Chapter 1

Lyra Darach “What do you mean you can’t find him?” The voice echoed off every wall of the small private room. I lifted my head slightly. What? The lord, a mature man dressed in a white and gray suit, spoke again: “Bring your brother to the altar, right now!” he almost roared, trying to keep his voice low. The tall, bearded young man standing in front of him (one of his sons, I assumed) kept staring at the marble floor. A vein pulsed hard in his neck. “There’s a church full of people waiting, and a wedding to be held!” “Father, trust me, I’ve searched every—” “Look again!” This time, the words were accompanied by a loud shout. “Father, you have to understand!” someone else interrupted, a younger man with long hair tied back in a half ponytail. “He left a long time ago!” The other men present started talking all at once, gesturing wildly. I shrank into the sofa. The girl who had done my dress and hair squeezed my shoulders lightly. I knew what she was thinking; we both blamed my stepmother for leaving us there, in a situation like that, while she went off to cultivate her social connections with the arrogant high society of Broad Valley. It was highly questionable for two young women to be alone among so many men in such a small space, but this was supposed to be my wedding day, and those men were supposed to become my relatives. And everything was going from bad to worse. I didn’t want this. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. They kept arguing, but in another language. The words carried a violent, dark echo. It made my stomach churn. I twisted my fingers until they hurt, clutching a small bouquet of white flowers in my lap. My stepmother would be livid when she found out. Aside from the growls, the shouting, and the snarling, all I could see were long shadows dragging themselves around me. The heavy scent of expensive perfume and whiskey flooded my nose. Costly watches, belt buckles, and hidden weapons clinked softly beneath their expensive suits. The only one who remained completely uninvolved was the large man in the corner. He was wrapped in a shadow that the warm light of the lamp couldn’t quite dissolve, and in a long black coat made of thick fabric. He stayed indifferent to everything happening. I looked at his fine leather shoes, the dark polished tips immaculate. His feet were enormous. He was dressed in black like the others, but he had been leaning against the back wall with his arms visibly crossed beneath the coat. “Father, please, Fadric is gone,” the bearded son insisted, switching back to the common language. “It’s impossible for him to have just disappeared!” “His car and his luggage are nowhere to be found, and neither is he. I’m telling you—” That was when my stepmother entered the room, accompanied by her husband. Everyone, even the girl, froze. I raised my head immediately. She had an imposing presence. Maybe too thin, too flat in the chest and hips, and perhaps a little past her prime, but perfect golden curls framed her head, and that wine-colored dress paired with an excessive amount of jewelry made her look more like a queen than the heiress of a rich merchant empire. Her harpy eyes scanned the room. And she did not like what she saw. “Is something wrong? The priest is waiting. Where is the groom?” She looked directly at me, demanding an explanation. But the lord broke the heavy silence as he stepped forward. “Eanna, I apologize,” he said firmly. “We’ve run into a complication. It seems my son has disappeared.” My stepmother blinked rapidly several times. The corner of one of her eyes twitched. It was incredible how she kept her composure. I had seen her lose her temper over far smaller offenses. “How is that even possible? Can’t you track him down?” The man glanced sideways at his sons. “Fadric was always good at disappearing. What he does best is covering his tracks.” She looked back at me, something burning deep inside her ice-blue gaze. Then she made a sharp gesture with her hand, and the girl fled the room almost running, along with my stepmother’s husband. The worst was coming. There was nothing that woman hated more than wasting her time. “Well then. Choose another one, and let’s continue,” she said, as if it were nothing. I sucked in a sharp breath. Was she serious? Oh, of course she was. She wanted to get rid of me so badly that she didn’t even care what happened to me. I hadn’t asked for this, but at least I was familiar with Fadric and his relentless reputation. We had spoken once, during a gala, and he had sent me a few rather kind messages. I had made peace with the wedding, with Fadric, and with the rumors. But now, I was terrified. The lord frowned beneath his thick gray brows. “Excuse me?” “Was I unclear? You came here with all your sons. Choose another one.” Were all those men his sons? There were six of them there, including the giant in the black coat in the corner. With Fadric, that made seven. “You don’t understand—” “No, you are the one who doesn’t understand, William; today there will be a wedding in this place,” my stepmother hissed, stepping straight into that man’s private space. He did not step back. I swallowed hard in silence, something cold running down my spine. “So I suggest you choose another groom and we move on. I truly do not care.” “Eanna, it’s not that simple.” “Oh, but it is.” She gave him one of her most disdainful smiles, her lips painted a deep crimson. “Your family wants access to my businesses, and I want safe passage to import through your territories. It doesn’t matter who marries whom. What matters is that our families unite.” William, who was supposed to become my father-in-law, gave me a brief glance. Something in the depths of his eyes flashed strangely. For a moment, I wanted to believe he cared about my opinion or my well-being, but that would have been too presumptuous of me. At most, the man was trying to decide which of his other sons would be cursed with the burden of Fadric’s abandoned duty. What a disaster. Those men had come from so far away, and now— “Does Lyra have no voice in this matter?” the old man asked curiously. “My daughter knows very well that an arranged marriage is the best she can hope for at her age.” Stepdaughter, I thought, on the verge of nausea. I gripped the flowers in my lap so tightly the stems snapped. William growled, shaking his head. His sons seemed to share the same opinion, because they straightened with one hand resting near their waists, where some of them were clearly hiding weapons. I glanced at the man in the back corner from the corner of my eye. He was no longer leaning against the wall. In the end, William gave in. “So be it.” My stepmother’s smile widened like a streak of blood across her face. “You are very reasonable, William. I’m pleased.” Both of them turned toward the broad selection of broad-shouldered young men. I looked at them, taking in their handsome faces, feeling strangely sorry for them. They had strong jaws, dark hair, and pale eyes in shades of blue so varied that the dim light of the room didn’t do them justice. One had long hair, another a full beard, another only a little stubble. Some looked younger than me, but all of them were bound by blood, without a doubt. I would have noticed sooner if I had dared look at them properly. Eanna raised her hands magnanimously. “So, which one of you will walk to the altar and say the vows?” she demanded. No one moved. Instead, the brothers looked at one another. “My sons, decide quickly,” William cleared his throat. “If no one volunteers, then I will choose myself,” my stepmother prodded smugly. “I know the bride isn’t particularly beautiful, but I assure you, she is healthy and hardworking. She’ll give you strong, healthy children. Or whatever it is you require of her. She is well educated, and whatever she doesn’t know, she can learn.” She looked at me from the corner of her eye, mocking me. “She likes learning things.” My heart couldn’t beat any faster. The rush was making me dizzy. The man with the half ponytail squared his shoulders and spoke. “Father, this isn’t right.” “It is what it is, son. Are you going to marry her?” “No, I refuse, with all due respect,” he said, spitting the words as if they were poison. At least he inclined his head politely toward me. “Forgive my manners, Lyra. But this is unacceptable.” “I refuse too,” said one of the younger ones, standing tall with pride. “It’s an outrage, Father! You should not allow this!” another voice rose. And another, and another— “It’s unfair! Those were not the terms!” “No wedding, no deal!” “Postpone the wedding until we find Fadric!” I was beyond overwhelmed at that point. Everyone raised their voices at once again. More strange growls escaped their mouths along with harsh words in their native language; some of those fierce men even bared their teeth. Maybe it was because of the poor lighting, but I thought I saw the gleam of long fangs among those perfect white teeth… My stepmother remained silent, but the hands crossed over her stomach trembled with rage. “Enough!” William’s patience snapped. “End this nonsense, right now!” The protests ceased immediately, and silence fell with the weight of a felled tree. It was the most ominous thing I had ever experienced, even more terrifying than the darkest night. Only the distant hum of wedding music and the heavy breathing of the men standing before me remained. I lowered my gaze and realized the little flowers had been crushed inside my fists. Slowly, I opened my fingers and let them fall. It was over. There was nothing I could do anymore. She had told me many times that one day she would sell me like an ordinary cow. My eyes filled with tears. I hated Fadric. Then an unfamiliar voice rose from behind, mysterious and calm: “I’ll do it.” The sound echoed through my bones like distant thunder. “I will marry Lyra.”