The Umbra Mortis—now a Fae Prince. What a disgrace. The slurs and nastiness flowed past Ruhn from Fae mouths, bold enough to run free behind the safety of their masks. Not that the masks would hide their scents. Ruhn marked each one of them.
Athalar was his brother now, by law. And Ruhn didn’t put up with people talking shit about his family. The family he liked, anyway.
Cormac had already left, slipping into a shadow and teleporting out. A small mercy—Cormac had been so distracted by Bryce’s little surprise that he hadn’t bothered to confront the Hind. But Ruhn didn’t blame his cousin for bailing. After the stunt Bryce had pulled, Cormac would have been swarmed by Fae families eager to present their daughters. Flynn’s parents—a sharp-eyed Sathia in tow—were clearly scouring the ballroom for any hint of the Avallen Prince.
Ruhn suppressed his smile at the thought of their fruitless hunt and focused on his partner. Hypaxia seemed to be scanning the crowd.
His heart skipped a beat. He asked quietly, “You looking for someone?”
She cleared her throat. “My sister. The Hind.”
His chest loosened. “Over by the foot of the dais. Next to Pollux.”
Hypaxia glanced over on their next turn. The Hind and the Hammer stood together, both in matte black masks, the angel in a white imperial uniform edged in gold. The Hind’s golden, sparkling dress clung to her hips before falling to the floor. Her blond hair had been swept up, and for once, no silver torque adorned her neck. Only slender gold earrings brushed her shoulders.
“They make a beautiful pair,” Hypaxia murmured. “As monstrous inside as they are lovely outside, though.”
Ruhn grunted. “Yeah.”
Hypaxia chewed on her lip. “I was waiting until tonight to approach her.”
He studied her face. “You want me to go with you?” He could offer nothing less.
“Do you think she’ll … react badly?”
“She’s too smart to cause a scene. And I don’t think the Hind is the sort to do that anyway. She’s cut from the same cloth as my father. The worst thing that happens is that she ignores you.”
Hypaxia stiffened in his arms. “I suppose you’re right. I’d rather get this meeting over with. It will spoil the rest of my night to stew over it.”
“Why meet with her at all?”
“Because she is my sister. And I’ve never spoken to her. Or seen her in the flesh.”
“I felt that way when I learned about Bryce’s existence.”
She nodded distractedly, her eyes darting around the room again. “You’re sure you don’t mind coming with me?”
Ruhn checked the massive clock at the rear of the conservatory. Eleven fifty. He had time. A few minutes. He needed something to distract himself with anyway. “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”
They slipped from the dance floor, the crowd parting for the beautiful queen as she aimed for her sister. The Hind marked her approach without smiling. Pollux, however, grinned at Hypaxia, then at Ruhn.
Hypaxia, to her credit, squared her shoulders as she halted. “Lidia.”
The Hind’s mouth curled upward. “Hypaxia.” Her voice was low, smooth. It was a blatant show of disrespect, not to use the queen’s title. Not to even bow.
Hypaxia said, “I wished to formally greet you.” She added, “Sister.”
“Now, that is a name no one has ever called me,” Lidia said.
Pollux sneered. Ruhn bared his teeth in warning and received a mocking smile in return.
Hypaxia tried once more. “It is a name that I hope we can both hear more often.”
Not one ounce of kindness or warmth graced the Hind’s beautiful face, even with the mask. “Perhaps,” Lidia said, and went back to staring at the crowd. Bored and disinterested. A dismissal and an insult.
Ruhn glanced at the clock. He should go. Make his way slowly to the garden doors, then slip outside. But he couldn’t leave Hypaxia to face her sister alone.
“Are you enjoying Lunathion?” Hypaxia tried.
“No,” the Hind drawled. “I find this city tediously plebian.”
The Hammer snickered, and Hypaxia said to him with wondrous authority, “Go lurk somewhere else.”
Pollux’s eyes flashed. “You can’t give me orders.”
But the Hind turned her cool, amused gaze on the Hammer. “A minute, Pollux.”
The Hammer glared at Hypaxia, but the witch-queen remained unbowed before a male who’d slaughtered his way through the world for centuries.