My gaze snagged on my amulet, briefly wrenching me from thoughts of husbands and wives and unbreakable magical bonds. Given Envy’s reaction to the Horn of Hades last time, I wanted the necklace far away from him. I refused to take any careless chances by parading it under his nose while staying in his royal House.
I took it off and placed it at the bottom of my vanity drawer. I’d let Wrath know where to find it in the morning. As I closed the drawer, I noticed something that hadn’t been present earlier: a silver hand mirror and matching brush and comb were placed atop the table.
They appeared sometime after I’d cleaned up from Lord Makaden’s blood and now. I admired the detailed etching, marveling at the craftsmanship. Another beautiful—and thoughtful—gift from my future husband. I sighed. If Wrath started wooing me, I wasn’t sure I’d recall all the reasons we weren’t a proper match. Of which there were many.
First, he was a prince of Hell, a mortal enemy to witches. Next, he was secretive and did not trust me any more than I trusted him with full disclosure. He also might feel lust around me, but that did not equal love. I wanted a true partner, an equal and confidant. Wrath would always hold his proverbial cards close, and I wasn’t sure he’d ever deal me in. Given the tenuous nature of our current relationship, I might never fully include him in my plans, either.
I removed the animal skulls and flower clips from around the crown of my head, then ran the comb through my loose curls, trying desperately to slow my pulse. It was no use.
I set the comb down and returned to my bedchamber, pacing so quickly around the room I almost worked up a sweat, too wound up to attempt sleep. As appealing as shoving my feelings aside was, I needed to sort through some of the tangle before I left for Envy’s House.
Wrath was a handsome, unwed prince, and he was no doubt highly sought after by all eligible ladies of the nobility. He was a bit aloof at times, and arrogant, but he was also charming and flirtatious when he wished to be. He’d once even called himself “His Royal Highness of Undeniable Desire.” And, goddess curse him, I could see how that was true. If he set his attention on someone, I doubted they would resist his romantic pursuit for long.
He approached everything strategically and it would only be a matter of time before the object of his desire happily surrendered to his careful seduction. He’d certainly been a generous lover in the Crescent Shallows, focusing on my needs as if that gave him ultimate pleasure to do so. In fact, I imagined he had his pick of all-too-willing bed partners before I entered his world. Some vying for his throne and power, others solely interested in his body.
I abruptly stopped pacing as another thought occurred to me, one that pricked like the little spikes on a crab shell when we served those at our trattoria. I’d thought of it earlier, and now it seemed to taunt me with larger implications.
Wrath hadn’t professed love or affection, only that we were well suited enough. While it wasn’t the romantic moment of my dreams, there was truth in his statement.
I knew him enough to know he would never force me into anything or interfere with my free will, and at least I wouldn’t be tied to the devil. But I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if there was someone else he’d prefer to wed. Before I’d accidentally summoned him and betrothed us, it was possible there had been someone in his bed and his heart.
Someone he might be thinking of now. When we first met, he’d made it abundantly clear how much he hated witches. Even if his feelings for me were thawing, it might not ever be enough for him to truly love me. Would he keep a mistress if we completed our marriage bond?
I didn’t like the pinch of discomfort that came with those thoughts.
No matter how hard I tried to quiet my brain, I couldn’t stop thinking of our passionate encounter in the lagoon and then outside his bedchamber. His hands on my body, my back pressed against the wall, his tongue claiming mine… in those moments he felt right.
But that didn’t mean he was. For a multitude of reasons. Passion and lust couldn’t erase the lack of trust between us or the secrets we both kept. A good relationship was built on a solid foundation of honesty, and I didn’t even know his true name.
Aside from the real possibility of Wrath never fully allowing himself to love me, I was unsure if I could ever fully allow myself to love him. Bed him, certainly. Marry, perhaps. But to let go of everything else and accept him as he was, with all of his secrets? I wasn’t as sure.
“Goddess help me.” This was disastrous.
I’d been willing to have a marriage of convenience with Pride. But only because it granted me access to his House and a better understanding of how his wife’s murder might tie in with Vittoria’s. Binding myself to Wrath… I was unsure how that would assist in my mission.