became clammy. I wiped them on my dress. I knew I was only moments away from getting caught and dragged back to Morgana, this time in chains. People had already started removing their masks. It was only a matter of time until Oblek recognized me. There was nowhere to hide.
“I would suggest you do as I say, and remove your masks,” said Lord Oblek, addressing the crowd again, his voice reverberating across the
