What a beautiful bride!" Amanda said as she approached our table that was apparently reserved for family…and myself.
"Thank you, Amanda," I said. "Although a bit more fabric would have been nice."
"Erebus, she is simply gorgeous," Amanda continued. Erebus looked at me sideways and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," he said, causing me to fight a blush. "She is, isn't she?"
I was shocked that he would admit a compliment so easily. But I was his wife, after all. I supposed it wasn't the worst thing in the world if he agreed that I wasn't hideous.
Not like I cared.
Erebus relaxed back into his chair, sprawling his legs in front of him in a nonchalant demeanor. His arm still rested across my shoulders. A predator staking claim on his prey.
A shiver shuttered through me.
The rest of the princes, Erebus's brothers, busied themselves with whispering and giggling, no doubt talking about their new sister.
They stole glances at Erebus every few seconds, but he didn't seem to spend a single second thinking about any of them. After my conversation with Azazel, I was skeptical. Although he seemed friendly enough, Erebus didn't trust him. I could tell by the way he sat next to me, tense and tracking every movement his brother made.
Erebus didn't even trust his family around me. Noted.
"Everyone is here?" Erebus asked Amanda in a low voice as she took a seat at the table.
She nodded. "Including the King of Menakashel."
A low growl escaped Erebus's throat at the name. I tuned in, suddenly interested in whatever quarrel they may have that would make Erebus react this way to him.
The killer of his past wives, perhaps?
If there was one thing I would listen to Erebus about, it was not to trust anyone. Not a single one of these wicked werewolves were off my list, which meant my guard was up.
Even if I had to pretend to be the stupid human who would laugh at any of their jokes.
Erebus shifted in his seat, and his leg brushed mine. If he noticed, he didn't seem to care. Or react.
He whispered something to Amanda, most likely about the King of Menakashel they had mentioned, and her eyes glanced over me once before she stood from the table and lost herself in the sea of guests.
"Something wrong?" I asked, hiding my nerves with strong words.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he said. Spoken like a true asshole, assuming I am too dumb to know anything of value.
But I bit my tongue.
Erebus moved to whisper in my ear, coming so close that his lips nearly brushed my skin. "What did I tell you about my brothers?" he asked.
I didn't back away as I turned my head slightly and replied, "I don't take orders from you, prince." If Erebus were to move an inch, his forehead would be touching mine. But he stilled where he was, challenging me with the darkness in his eyes, before finally leaning back in his chair once more.
This action alone drew dozens of eyes in our direction, including a few looks of jealousy from a couple different women around the room.
Impressive.
I didn't miss the way he interacted with the beautiful blonde werewolves as he was walking around the room earlier. But Erebus was the most powerful prince in the Caliphate. Surely, he had women throwing themselves at him for any chance at power.
And surely, he had taken them up on their offers from time to time.
I kept my gaze anywhere other than Erebus's brothers, especially Azazel, but I knew they could sense how nervous I was. I was sure they could hear every heartbeat. I was sure they could smell the sweat that glistened on my brow.
I was sure Erebus could, as well.
But my efforts of ignoring the brothers didn't last long.
"Care for a dance, sister," one of the princes said, rising from his chair and extending a pale hand in my direction.
I hesitated. After Erebus's warning, this was bold. But he didn't say a word, and everyone at the table locked their gaze onto me. It was a test, I was sure of it. The stupid human girl would be too terrified to dance with werewolf. Let alone a werewolf prince.
But like I said. I wasn't going to be that human. And my husband wasn't going to boss me around like I was his property.
"I must warn you," I said as I rose from my chair and took his hand. I could have sworn I heard Erebus growl once more, or maybe I had just imagined it. "I'm an awful dancer."
The rest of the brothers wore their shock on their faces. Even Azazel had a wicked grin of satisfaction from where he sat at the table. They were not expecting me to say yes.
"Then we must teach you the ways of the wolf's," the prince said mischievously before leading me to the dance floor.
My mother and I had learned to dance together, each of us taking turns on who was the boy and who was the girl. It had never come in handy for me, not until this moment.
Such was the love of a mother who made sure she taught her daughter little basic things of this vast world.
She was always better than I was while we danced, I had to admit. But the werewolf prince–not my husband–tugged my body to his and led me into a long, graceful waltz.
"My name is Rafiq, by the way," he whispered, each word tumbling off of his perfectly rounded lips. He was just as handsome as Erebus, each feature crafted with perfection. And he knew it.
"It's nice to officially meet you, Rafiq," I replied. He turned us around the ballroom, and his grip tightened on my hip when I nearly lost my footing.
"Relax," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you."
I tensed in his grip. "What makes you think I am afraid of you?"
He smirked. "I am sure you have heard the rumors by now. Are you not curious as to who your enemies are in this very room?"
I looked over his shoulder, stealing a few glances at the wandering eyes that were practically gawking at us on the dance floor.
Gawking at me.
"I suppose I have been curious, yes. Although I haven't yet crossed any of you off the list."
"Smart girl," he purred.
Looks aside, he was nothing like Erebus. Azazel hadn't been, either. That much was obvious. All the princes had an annoying arrogance to them, but Rafiq had something beneath his eyes that made my skin crawl. I was very aware of his cold skin touching my bare back.
I was also very aware of the knife that rested at my thigh.
"Why waste such a beautiful party if I am just going to be killed tonight, then?" I asked Rafiq quietly.
He laughed under his breath. "My dear brother doesn't plan on his wives being killed, Lady Genevieve. Besides, I think you might be his favorite," he said with a wink.
I scoffed. "Surely an entire ballroom full of capable, powerful werewolves would know who has assassinated not one, but three newlywed princesses." My words were bold but my nerves had finally settled. I was desperate for answers now.
I needed a plan.
The music changed, and Rafiq pulled me closer to his chest as he transitioned into the next dance. I was close enough to feel his breath on my face, but I wasn't going to back away. They wanted me to be afraid. They wanted me to back down.
That sure as saints wasn't going to happen.
I lifted my chin to face him, finding nothing but amusement strung across his face.
"Am I wrong?" I urged.
"Careful, Lady Eve," he whispered in my ear. "You're in a room full of men who won't like what you're implying."
"And what am I implying, exactly, Rafiq?"
A flash of something crossed his face. Anger? Annoyance? But it quickly disappeared. "You want to look out for yourself, I understand that," he said. "It's respectable. Especially in a house full of werewolves. But every time Erebus is wed, his wife is assassinated. If we knew who was doing it, we would stop it. Erebus would stop it. I don't think he quite likes weddings enough to repeat them every few years, to be honest with you."
I glanced back to our table to find Erebus staring at us, watching our every move. Watching Rafiq's every move.
I looked back to his brother. I didn't trust him, but he knew something. I could see it in his eyes.
"I like you Eve," he continued. My eyes widened. "The other humans have been so…boring. And it's been a while since we've had some excitement in this castle. So, I'm going to help you."
My eyes nearly rolled out of my head. "How can you help me?"
"Three doors to the right from here, there's an unlocked room. Meet me there at midnight and I'll tell you everything I know."
My heart was pounding. Rafiq kept tugging me across the dance floor. "But what about Erebus?"
Rafiq glanced at his brother before returning his gaze to me. "I know you think you can trust him, but be very careful. You don't trust me," he said, "and that's a wise choice. You shouldn't. You shouldn't trust anyone in this room, Eve."
"You tell me not to trust you yet you expect me to mysteriously meet you at midnight?"
He smiled. "Someone is going to try to kill you tonight. I think it might be your only option."
If Rafiq noticed the chill that ran down my back, he didn't show it. As he continued guiding me across the dance floor through the sea of people I couldn't trust, I began to realize the depth of the situation.
I couldn't trust a single person here. Not the person I was dancing with. Not Amanda, who had been so nice to me.
And not even my husband.