The daughter of his soul and the son of his blood had married yesterday. He’d told Ladvarian he was delighted, and he was. But in the privacy of his own heart, he could acknowledge a nip of hurt that he hadn’t been asked to witness that bond. A father’s wish to share the important moments in his children’s lives.

And yet, he understood the reason behind this secret wedding. It didn’t matter that Jaenelle was no longer the Queen of Ebon Askavi. Her decision to take a husband would create ripples throughout Kaeleer. Even if the guest list was contained to the Blood who had made up the First and Second Circles of the Dark Court, it would take weeks to plan the celebration that would follow the simple ceremony. For two people who wanted, or needed, to make a formal commitment to each other now, waiting in order to plan a party would have been intolerable.

Especially for Daemon. Because Daemon Sadi’s loyalty began and ended with Jaenelle Angelline. The fact that someone was trying to give Jaenelle a reason to break all ties with him indicated the Blood in Dhemlan still didn’t realize the kind of man they were dealing with. And that frightened him. The only thing restraining the power and temper of a Black-Jeweled Warlord Prince was a woman whose own power was, as yet, undetermined. If the rumors spreading through Amdarh and, by now, through the other courts in Dhemlan, provoked Daemon into striking out indiscriminately, there was no one, including himself, strong enough to stop him.

The bloodbath could be horrific.

So it was prudent of Jaenelle to marry Daemon in a way that required little fuss to give him the assurance that he wouldn’t lose her.

Saetan scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed. With things balanced so precariously right now and so dependent on Daemon’s state of mind, he just wished he had the answer to the question the coven, the boyos, and even Lucivar had been asking over the past few months.

If the kindred had truly succeeded in holding onto Jaenelle so that she would heal and come back to all of them, why had she come back different?

ELEVEN

1

Lektra dropped her cup, oblivious of the tea seeping into the white tablecloth as she twisted around to stare at the two women seated at the next table in the dining house.

“I—I beg your pardon,” Lektra stammered. “I didn’t mean to overhear your conversation, but . . . Daemon Sadi is getting married?”

The woman Lektra recognized as the Priestess in Zhara’s First Circle nodded. “Lady Angelline and Prince Sadi came to Lady Zhara’s court this morning and announced they were going to marry in a month.”

“But I . . . I thought Lady Angelline was an invalid.” Lektra gripped the back of her chair so the other women wouldn’t see her hands shaking.