“Well.” He flips his coin, then catches it. “That, too.”
My head drags back and forth at the depths of this man’s scheming. “Fuck you.”
My harsh words roll off him like water on river rocks. With a shrug, he says, “The fae realm is already awakening. You can see for yourself right here with the monoceros. It’s only a matter of time before the gods themselves rise. Volkany is putting all its resources into preparing for the new era. And who will shepherd Astagnon in the coming storm? Old King Joruun, a sack of rattling bones on his deathbed, with no heirs? No—Astagnon needs new leadership. A deadly game is about to begin, and the players are already taking their places on the board.”
“You wish to be king.” The words tumble from my mouth in shock. I knew Rian was ambitious—but I had no idea he’d set his lofty sights on the crown.
His voice softens. “Songbird, you were meant to be a queen. The whole town saw it when you rode up in defiance. You’re so much more than a backwoods lord’s daughter. Our marriage can be as real or fake as you like behind doors, but we must appear united in public.” He pauses as something glazes over his expression. “Unless . . . your heart belongs elsewhere?”
There’s an edge in his voice that frosts my marrow. My fingers stretch and ball as I try to read the subtext in his pointed words. Does he suspect the affair with Basten? Did someone see us?
I run my fingers through my shorter hair, still unused to it, and turn to the monoceros’s stall to buy time. Rian’s question isn’t as straightforward as it seems. I told Basten that I loved him, and despite the thousand damn times I’ve wished for it to be the opposite, it’s still true. There’s a corner of my heart that only beats for him. He worked his way into me like tree roots under a building’s foundation, so intertwined that removing them would mean tearing down the whole structure.
But Basten had his chance.
I have to cut him out of my heart, even if it means breaking walls.
Still, that hardly means there will be freshly tilled ground for Rian to dig his roots into. Far from it. Because I know my enemy when I look him in the eye.
Rian is no friend to me.
The most he can ever be is a means to an end.
I spin back toward him, and my hand darts out to snatch the Golath dime as he flips it between his fingers. Squeezing the stolen coin tightly in the cage of my fist, I level Rian with a brazen stare.
He wants my hand in marriage and my magic at his beck and call. But I have my own desires. I’ve tasted the bitterness of captivity. The weight of oppression. I am no longer the imprisoned girl unaware of her own power. I am a force, fueled by my past, guided by the scars etched upon my heart.
I want my freedom—and freedom for the poor monster caged behind me.
I hold up my fist with the coin.
“The stakes are high for both of us,” I say evenly, with an unyielding gaze that challenges him as much as it entices. “So I’d like to propose a new game. Winner takes all.”
A plotting smile slowly stretches across his face as dark curiosity dances in his eyes, and for a second, I worry about what I might have gotten myself into. But then my resolve hardens. He should be the worried one. The player with the best hand is the one with the littlest to lose.
And I have nothing to lose.
“Okay, songbird,” he says. “I’ll play.”
The games are just beginning! Discover how the cards fall for Sabine and Wolf in Silver Wings Golden Games.
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A Note from Evie
Dear Reader,
PREPARE YOURSELF. I have much more in store for Sabine and Wolf as the gods awaken, kingdoms fall, secrets are uncovered, and hearts are at war. The cards are dealt and the games are just beginning . . .
Thank you from the bottom of my own black heart for picking up this book. It started as two separate ideas: A Snow White retelling, and a Lady Godiva-inspired horseback ride. As I tinkered with each idea, I realized they might meld beautifully.
I would absolutely love to hear from you in my Facebook reader group （search “Evie Marceau’s Reader Group”）。 Also, the book community wants to know your opinion, so please leave a review!
xo,
Evie
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