Colton~~

I sit with the others in the Preeminence's living room where we were shown when we first arrived. Vienna's seated between me and the couch's armrest while Percy and Elisana are on my other side, not touching, but not avoiding each other either. Everyone but me seems convinced she's innocent.

But look at the track record of this room. My girlfriend: former rebel. Jonas's wife: former rebel.

In the loveseat, Jonas rests his hand on Iris's thigh covered by her green dress. Sharing a bedroom has forced us into close quarters, which means we've all been trying to play nice. Percy and I still refuse to discuss their wedding aloud even if we're stuck guarding them at all hours of the day.

            The Veil never captured the intruder—another reason to think Elisana's guilty. She and Vienna sip at their tea. No one has spoken more than a few words since we sat down. I think our sleeping arrangement isn't proving fruitful for a goodnight's rest.

            From somewhere within the mansion, a door slams, and someone yells in what sounds like the voice of an older man. Tensing, I reach for Vienna's hand, but she's clenching her teacup in both, the pink liquid inside trembling.

            A servant rushes into the room, and once standing on the rug before us, he drops into a hasty bow. "Preeminence Torellae has arrived."

            Vienna looks up at me as I withdraw my hand. He has? It must have been unexpected because we weren't given warning.

"We will inform you when the Order is ready to see you."

            "Has the rest of the Order arrived as well?" Jonas asks.

            "Preeminence Torellae has called for them. I imagine they'll arrive in time for dinner tonight." With that, the servant bows and takes his leave.

Leaning back, I close my eyes. I hope the Preeminence doesn't want to see us tonight because I'd rather not petition him while he isn't in the best of moods or when the rest of his Order is weary from traveling.

            Percy reaches for his teacup on the coffee table. "I imagine his daughter has him frustrated."

"You think he was visiting her?" Jonas looks troubled. "Why wouldn't she have come here instead?"

            Percy raises the cup from its saucer. "They're family. Perhaps they don't need the formality of appearing before the Order to make her case."

Elisana angles herself toward him, still careful not to touch him. I don't know who they're trying to fool. Percy disappears a lot, and it's probably because he's making out with her behind a curtain. "Your family doesn't seem to have much formality with each other either."

            "Oh they do." Iris scoots to the edge of the loveseat, and Jonas's hand falls down the side of her leg. "They just know when to wield it like a knife."

Jonas presses a kiss to the side of her head. "When have I ever made you call me, Preeminence?"

"That was not what I was referring to."

He rubs her back and looks at all of us. "Could I speak with my brother alone for a moment?"

Something in me shrivels, my gut tightening. Usually, Jonas's requests to have conversations with me in private are nothing but foreboding of me getting yelled at.

But the rest of our group nods and silently makes their way from the room, like the traitors they are to my well-being, and my brother and I are left sitting on the two couches, completely alone.

I eye the door, wondering how long it would take me to dart across the room and out of it.

Jonas clears his throat. "I know you haven't been thrilled about me marrying. But I hope that if something happens to me and I don't make it back—"

"Jonas—"

He holds up his hand. "Let me finish. I need to know that Iris will be taken care of, that you're not going to let our wedding do anything to mar that you care for her."

"I'm not going to throw her out on the street, if that's what you're worried about."

            "It's not. I—I want to make it home. I do. But after the events of the other night, I'm not so sure I will."

"Iris isn't going to let you die defending her."

"Not everything can be controlled. I'm the real one Moretti wants dead, and if it comes to it, I . . ."

My fingers curl around the edge of the couch cushion. "You're not sacrificing yourself."

"I don't know what will happen. Just please take care of her. Get her off Amoria and bring her home. It's all I ask."

"If something happens to you, I will make sure she returns to Elleany, but I can't promise it will be me who brings her home." If Jonas loses his life to one of the Orders, I'll burn each and every single one to the ground.

"Colton . . ."

"Khaleedi, when I left you in Borilia, it was only because Leorus assured me your life wasn't in danger. It was part of our terms."

"Terms you have yet to explain to me."

I swallow. "If Leorus kills you, I can't promise I won't make every member of the Moretti Order beg for their Expiration Date."

He reaches for his teacup, but his hand trembles, and he pulls it back to him, empty. "Just make sure the Society knows she's my wife."

"I will. I can promise you that at least."

*****

We're asked to dine in a separate smaller dining room as the Preeminence and the rest of the Order wish to dine alone. It feels as if we've been regulated to the kids' table, and at any moment Tobias is going to spill his apple juice all over my lap, while Eli steals the bread from Sebastian's plate.

But tonight, my only cousin at this table is Percy, and I can't help the twinge of homesickness I feel. I shouldn't be missing my cousins, but I am. Sebastian's insults from another century, Riley geeking out over nostalgic sci-if movies, even Enzo's melancholy outlook on the world when he starts digging into his philosophy books.

I want them here, gathered around the table. I want to throw my head back and laugh with them and at them.

But instead I'm having to watch my only present cousin fall in love—no—lust with a woman I'm convinced is out to slit Iris's and Jonas's necks as they sleep. And now that it's Vienna asleep at night beside Iris, my apprehension has only increased.

I bring my soup spoon to my lips and take a sip of the creamy broth. One day soon, I'll be back in my own bed and married to Vienna. A human and not a random Amoris.

Jonas has dark circles under his eyes, and Iris has hardly touched her soup, but I don't think it's because she's not hungry—I think she doesn't like it. Honestly, if the cooks in Elleany would let her, she'd only eat pancakes and grilled cheese every day.

The doors open, and an attendant enters without food in hand. She drops into a bow. "The Order requests your presence after dinner for a drink in the lounge." She bows once more before leaving.

"They want to see us tonight?" A fist tightens around my stomach, threatening the soup I've already consumed.

"Surely it's only for a simple meet and greet." Jonas raises his spoon and takes a sip. "It's not a Senate meeting."

"We don't know how they do things here in Acquaellia." Iris pushes her soup around her bowl. "Maybe they have pool parties as Senate meetings."

Percy shakes his head reaching for his glass. "Just because they have a lot of water doesn't mean they're mermaids."

Elisana snorts before her cheeks flame red.

Vienna settles back in her seat, cupping her drink. "So, you've never seen one of them turn into a mermaid then?"

Across the table, Percy slides his eyes to her, looking entirely bored. "Of course not."

"Then you can't prove they aren't."

Percy glares at me. "Cousin, your girlfriend is bothering me. Please do something about it."

I tap my finger against my knife I have yet to use during dinner. "No, I don't think I will."

With his napkin, Jonas wipes at his mouth before dropping it back into his lap. "Remind me how I got stuck with you two as my Iota and Beta."

The doors open again, and this time it's attendants entering to clear the soup bowls and to bring out the main course, roasted vegetables and braised meat that glistens. The smells wafting off the plate trigger my hunger that I thought I had lost.

Once they have left, Jonas cuts into the meat on his plate. "Let's not be nervous. Think of this as only an extra chance to win them over."

After we finish our dinner, we're shown into a lounge where a fire crackles in a hearth a man leans against. The rest of the Order are spread throughout the room. The man at the fireplace peels away from his post and makes his way toward us. Besides for Jonas, I and the rest of our group bows or curtsies. My brother only inclines his head to the man who bows to us, which means he's not the Preeminence.

His dark hair falls in waves to his shoulders, his skin a dark black. On top of his head, he wears a white laurel wreath. "Preeminence Blackwood." It's a good sign he's using Jonas's title. "I am the Beta of this Order. On behalf of all of us, I welcome you, the Beta, the Iota, and the rest of your companions to Acquaellia. I assure you we are absolutely aghast that you were attacked in our Preeminence's home. No intruder should have been able to bypass his security. We're terribly sorry." If it's the Beta greeting us, where is the Preeminence?

"Please do not trouble yourself. My wife and I are"—my brother exchanges a look with Iris—"all too familiar with this sort of thing as this point."

The Beta's eyes slide to Iris. "Wife?"

A smile spreads across my brother's face. "Please allow me to introduce my wife, Iris Blackwood." He sounds so happy.

"I did not know congratulations were in order." His eyes drop down, I imagine to their arms where their new marks are barred.

"It was very recent."

An Order member steps forward and drops into a bow. The flames from the fire flicker against the side of his face, limning his light tawny beige skin in highlights.

"Our Douze," the Beta says.

The Douze rises. "Allow me to open one of my best bottles of wine to celebrate the occasion and to offer our apologies for your ordeal since you've arrived."

I'm still apprehensive but this is going better than I expected.

Soon we're all seated in whatever seats we can find scattered throughout the room, Jonas, Iris, and this Order's Beta and Douze drinking very old wine. Acquaellia's Order might not be able to tell because she hides it well, but by the way the skin beside her eyes creases after she takes a sip, I know she doesn't like the wine.

            The door swings open, and a new man stalks inside, his face twisted in disgust.

            I clench my glass of whiskey. This must be the Preeminence, Rydersin's father.

            He makes his way to a bar cart and pours himself a glass of the same whiskey I'm drinking. "Have you already told them, Carlisle?" He doesn't face us, busy with finishing preparing his drink.

            The Beta's shoulders roll back, and he lowers his wine glass. "We haven't."

            The Preeminence swings around, glass in hand and crosses the room until he's in the center of it. "Then allow me to not waste anymore of our time. Preeminence Blackwood." His eyes fix on my brother who stands and offers him a nod, his back tight. "The Morettis don't want you to remain Preeminence. The twelve of us have spoken and decided we will not be supporting their decision." He tips back his drink, finishing it off and rounds on me. "And you, Beta, I don't trust why Leorus wants your sister's heir to be Elleany's future Preeminence, and so"—he sneers—"we'll be declining your request."

It wasn't my original plan to have them say no to Colton. This was a night-before-I-started-writing-this-chapter decision.