The mention of my engagement to Eryx hit like a blow to the stomach. I stiffened, my hands curling into fists beneath the table. Deyanira saw it. She always saw.
"He will behave," I say, looking to Kharis sternly. He holds my gaze, those eyes darkening, his frustration apparent but his eyes and head drop.
Deyanira watches us, her brows tugging down into a frown but her mask of amusement falls back into place. "How does it feel?" Her honeyed voice does not fool me. She sips from her cup, looking at the one I have not drank from in a while.
"How does what feel?" I ask lightly as though lifting the cup to my lips didn't cause my insides to burn and shrink. Kharis' body tenses but he refrains from doing anything. "Mother, you should speak your words more clearly."
