Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin #2)

Fifty-One Prince Gluttony

Y OU LOOK LIKE it burns when you piss.” Lust clapped a hand on my shoulder, grinning wide. “No wonder she won’t agree to dance.”

“She didn’t say no.” And I was fortunate for that. Unintentionally or not, I had been a royal ass. Hopefully Adriana would allow me to make it up to her tonight when we were finally alone.

I stood on the terrace overlooking the ballroom, strumming my fingers on the cool marble railing. The suitors who’d been sent home all spun around to a country dance, having found fame and no shortage of suitors themselves now.

I glanced at the clock. Midnight was moments away.

After this song, I could finally end the competition publicly. The sooner I made the announcement, the sooner everyone could go home. I’d quietly had each of their rooms and houses warded, weakening myself a little more than I already was, but their safety was worth the drain on my power. My brothers were in attendance, so I had help should I need it.

I hoped to the old gods I wouldn’t need it.

My attention swept across the dance floor, then searched the shadows and corners.

Shayde and Wolf still hadn’t returned with the item we needed to burn to end the hexed item’s magic, and Silvanus hadn’t been found either. When I’d left Merciless Reach earlier, the end had seemed imminent. Now it felt like it was slipping from my grasp.

“Why aren’t you out there dancing and making enemies of some husbands or wives?”

Lust grunted but didn’t respond. “Any word on the dragons?”

My brother wasn’t helping to defuse the growing tension.

“I sent a team after Silvanus. Still no sightings from when he went west.” I tore my attention from the dance floor. “I found a promising lead on the Hexed Quill, though.”

Lust’s grin vanished as he straightened. “Who?”

“The reporter. Ryleigh Hughes. She was at the All-Sinners Ball.”

Any excitement in my brother deflated. “So? By that count we could all be guilty.”

I grinned. “Always follow a paper trail, dear brother. Ten years ago she’d been researching a story on hexed objects and interviewed a certain duke who’d been rumored to have the quill in his private collection. Her story posed the question of if a writer used the Hexed Quill, would it grant their stories a bigger audience.”

“Gods damn, Gabriel.” Lust looked impressed. “That is promising.”

“But the evidence trail doesn’t end there. She was also rumored to have had an affair with the duke—something substantiated by a letter I recovered from him to her. The duke gifted her with several items from his private collection. Much to the fury of his wife. There was a public feud that sparked between Duchess Oleander and Ryleigh, but it was overshadowed by a bigger scandal.”

Mine and Adriana’s. Which seemed like motive enough for Ryleigh. She’d taken the attention and scorn off herself and placed it elsewhere.

I glanced back down at the ballroom. There were so many jewels, I nearly had to squint to see the dancers through the glinting in the candlelight.

“How do you know his wife didn’t use the quill to get revenge on him?”

“The duke passed away days before the All-Sinners Ball, and there was a slight notation in his will. Ryleigh was named and the letters HQ were marked for her among other items less intriguing. Documentation proves she received the quill before the ball, which means the duchess didn’t have access to it.”

“Talk about deception.” Lust let loose a low whistle. “She’s friends with Adriana. Seems ruthless to ruin her best friend’s happiness.”

“Maybe she was testing the quill and hadn’t intended the consequences. Or she was hoping to create a bit of drama to overshadow her public battle with the duchess. Until we interrogate her, that is pure speculation.”

None that would excuse the pain or the danger to the realm. But mortals had a saying that was eerily close to the truth: the road to hell was paved with good intentions—something most said, never truly considering what it meant.

I watched Adriana slink into the shadows of the chamber, trying to hide from the reporters who’d swarmed in, right on time. She didn’t know I had called them here. I wanted every scandal sheet reporter in the Seven Circles present for my announcement.

A moment later, Shayde made his entrance with Wolf.

I held my breath, trying to determine what their stoic expressions indicated.

I couldn’t tell if they seemed victorious or if they’d been unsuccessful in their hunt.

I released my breath. It didn’t matter. I had enough to confront Ryleigh now and force her to hand over the objects.

Her betrayal would be especially hard for Adriana to handle on top of the latest gossip, but I couldn’t delay ending this. Especially as the dragons grew bolder.

But first it was time to do what I should have done all those years ago.

I glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was time.

“Wish me luck.”

Lust swiped a glass of demonberry wine from a passing tray and saluted me. “To an eternity of blissful hate sex.”

Eden and Vanity caught my eye as I made my way down the stairs and carved a path to the dais. They exchanged a secret smile, already knowing what I was about to do.

I strode up to the small platform and motioned for the quartet to quiet.

The assembled gathering turned their attention to me, the reporters holding their quills at the ready. Ryleigh Hughes was among the crowd.

They expected a winner to be announced. And I was not one to disappoint.

“Thank you for joining me here tonight as I retire my bachelor’s crown for good.” Chuckles went through the ballroom, but my attention was fixed to one corner. “Before I confess who stole my heart, I have one matter to tend to.”

Val emerged from the back of the nobles and quietly made her way over to Ryleigh. She would ensure the reporter didn’t flee. Once she was in place, I continued.

“I have not been entirely forthright regarding my reasons for hosting the competition.” I paused while murmurs went around the room. “A secret threat to our realm has been the catalyst behind the deception. One I hope you’ll forgive me for. Tonight, I spoke with each suitor personally, letting them know before it hit the scandal sheets. My goal has always been to protect my circle, my court, and my people.”

“What threat, Your Highness?” Anderson Anders shouted from the back. “Is it the vampire rumors circulating from Malice Isle?”

“Due to the ongoing investigation, that information is privileged. What I can reveal now is the cause. I, along with each of my brothers, have had private teams looking into the matter, night and day. Within the last few hours we’ve finally found the link we’ve been searching for.”

My attention flickered over the crowd until it stopped on Ryleigh.

“Ten years ago, at the All-Sinners Ball, Miss Ryleigh Hughes used a hexed object on my court. At this very moment, a team of hunters is swarming her town house for the evidence we need to destroy the dark magic at play.”

Ryleigh’s face drained of color. “I don’t have any hexed object. I swear on the Crown.”

She stepped back as if to rush into the shadows, but Val was waiting. My second’s hand shot out, tethering the reporter to her side.

The smile I gave her was far from friendly. It sent the reporters’ quills aflutter. I was affable until I wasn’t, and it seemed to delight those who craved scandal.

“Miss Hughes, the Crown would consider your cooperation a boon when it comes time for doling out punishment. Lust. Envy.” I motioned to my brothers, who moved in beside her and Val. “They will begin the interrogation while I tend to one more matter tonight. I suggest telling them where the Hexed Quill is and the place you wrote the new outcome of the ball. They will sense any lies.”

Adriana stepped forward, reaching out as if to defend her friend. She seemed conflicted, but the crowd closed in around Ryleigh, cutting her off from getting closer.

My brothers were the most debonair-looking guards as they escorted Ryleigh to the dungeons.

Eden seemed to stop breathing. But Vanity was highly intrigued by the turn of events.

I clapped my hands, gaining the attention of the room once more.

“Now, hopefully, you’re interested in one more announcement this evening.”

I scanned the crowd, finding Adriana once again lingering near the wall. I kept my attention on her, speaking to her and her alone.

“The competition to find a perfect match might not have gone according to plan. But I have found love. And it has been one of the most frustrating, thrilling adventures I’ve ever embarked on.”

Adriana’s expression was impossible to read.

I wished to be next to her, to sense her emotions.

“Miss Saint Lucent, will you please step up to the dais?”

She slowly shook her head. “No, Your Highness. I’m afraid I cannot.”

Sharp gasps erupted from my court. I silenced them with a ferocious look.

They might be deterred, but I was not. If Adriana wanted us on equal footing, I would go to her, crawling if I must.

“Very well.”

I hopped off the platform and carved my way through the crowd. Whispers followed in my wake, but I ignored the snickering gossip. There was only one opinion I cared about.

Once I reached Adriana, I slowly dropped to one knee.

A hush descended from the double meaning of my action. No one dared to mock her now. Not when their prince kneeled before her.

“I choose you, Adriana Saint Lucent. From the first moment I saw you, a decade ago, you have haunted my dreams. It has always been you.”

I remained on my knee, ready to remove my heart from my chest and hand it to her if that was her request. Adriana looked… horrified.

“I am, and always have been, irrevocably in love with you. Therefore, I cannot pretend to court anyone else. The competition is over. And if I’m being honest, it always has been because there is no one better suited for me than you.” I inhaled deeply. “Adriana Saint Lucent, my sweet nemesis, will you marry me?”

The silence that spread throughout the room was all-consuming now. No one seemed to draw breath for fear of missing a single word.

Adriana kept staring at me like I’d somehow managed to grow a second or third head. She certainly knew how to keep my ego from overinflating. She slowly took her attention from me and glanced around the room. Reporters moved in like sharks scenting blood in the water.

I inwardly cursed. I’d wanted them here to spread the word that I’d very publicly chosen her. That she would be mine for the realms to see if she’d accept my suit.

Being near her now, I sensed her emotions clearly. Hurt, distrust.

I hadn’t considered that she might see this as another strategic move, even though I was doing exactly what I’d promised. She felt like I hadn’t treated her as an equal. That I’d simply discarded her opinion once I returned from Merciless Reach.

I needed to act swiftly. Prove to her that I—

“Your Highness!”

I glanced around. The crowd turned, seeking out whoever had shouted.

Footsteps pounded in the corridor outside the ballroom, the frantic pace drawing my attention to the door. A second later it burst open and a messenger rushed into the ballroom, bending at the waist, panting. He looked like he’d been running for hours.

When he finally regained his breath and stood, I noticed what I’d missed at first.

His tunic was splattered with blood.

An icy chill raced down my spine, my senses prickling in warning. They were close.

“Dragons are heading—”

The glass doors leading out to the gardens exploded, shards flying through the crowd, slicing through skin and silk indiscriminately. Nobles froze as blood slowly seeped out and stained their finery, staring down as if they couldn’t make sense of what had happened.

I lurched to my feet to shield Adriana with my body as the first dragon shoved its head into the opening it just made. A fierce, protective rage descended—so ancient and primal I couldn’t fight it if I tried.

I would burn the world down and dance in its ashes if anything happened to her. “Wrath! Get airborne. We take the fight to—”

Several ice dragons bashed at the garden doors, spewing their icy-hot flames. Crimson eyes peered into the room, taking in the terrified shouts, which stirred them into a greater frenzy.

“Everyone, out!” I shouted, keeping Adriana behind me. “Get to the basement level!”

No one seemed to breathe as Silvanus emerged from outside, bashing his large tail against the door. It flew off its hinges, leaving a wide, gaping hole.

All at once, the nobles seemed to realize they were in danger. The entire ballroom erupted in chaos as everyone shoved their way to the exit.

I pulled Adriana toward the door, pushing a path through the crushing bodies.

I would sacrifice my court for her and not regret a wretched moment of the decision. I’d made peace with my moral compass long ago. If I had to choose between her and the realm, it would be her. Always.

“Get as far from here as you can,” I shouted to be heard over the screams and shrill cries of the dragons. “I’ll come for you when it’s safe.”

“Wait.” She tugged back on my hand, digging her feet in. “My family.”

If I had to fly her out to the most desolate region to keep her safe, I would. Silvanus was here and he would be coming for her, if only to feed his obsession.

“I will send guards after them.”

I was about to unleash all my power when Wrath’s shout rose above all else.

“They’re coming for you!”

I turned, dagger drawn, as the dragons stalked forward. There were plenty of options for them to hunt, but they ignored easier prey in favor of me. Or Adriana.

My brother was right. I swallowed hard, then crushed my mouth to Adriana’s before shoving her through the doors. If they didn’t see her, hopefully they’d focus solely on me.

“Go!”

I didn’t wait to see if she heeded my command. I made myself a tempting target as I twisted on my heel and dove toward the dragons, ready to end this once and for all.