The walls of my room were the same onyx that made up the rest of the castle, so smooth that I could see my reflection. But instead of the silver, gray and purple hues that seemed to be everywhere else, the furniture in this room was made up of the same red and gold colors of my house. Connected to my room was a large wardrobe with dresses on display that were neither the elegant gowns of my people or the crass leathers of the Deabru, instead some strange hybrid of the two styles. An attempt at both elegance and function.

It was clear he was serious about his plan to unite our peoples. Every aspect of my quarters was a testament to that goal. But it wasn't that simple. Sanguinese women submitted to their husbands in all things. If the truce failed and war broke out once again, could I massage my husband's back and wash the blood of my people off his aching limbs?

That would be the vow I'd have to make and if I didn't believe I could do it, I wouldn't even be able to utter the words. Killing me would be so much... cleaner. I would only have to wear the mask for as long as my execution took. If I agreed to marry him, I'd have to wear the mask for the rest of my life. And being an immortal being, short of accident or murder, that would be a very long time.

The idea of taking him to my bed and having his little winged droppings wiggling out of me, made me want to fall to the ground and weep in despair. And what about Maxwell? Mourning my loss was one thing. The news of me marrying another man would destroy him.

As strong as I was trying to be, I could feel my heart shattering into fragile pieces inside my chest.

Why hadn't Julian married me off to some noble years go? All of this could have been avoided. His deep affection for Max kept him from using me to form a political alliance with some other kingdom. At the time, I couldn't complain, I had no desire to surrender my will for the pleasure of another even if it was considered the greatest honor a woman could aspire to. Though part of me desired it, I could never marry Max because he was my lesser. He was safe.

Now I wished with all my heart my brother had married me off to some elf or fae or even a dwarf. Anything to spare me from what I had to do. And I knew I had to accept. If the only other option was war, the choice I was being given wasn't a real choice at all.

I crawled into the massive bed, and curled up under the soft silk sheets letting them curl around me in false comfort. I didn't even bother removing my dress. I was just so weary, both physically and emotionally. I needed to rest. Though my mind raced with the new twists of my fate, sleep found me quickly and I succumbed to it willingly. Anything to distract my frayed thoughts was welcomed with open arms.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of curtains being torn open. Blinding white light flooded the room and beamed brightly onto my face. Squinting I made out a woman in front of my window. She seemed different than other Deabru women, instead of tight leather, she wore a loose linen dress. Her red curls were tied up in a bun instead of falling over her shoulders and her dainty wings hung behind her like a cloak.

When I sat up, she attempted to curtsy. She'd clearly never even seen a curtsy let alone attempted one, but I appreciated the gesture. "Good morning, your majesty," she said in a sing-song voice. "I am Leya, your lady-in-waiting."

She waved at the door and in walked five young women who got to work tending to me and my room.

As two of the girls undressed me, Leya walked over to my wardrobe. "Have you decided what you want to wear today, my lady?"

I had had my eye on one dress in particular after seeing them, whatever the reason it stuck out to me more-so than the rest.

"I like the blue one, with the chain belt." The cut of it reminded me of an upside-down flower.

Leya retrieved the dress, carrying it across her arms, careful of the delicate fabric. "That's one of my personal favorites also. When I explained to the seamstresses your unique needs, I thought the one that designed this dress had understood particularly well."

My unique needs? "Why not have them make dresses in the style of my people, or better yet, why not be clearer about why I was coming here and I would have brought my own clothes."

She smiled as she laid the dress across the bed. "So had you known you were coming here to marry the king, you would have come anyway? That bodes well for me in the betting pool. I don't think the king intended to mislead you. If you understand that executing a helpless woman for something she had no part in isn't something that any of us would do, then the intent behind the king's request becomes apparent. I'm sure next time he'll factor in how little your people think of us and will be more explicit in his desires."

Her tone was so chipper, her eyes so bright, it was almost like she wasn't insulting me. "So you bet that I would accept his offer?"

She was right, I would. Not that I had much choice.

"No, my lady. Everyone is assuming you'll accept the offer. The bets are on how many times you protest before doing so."

I hated these people. Leya was quite possibly the least annoying of all of them, and I still wanted to slap her.

If my people stood half a chance against a flying warrior race, I'd be planning my escape already. After I was dressed, my servants took care of my hair and makeup, until finally I was ready to throw myself at the king's feet in front of the entire court.

I quietly gave myself a brief pep talk and practiced my half-smiles before leaving my quarters. I was going to need them if I planned on making it through this.

Standing outside my room was a sandy haired man with ruddy wings in full military garb. I turned to Leya, "I guess the king isn't so confident of my acceptance if he's sent a soldier to make sure I don't run away."

The man took a step forward and bowed, "Your majesty, I'm Tinnen, Commander of the queen's guard. I just wanted to introduce myself and see if you needed anything."

"I have a queen's guard?" My eyes narrowed skeptically. "Are you here to protect me or report back to him?"

Leya answered before Tinnen could, "My lady, everyone in your service is oathbound to you. The king made sure only people who supported the alliance were assigned to your household. We all want you to succeed."

His people wanted us to succeed? As off putting as it felt, I was in shock that they would care as much as they appeared to.

As I headed to the throne room, the reality of it all hit me. This was really happening. Soon I would be wife to my most hated enemy, queen to a race of people whose very existence sickened me.

Never had my garment been so light, yet my steps so heavy.

The room was filled with chatter until nobles began to notice my arrival. One by one they quieted and by the time I stood before the king, there was dead silence.

I clasped my hands together to keep from fidgeting as I willed myself to look up at the man I was soon to marry. "I have considered your proposal and I accept."

Half the room burst into applause. The other half glared. I felt a sort of kinship with the ones that glared. They wanted this about as much as I did.

Zuriel stepped off his throne, still towering over me. If not for the gentleness of his smile, he would have been unbearably intimidating. "Excellent. The ceremony is scheduled at midday and after that there will be a feast."

Today? The wedding was a few hours away! "I need time to prepare! Arrangements have to be made!"

He waved me off. "Everything has been taken care of. Unless there is someone you'd like to invite, Julian perhaps, then things could be postponed long enough for him to get here. But otherwise, I'd like to get this done before you have time to reconsider."

There was no way I'd announce in the middle of Deabru court that the Sanguine king had gone missing. Though if Zuriel had spies in our court, he probably already knew about my brother and his offer was his way of pointing out exactly how vulnerable me and my people were.

Defeated, I replied with barely a whisper, "No, if it pleases you to have the ceremony today, then we shall have it today."

He clapped his hands together. "Yes, that pleases me very much, little wife." And kissed me on the cheek. The warmth of his lips on my cheek sent electric waves through my body. I paid the sensation no mind. Of course, I'd physically react to his handsome features and commanding presence, it was my mind that understood what kind of monster his kind were, not my body.

"May I be excused to prepare for the wedding?" I couldn't sit in that room for hours pretending to be happy about what was to come.

He tilted his head to the side with pinched brows and spoke in a softer tone, "You don't need my permission. You are the future queen of the Deabru, you may come and go as you please."

I took that as a yes, gave a quick curtsy to my soon-to-be lord and master and hurried from the throne room as fast as my legs would take me.

Leya and Tinnen followed after me. "Are you alright, my lady?"

No, I wasn't alright. I was anything but. However, I couldn't say that, so I changed the subject. "Did you win your bet?"

"No, I bet five gold you'd give at least one excuse before agreeing to the marriage."

"You should have told me. I'm sure I could have come up with something."

She laughed. "What's the fun of gambling if you're going to cheat? Speaking of gambling, you look like someone in need of a distraction. Do you play cards?"

I stopped in my tracks. "How much do you have on you?"

By the time I needed to get ready for the ceremony I'd already cleaned out three of my handmaidens and most of my guards.

"I don't understand how someone who can't lie is so good at bluffing," complained Tinnen as I stacked the last bit of his coin.

"It's because I can't lie that I'm so good at misleading, after all, every good lie has a bit of truth."

As individuals, I liked Leya and Tinnen. They were warm people going out of their way to make me feel welcome. I wasn't so naive to think just because I hated a species, I'd hate every single person of that species. Regardless of how I felt about the Deabru chosen specifically to get me to feel positively about them, that didn't change the fact that they invaded our lands, burned our villages, killed my father and caused the death of my mother.

There was a huge difference between a friendly card game and giving birth to them. But it was the duty of every princess to sacrifice for her people. So I'd do what was required of me.

Compared to Sanguinese ceremonies, Deabru weddings were simple. Back home my dress would require twenty women to carry my train, ten on each side and the ceremony itself would take four days of feasts and sacrifices and vows.

Instead, I met Zuriel on the highest tower of the castle—alone. He took my hands in his and swore before the gods to cherish and provide for me. Though I knew the vows weren’t of his own words something about them struck me. They were still beyond sincere and honest. At least that was how he portrayed them. There was no hint of hatred in his eyes. As he made his pledge to me, he looked at me as though I was the most precious being in creation. It made me feel confused and conflicted. I pushed my feelings aside, ignoring my body’s reaction and carried on with my own. When Leya explained to me the vows Deabru women make to comfort and counsel, I almost laughed. What man would want that? Taking the same liberties, Zuriel took with my clothes, I instead altered my vows to represent both cultures swearing to honor, comfort and obey.

Zuriel had just the slightest grimace at my changes before quickly recovering. Maybe he misunderstood and thought I meant as his wife I'd bring him honor, when I meant I'd honor him. I made a mental note to clear things up in the future. I didn't want him thinking he was saddled with a presumptuous wife.