Throne of Secrets (Prince of Sin #2)

Fifty-Four Adriana

T HE SOUND OF victory rang through the thin walls of our home. I let my sister go and went to see for myself that the curse was truly broken. The princes flew through the night district, the joy palpable as they swooped down to help citizens who’d been caught outside during the attack.

I squinted down at the crowd—vampires were helping demons, and Sascha was leaning against Val. She looked like she’d been working spells for hours.

My attention swept across the street; it seemed like only a few buildings had been damaged. We’d avoided what could have—and should have been—a great disaster, probably because of the protective spells the witch had cast.

Warmth spread through me. It was really over. Our circle might be overindulgent sinners, our realm filled with the morally corrupt, but we came together when we needed to.

“Is the hex broken?” Eden asked, a hopeful note in her voice.

“It certainly seems to be.”

I watched everyone celebrating in the street below for another few moments, searching for a familiar form. I didn’t see Axton, but he was probably back at the castle, checking on his court. I should have expected it, but a twinge of unease worked its way in. He was a prince. It made sense for him to tend to his court first, especially since it had been attacked.

And I had my own pressing matters to address.

The hex was broken, but I couldn’t ignore the fact there were still questions I needed answers to. I couldn’t fathom how my sister could betray me.

I exhaled and sat down. I needed to understand why .

Eden dropped onto the settee next to me, silent.

I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject gently, but keeping secrets wasn’t doing either of us any favors. We needed to sort it out head-on. Then heal. Together.

“How did you come to have the Hexed Quill?”

Eden sniffled, then glanced up.

“Ryleigh brought it over the night of the All-Sinners Ball, telling us stories of impossible magic. When you came home, flushed with excitement, and Mamma said you were to be a princess, I—panicked. I wasn’t ready to lose you, so I wrote down a different story. I made sure Ryleigh wouldn’t remember. To keep it secret, I rewrote her memory too.”

Poor Ryleigh… She’d been publicly condemned for a crime she didn’t commit. And I’d lost faith in our friendship. I ached for her and knew how it felt to be the subject of gossip and scandal. I needed to set that right for my friend as soon as I could.

Axton would have to offer a full apology from the Crown. Then maybe he could offer her the position as his official royal reporter. But those were possible solutions for another day and I still had more questions.

“You were so young. How did you even come up with the new history?”

Eden flushed. “I was bored and snuck one of Mamma’s novels while you were both at the ball. The scandal in that book made quite an impression. A prince was caught with a viscountess, right after he’d declared himself to another… it was a case of mistaken identity, though.”

I took a few moments to gather myself, not wanting to speak out of hurt or anger. My heart ached at the truth. My sister. The one person in the entire world I’d never intentionally hurt had unwittingly caused me the greatest heartbreak of my life. All because she’d read a similar scandal in a book. It was so innocent, the mistake of a child. And yet it caused so much pain.

“I never would have left you, Edie. Surely you must know that. I would have moved you and Sophie into the castle with us. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I was afraid. At first it seemed like you were happier, that maybe the quill was a good thing. You hid your feelings for so long, I had no idea how hurt you’ve been.”

“Hid my feelings?” I scoffed. “I tried to destroy Axton’s reputation in the paper for the last ten years. Did you ever consider confiding in me?”

She dropped her gaze and nodded slowly.

“When the competition began, I wanted to confess everything. Especially after Axton sent all those gifts. You can say whatever you like about his motivation for doing it, but it was clear to me that he cared deeply for you.”

I sighed. “You are far too sweet and innocent. He did it to uncover my identity.”

“Ad. I adore you, but you cannot truly believe that all those items were necessary. Did he need to send food, or parchment or oil for our lanterns to accomplish that?”

She smiled softly as I pressed my lips together.

My little sister had somehow pieced together truths I’d overlooked.

“It was obvious how much he liked you and I wanted you to see it too. But I ran out of time. When I was chosen as his suitor, I thought it was the best way to get you close to the prince. I hoped that maybe I could devise a way for you to fall in love as you once had. I’m terribly bad at plotting and scheming. But I swear the competition was always a way to get you and Prince Gluttony together again.”

“Your mother would have had your hide if she discovered what you were doing.”

A tentative smile crossed her face. “I think she did know. Deep down. Which was why she was so adamant about keeping you and the prince apart.”

“Where is Sophie?”

“She was in our private suite with guards when I snuck out to come back here. Axton warded the rooms so the dragons couldn’t enter.”

Thank the gods for that. Sophie was not the kindest demon in the realm, but that didn’t mean I wished to see any harm come to her. She would live to see another scheming day. At least she’d keep us all on our toes, wondering what nefarious plot she was working on next.

I looked my sister over, seeing for the first time the young woman she was.

Eden had been forced to tread carefully between me and Sophie, and while we always wanted to ensure her happiness, we never gave her room to fall and pick herself back up.

“Do you wish to be better at scheming?”

She snorted. “Gods, no. I want a simple life without court politics. I’m perfectly content with cooking and tending to a home. Maybe one day opening my own bakery.”

“And your secret lover?” I asked, wanting all the truth out between us. “Do you see your future with them?”

Her face flushed scarlet. “How do you know about Vanity?”

My brows rose.

I hadn’t known who her lover was. “You’re involved with the House Pride suitor?”

Eden bit her lower lip, blushing. “We spent a lot of time together while the prince was otherwise preoccupied. We formed an attachment.”

I gently took her hands in mine and gave them a squeeze.

“I’m happy for you. You deserve all the love and affection in the world.” I smiled. “The prince will undoubtedly take full credit for introducing you.”

She gave me a hug then drew back. “He loves you, Ad. I hope you give him a chance to redeem himself. It wasn’t his fault I used the quill.”

I settled back onto the threadbare cushion. “I don’t blame him for the quill, but I’m afraid it’s a bit more complicated than that now.”

“Complicated is a mild term for what happened tonight. He asked you to marry him, Adriana. You refused him in front of his court.”

“I didn’t refuse him. We were interrupted. In case you’ve forgotten, there was the little matter of a dragon attack.”

Eden shook her head. “Everyone could tell you were about to deny him. You don’t have to tell me why, but you do need to sort it out for yourself before you speak to him. No matter what you decide, you don’t want to have any regrets.”

“I know.” It wasn’t the hex or dark magic. Now I needed to really think about how Axton and I fit together, if we even truly did match on enough levels.

I didn’t care for him leaving me out of his plans or simply being too royal to understand when he was overstepping. The truth was—we were from very different worlds.

I wasn’t sure we would ever end up on equal footing.

That didn’t make him bad or to blame; it was something worth considering for a partnership, though. Just because we worked on a physical level, didn’t mean we suited everywhere else. If Axton and I were to truly accept each other, we needed to accept all aspects.

Eden leaned over and kissed my cheek. “When isn’t love complicated, though?”

Indeed. I peered at her. “When did you get so wise?”

“After I made a terrible mistake.” She pushed to her feet. “Let’s promise to never keep secrets from each other again. No matter how terrible we think they are.”

“I think that sounds like another wise plan, dear sister. Let’s also swear to never play with another hexed object. Where is the quill?”

The levity vanished from Eden’s face. “I… can’t remember.”

I didn’t need to possess a Prince of Sin’s ability to sense lies to know she was being honest. “What do you mean?”

Her brows drew together as she considered.

“Sometimes I think a prince came and took the quill, rewriting my memory of it. Other times I think I might have given it away to a dark market dealer.”

My intuition picked its head up at that. It sounded like an investigative story worth pursuing… a hexed object in the hands of the very princes they were meant to bind.

I shook myself from the idea. One adventure with a dark prince was enough for now.

“I truly am so sorry, Ad. If I’d known what the outcome would be, I never would have meddled. I acted out of fear.”

“I know.” I gave her a tight smile and decided to put the past where it belonged. In the past. “One thing I’ve learned is decisions based in fear or anxiety or worry will always come back to haunt you. Love is what strengthens us all, though. Familial love, friendship, romantic love, platonic love. Promise me from now on, you’ll act from a place of love, not fear.”

“I swear it.”

“Good. Then I think a proper apology and acceptance of said apology should come with freshly baked frostberry pastries. And yours are the best.”

Eden’s eyes watered as she jumped to her feet and headed for the kitchen.

“Then I shall get to work now. I still have supplies from when the prince sent over those nefarious gifts to further his plot.” Her eyes sparkled. “Do you think you’ll see him again soon?”

“Axton is like a bad rash,” I teased. “You rid yourself of it for a little while, but eventually it comes back with a vengeance.”

“Mm-hmm.” Eden gave me a knowing look and went about making the sweet dough for the dessert.

I wanted to accept his proposal, but just because the magic was no longer tearing us apart, that didn’t negate everything we needed to sort out before I said yes.

If we had a future, I wanted to consider what that truly meant, how it looked. Would I keep my position as Miss Match? Would I be a pauper princess? I had no use for courtly games, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about my new column, but it had grown on me.

However, today was not the time to worry about that.

Today was about burning the past and setting my sights on a new dawn, and for now, I was content with that.