Unraveled (14 page)

“My flair? That’s sort of the pot calling the kettle black,” I say.

“Don’t worry, I’m not looking to be friends with you, Adelice,” Maela says.

“That’s a relief. I’m not taking applications.”

“And yet you let someone like Pryana into your quarters without a second thought.”

“Pryana is a friend.” It’s not exactly the truth, but it’s close.

“You should reconsider who you trust,” Maela warns me.

“That means a lot coming from someone I don’t trust.”

“I have nothing to gain by lying to you.” Maela leans forward as though she’s sharing
an intimate bit of knowledge. “Cormac does. Pryana does. Even Erik does.”

“Erik isn’t here to lie to me,” I say, managing to get the words past the lump in
my throat.

“Your trust has trapped you,” she says.

“What trapped you, Maela? What made you into such a frightened little bird?” I ask.
Doesn’t she know she’s in a cage, not in control? Can’t she see the bars and locks
and secrets that keep her here?

Maela flashes me a pert smile, something wild peeking from behind her eyes. But before
she can answer me, a tutting noise distracts us both from the fight. Cormac stands
in the doorway. I’m not happy he’s caught Maela torturing me. When Cormac has gotten
involved in the past, it only led to more trouble from Maela. Now I know why, of course.
But knowledge is far from power.

Maela avoided my question before, but the answer is written all over her face when
she looks at Cormac. If I thought her capable of it, I might almost believe it was
love smoldering in her eyes. Now I know why she never rose further. She built her
own prison.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your visit,” he says. “I was told Adelice was alone.”

“Believe me, you aren’t interrupting anything,” I say. “Maela was leaving.”

Maela gives a hollow laugh as she stands. But when she brushes past Cormac, her fingers
slide across his shoulder and she whispers something I can’t quite hear.

When she’s gone, I raise an eyebrow.

“You don’t want to know. Maela and I…” He doesn’t finish the thought, but I don’t
need him to.

“I don’t care about either of your sordid pasts,” I assure him.

“You should. You are marrying me, after all.”

“To what do I owe this very unexpected pleasure?” I ask, changing the subject from
his past conquests. “I haven’t ordered dinner yet, but I certainly could.”

“No, don’t bother. I’m here on official business. I won’t bother you for long.” But
even as he says it, he shrugs off his jacket and throws it over a chair. Next he’ll
pour a drink. Then he’ll avoid my questions. Our interactions here have become like
clockwork.

“You aren’t bothering me,” I lie in a practiced tone that reeks of obedience and inferiority
and all the things he craves from me.

Cormac reaches for his jacket and retrieves a thin box. “A gift for our upcoming engagement
gala.”

“You shouldn’t have,” I say as I lift the lid to find a pair of shimmering black satin
gloves.

“I’m told gloves are coming back into fashion, and my future wife should be the height
of style.” He pulls at his bow tie, loosening it a little without taking it off.

“Thank you. They’re lovely.” I lay the box aside, knowing this isn’t why he came.
He could have sent the gloves with my aesthetician. “Why are you here?”

“There are concerns for your safety within the Ministry,” Cormac says.

“You have me in total lockdown in a building reinforced by Arras-knows-what technology,”
I remind him, pausing to allow him to contradict me. But when he doesn’t, I add, “I
could go on.”

“That’s quite enough,” he says. “In order to keep public focus on the wedding, I will
need you to travel. Therefore I’m bringing in someone to keep an eye on you … to protect
you.”

“To watch me,” I correct him.

“Damn it, Adelice. Do you want to get killed?” He’s yelling at me, his fingers balling
into fists, but all I can do is stare at him. Calmness sweeps over his face, and he
continues in a slow voice. “Believe it or not, I don’t want you killed by some revolutionary.”

“You think the Agenda will kill me?” I ask, shaking my head at the ridiculous idea.

“The Agenda is unpredictable. I think they might try to take you away. Not only would
that void our agreement, but it would also undo everything we’ve worked for.”

“You’re being overprotective,” I say, grinning at his choice of words. Even in private
moments, Cormac is such a politician. But then he grabs my arm and shakes me so hard
that my vision goes blurry.

“Don’t laugh at me,” he warns, cold fury creeping into his words.

I wrench myself away and stare at him, trying to focus. What was that about?

“I wasn’t laughing at you,” I say.

His eyes remain furious but after a few minutes he calms down and showers me with
a litany of apologies.

“So I’ll have my own guard?” I ask.

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ve always wanted a guy in a suit to follow me.”

“Alixandra is hardly a guy,” he scoffs.

“Alixandra?” I repeat, narrowing my eyes.

“Did you think I’d leave you alone with a boy after what happened before?” he asks
me.

He has a point. Not that I’m looking for romance at the moment. “I’m surprised you
trust a woman with something as important as this.”

“Alixandra knows her place,” Cormac says. “Maybe you can learn a thing or two from
her.”

“When do I meet her?” I ask.

“She’ll arrive tomorrow and then escort you to the gala at the end of the week. She
will remain with you at all times.”

“Like when I go to the bathroom?” I ask.

“Of course.”

“Will she watch me sleep?”

“And floss your teeth, if I ask her to,” Cormac says, cutting off my questions. “You
aren’t being cute, darling.”

“I’m not aiming for cute.”

“I won’t allow anyone to hurt you—not even yourself.”

“Then what about our deal?” I plead.

Cormac brushes off my objections and picks up his jacket. Before he leaves he says
something I already know.

“Deals change.”

FOURTEEN

T
HE ENGAGEMENT GALA IS A TYPICAL
G
UILD
affair right down to the flashing cameras and my choreographed entrance into the
Northern Ministry on the purple carpet. Pressed linen tablecloths and structured flower
arrangements are displayed carefully around a slate-gray dance floor. Even my gown
had to be approved by Cormac in advance—a gray silk dress that skims my negligible
curves and swishes in soft waves to my feet. It’s beaded with silver crystals in triangular
patterns that accentuate my waist and catch the dim light in the hall. Martinis are
passed on trays. I grab one immediately but put it down after I taste it.

“Don’t be wasteful,” Cormac says, motioning to the abandoned drink. He presses his
hand against the small of my back.

“Cormac!” A tall woman in a wine-colored gown dashes over and throws her arms around
him, startling us both.

“Dawna, how nice to see you,” he greets her smoothly as he pries himself out of her
embrace. His eyes scan her vibrant dress, and then narrow. She must have broken his
carefully articulated dress code.

“Your bride has such lovely taste,” she says as she motions to the ballroom filled
with Cormac-style objects, and I realize she must not know him very well. Anyone who
did would see this is all Cormac’s doing.

“She does indeed,” he responds. He looks past Dawna, scoping out the crowd for someone
more important to speak with.

“Actually,” I say, plastering a smile on my face, “Cormac planned the entire event.”

“But Cormac, you have to let the bride plan these things. It is her wedding after
all.” Dawna tut-tuts at the end for emphasis.

Me plan the big day? Not if either of us has anything to say about it.

“Would you like that, Adelice?” Cormac says, and he shoots me a look that says,
Two can play this game.
He can fake the doting fiancé bit, too.

“I wouldn’t dare dream of questioning your wishes.” I push the words out of gritted
teeth, never once letting my smile slip from my face.

“I see how she landed you,” Dawna says, smacking me a bit too hard on the shoulder.
“Such a lucky girl.”

“Aren’t I, though?” I murmur, smoothing a wrinkle from my long satin glove.

“These are darling.” Dawna brushes her hand over my wrist. “Are gloves coming back
in fashion?”

My eyes flicker to Cormac, but he’s busy searching the crowd. “So I’m told.”

“Then I must get myself a pair,” she says.

“Pardon us, I see Minister—” Cormac doesn’t even bother to finish his excuse before
he pulls us from her clutches. As soon as we’re a safe distance away, he twists my
wrist. “Stop telling everyone you don’t want to marry me.”

I pull against his grip but fail to extricate myself. “I didn’t say that to anyone,
and we’ve only spoken to one person so far. Stop being dramatic, darling.”

“We need the four sectors focused on the wedding—”

“Three,” I remind him softly. “There are three sectors now.”

“Of course,” he snaps. He tugs at his bow tie, but I bat his hand away.

“Don’t undo that. Everyone will assume you’re drunk already and then they’ll think
you
don’t want to marry
me
.”

“It’s tricky, isn’t it?” Cormac asks.

“What?”

“Pretending you want to marry someone. Stressful even.”

Before we can break up at our engagement gala, a group of men approach.

“Shut up and smile,” he orders.

Thanks for the reminder.
This is already turning out worse than I feared.

I lose track of who is who and who runs what, and eventually give up on keeping each
new person straight. Enora quizzed me on this once, I realize with a pang, but so
much has happened since then. And she’s not around to help me now. I turn my attention
to the crowd instead. In the two years that I’ve been away from Arras, it looks like
Cormac’s been cleaning house. I spot Alixandra watching me out of the corner of my
eye. I couldn’t get away from Cormac now if I tried.

I consider going over to her. She’s the only person I recognize here. Although, after
nearly a week under her protection, I’ve discovered that Alixandra is not a talker.
She dresses like a Spinster when we’re together and the official story is she’s my
personal assistant. But everyone knows she’s my security detail. She broods even in
a ball gown—though I’m still not buying the story that Cormac is worried about my
safety. She’s not my bodyguard.

She’s my chaperone.

Alixandra is petite with long blond hair and a button nose. It’s not going to be hard
for her to stay undercover, but I still can’t imagine she’d actually be able to fight
if it came to it. But looks can be deceiving. If Cormac trusts her, she has to be
deadly. I know little else about her.

The afternoon we met her eyes swept over me, sizing me up with a cool disinterest.
I had the distinct impression I’d failed whatever test she’d administered.

“I’m Adelice,” I finally said, as she continued to watch me. I stuck my hand out,
feeling it was proper.

Alixandra didn’t shake my hand. She circled around me.

“So you escaped the Guild,” she said in a cold voice.

“I’m not interested in discussing my history with you.” If she wanted to dredge up
the past, I didn’t have to participate, but even so, my fingers traced my techprint
for comfort.

“I’m not interested in your smart mouth,” she said, her voice never rising above the
same steady tone. “You ran off with two boys.”

“Two brothers as a matter of fact,” I said. I had no idea why she was insisting on
talking about that.

“Yes, I know.” Alixandra stopped in front of me. We were about the same height, but
something fierce in her eyes made me shrink back. “I’m surprised Cormac is marrying
you.”

“Join the club,” I said, biting my lip. Most people were nice to my face. But I knew
most of Arras must disapprove of Cormac marrying someone as young as me. Alixandra
was the first person to show it.

“I mean, he can’t believe that you kept purity standards while you ran around down
there, can he?”

“He can,” I retort, tilting my chin up defiantly, “because I did.”

“Is that true?” she asked.

“It is.”

“I’ve seen those boys. I’m surprised.” Nothing about the conversation was friendly.
I wasn’t sure if she believed me about the purity standards, and I definitely wasn’t
sure why she would even care.

“It’s important that you realize I’m not your friend, Adelice,” Alixandra told me.
“My job is to keep you secure and to keep you out of trouble.”

“I’m not planning to get into any trouble,” I said. I meant it. Making things difficult
at the Coventry or in Arras didn’t fit into my plans. I hadn’t come back to make trouble.
I knew if I wanted to keep the people I loved safe, I needed to play along.

“I’m glad to hear that, but all the same, remember I’ll have my eyes on you,” she
said.

Alixandra didn’t like me. That much was clear.

“So you’ll be with me at all times?”

“Yes, per Cormac’s instructions,” Alixandra said.

“And after we’re married?”

“I’ll do what he asks me to do. I wouldn’t count on him relaxing the security surrounding
you, though, especially once children come along.”

I gagged a little, but managed to cover it with my hand. Children hadn’t been part
of our discussions.

“You don’t look excited about having children,” Alixandra noted.

I wasn’t. “Things are happening very quickly. It’s a lot to take in.”

“Cormac will want an heir, of course, and then…” She let her words trail away and
didn’t finish her thought.

I wanted her to continue, but I couldn’t stomach any more talk of my future with Cormac.
I avoided conversation after that.

“Adelice!” Cormac’s voice calls me back to the present, and I blink at him. “Minister
Swander asked you to dance with him.”