“Grumpackers,” I murmured quizzically to myself as I stole down the hall away from the door to the chamber that everyone was calling the East Salon.

Allera might’ve told me to keep my distance, but she was insane if she truly believed I could actually follow through with such an idiotic command.

Because, really? Stay away from my one true love? Ha! The idea was pure madness.

And what the hell were grumpackers, anyway?

I didn’t have a clue but I was about to procure a shitload of them.

In the few hours I’d been in Donnelly, my life had taken a vast change in direction. A day ago, I had thought my biggest obstacle would be adjusting to life in a new kingdom and keeping my sister and myself alive. But today? Survival? Assimilation? Who the fuck cared about those things?

Today, everything revolved around her.

Lady Vienne.

After pleasuring myself last night before sleep and again this morning when I woke, that part of me felt appeased enough to help me realize it wasn’t even exclusively a sexual desire for her that drove me. I mean, sure, whenever we were in the same room together, I was pretty much in a constant state of arousal. Last night at dinner had been particularly…painful. We’d actually shared eye contact, serious, intense, I-just-fucked-you-a-hundred-different-ways eye contact. It’d been a trial to ignore the hard, pulsing heat in my trousers.

But when she wasn’t near, the yearning for her switched from a physical to a mental curiosity. I couldn’t just forget about her, because the tug from my mark refused to let me, always letting me know which direction I could head to find her, which I thought should’ve been irritating or intrusive but for some reason seemed to calm me with a certain kind of knowing, as if a sixth sense had been awoken inside me.

Whenever I was sick and temporarily lost my sense of smell, everything always felt crisper, clearer, and more vivid again when it finally returned. This was the only comparison I could equate to this new sensation I had. It was like a new door to the world had opened to me, and I was finally working at full capacity. Which was why I needed to know more about the woman who’d caused it.

I didn’t want to say I loved her, for that kind of claim felt all wrong. She was a stranger; I knew nothing about her. How could I love her? But I did feel lust toward her, a lust like I’d never experienced before. I felt an odd responsibility toward her and a loyalty that made no sense. And for some reason I couldn’t explain, I wanted to please her, which was just weird, but it remained an itching, constant craving that drove me, so… Grumpacker-buying, here I came.

Bounding down halls and stairs, I found my way to the exit of the keep, only to spot a familiar face across the bailey, milling among the workers, as soon as I stepped outside.

“Prince Brentley!” I called, actually relieved to see my future brother-in-law. Maybe he could assist me.

He looked up and immediately loped over. “Oy! Prince Urban. How are you? Having a good day, then?”

I nodded as I met him halfway across the courtyard. “As well as can be expected, I suspect. And please, feel free to dispense with all the prince jargon. I answer to simply Urban just as easily.”

The prince nodded, sighing as if relieved by the request. “Then I bid you to do the same for me.”

“Done.” When he looked as if he were going to head in the opposite direction, I rushed to dodge into his path. “Say, before you go about your business, is there perhaps a marketplace nearby you can direct me toward? I’ve a purchase I’m hoping I can make.”

“Certainly.” Brentley bowed before me. “In fact, I’d be honored to escort you there myself, if you want. There’s a…” He looked suddenly uncomfortable. “Actually I have a delicate matter I’d like to discuss with you.” Glancing around, he added, “In a more private setting than out here in the open, if you please. Maybe we could talk on the road.”

“Of course.” Curious as to what had him so uneasy, I splayed out a hand. “Lead the way.”

He cleared his throat, then nodded and started off. I stayed at his side as we crossed the bailey and headed toward the stables. After waiting for a stable boy to saddle our horses, we were up and riding side by side out through the front gate and over the moat before Brentley turned us toward the right, entering a path into the woods.

For some reason, I had thought putting distance between me and my one true love would dampen my urge to go to her, that it would ease the restless knowledge of her proximity. But the moment the warning of her nearness died away and I moved out of her range, an almost panicked alarm of another sort gonged through my chest. The reassurance my soul felt that she was close enough to reach in a crisis suddenly wasn’t so reassured. It wanted me to turn back until I could feel the sharp awareness of her again, so I could know she was okay. I felt unsettled, almost as if I were…lost.

I kept glancing back toward the drawbridge as the gate was being lifted into place behind us, wanting to return to the castle with a need that wouldn’t shut up.

Growing irritated with the nagging sensation, I muttered under my breath, “Stop it. She’s okay. She’s fine.”

Brentley glanced at me. “Of course she’ll be okay. Never fear, old mate.”

Startled that he’d not only heard me but that he’d responded and even knew what I was talking about, I swerved him an incredulous glance. Then I opened my mouth to sputter out some kind of… Well, hell, I’m not sure what I would’ve said. I just knew I wasn’t supposed to let anyone else but Allera in on the fact I was mated to the queen’s sister.

Was I supposed to lie and try to convince him I wasn’t really fated to her after all, or should I own up to the truth and pray he didn’t turn me in to his brother to be beheaded? Would they behead me if they knew? I wasn’t certain—it wasn’t as if I’d actually done anything wrong—but I didn’t exactly want to personally find out how offended these people became when you bonded to their noble women without their knowledge, especially when they were already married to someone else.

But then the prince added, “I chose two of my favorite guards to keep an eye on your sister. She’s quite protected.”

“My…?” I blinked, confused for a good five seconds before I realized we’d been talking about two entirely different ladies.

Then I cleared my throat, discomfited I hadn’t even thought to worry about leaving Allera unattended for a short while.

Smashing great guard of a brother I was being for her, huh?

God, I sucked.

“Good to know,” I said slowly. “Thanks.” Beyond ready to change the subject, I turned fully toward Brentley. “Say, is this private enough for our conversation?”

“Our…? Oh! Right. Our conversation.” He nodded, not making eye contact as he glanced around to find we were quite alone together on the road and shaded under the trees of the forest. “Yes. Yes, this is fine.” But he stalled another few seconds, his face turning red before he cleared his throat and said, “It’s about, uh, it’s about Princess Allera.”

When his voice faltered, I cocked an eyebrow and sent him a stern glance. “What about her?”

If he dared make a single complaint against my sister, I might not be able to hold my temper.

He flushed. “Well, it’s just… I mean… We weren’t exactly aware she’d been married previously until it was mentioned last night.”

“That’s right,” I said slowly. “This will be her second union. Is that a problem?”

“No! No,” he rushed to reassure me, offering a quick smile, only to flush and clear his throat. “Well… Not to me, anyway.”

“To your brother, then?” I guessed.

“No,” he said slowly, as if uncertain of that answer before sending me a rueful grin. “Not so much the king as…to our cousin, actually.”

“Ah,” I murmured. “Sir Soren.”

I should’ve guessed.

The prick had gotten a stick stuck up his ass last night when he’d learned my brother Erick’s wife, Ianna, had not been born noble. Poor Erick always took the piss from everyone outside High Cliff who knew about that. Of course it would offend Soren’s staid, delicate sensibilities to also learn Allera wasn’t coming to Brentley a fresh virgin.

“I wasn’t aware second marriages were looked down upon here at Donnelly.”

“Oh, they’re not,” Brentley assured me with a wave of his hand. “They’re not at all.”

“Then…” I tilted my head and squinted. “This is because she’s not…untouched?”

God, I really didn’t enjoy talking about my sister’s sex life.

“Well… That’s technically not an issue, either. I mean, it is, but only for the ruling class. And since I’m technically the king’s brother, which currently makes me next in line for the throne, until Caulder has a son, anyway, well…” Wincing, he shut his eyes and admitted, “I feel like a right git for even speaking of this aloud. I’m sure, in his day, my grandfather had a reason when he made such a decree. Something to do with making sure children born soon after the wedding truly belonged to the royal line, or some nonsense like that, but that doesn’t make much sense to me either. A spouse could just as easily stray after the wedding vows as they could before. So that’s not even a valid—”

“It’s alright,” I told him with a chuckle. Pointing to my mark, I admitted, “High Cliff has our own customs that don’t make much sense to me.”

His shoulders sagged with reassurance before he admitted, “I’m not sure why I even brought this up to you. I’ll still get to marry her. Caulder’s already signed the marriage alliance. He knows he’d start trouble if he tried to back out.”

Nodding my understanding, I said, “I’m glad you did tell me. It helps me to be aware of who thinks what of my sister.”

“Oh, I’m sure Soren still finds Allera of high regard and the utmost respect. There’s no esteem lost toward her at all, I swear.”

I grunted out my disagreement, certain Sir Soren’s regard for both me and my sister was anything but respectful.

“I must admit,” Brentley went on, clearing his throat as his face flushed red. “I’m glad the deal’s signed and set in stone. I’m quite sure I’d never find another woman as stunning as Princess Allera to marry me otherwise.”

I glanced at him, lifting a single eyebrow. When he flushed even more and turned his face away, I had to snicker. “Infatuated with her already, are you, old son?”

Brentley shook his head as if he wanted to deny such an embarrassing revelation, only to look at me with all earnestness a moment later. “She’s the loveliest woman I’ve ever met.”

With a hearty laugh, I shook my head and reached across the open space between our horses to slug him in the shoulder. “Give it a week. Her more annoying traits will start to shine through soon enough.”

But Brentley only shook his head. “I’m sure you’re only saying that because she’s your sister. If you saw her as I do, you’d be half in love with her too. She’s just so graceful, and kind, and personable, open, and full of so much life. And don’t get me started on her looks. Her body is—”

“Enough!” I cut in, holding up a hand and wincing for him to stop. I was all for listing a woman’s fine attributes… Until it came to my sister. “You don’t need to sell me. I’m glad you find her pleasing. As long as you treat her as well as you seem to adore her, I’ll be happy.”

“Oh, I will. I swear it. She’ll never want for anything. I’ll dedicate my entire life to—”

“Okay, okay.” This time, I laughed. He had it bad, didn’t he? Poor sap. “Do what you say, and we’ll be fine.”

“I will.” He nodded seriously before falling thoughtful. When a frown overtook his face, he mumbled, “She loved him a lot, didn’t she?”

He looked so crestfallen that Allera might’ve loved another that I actually wanted to reassure him and deny it. But I couldn’t lie. I decided I respected him too much for that.

“She did,” I said, setting a hand on his shoulder.

Brentley looked up as if that news crushed him.

I slapped his arm. “But he died nearly a year ago, and I know she’d like to move on with a pleasant, amiable fellow who might offer her a good life and possibly even some children someday.”

Brentley blushed as his lips quivered into a smile. “You think?”

“I know,” I assured him. “I have every confidence you can make her happy.”

With a nod, my soon-to-be brother-in-law breathed in a lungful. “I’ll do everything in my power to do just that.”

“Then I’ll do everything in my power to assist you in your accomplishments.”

Brightening and grinning like a fool, Brentley bobbed his head at me before blowing out his breath. “You know, I feared you’d be a lot less friendly with me about all this, seeing as I’m a stranger to you and about to marry your only sister.”

I shrugged, chuckling. “I’m not too concerned. I’ve sat down with men and finished an entire bottle of ale with them, comparing who bedded more women, before running my sword through their bellies and ending their miserable lives.” Grinning, I sent Brentley a congenial nod. “And that’s exactly what I’d do to you too if you ever hurt Allera. With the sharpest blade I own.”

Smile dropping flat and face going pale, Brentley slowed his steed to a stop as he gaped at me, clearly trying to decide if I was joking or not. When I gave no sign of jest, he gulped.

“Duly noted.”

“Good.” I nodded my head. “I’m glad we got that sorted.” My grin remained as I trotted ahead, out of the trees and toward a bend in the path that followed the moat around to the back of the castle. Once I reached it, I slowed to a stop, my mouth gaping open as I took in the village that appeared before me.

“My… God,” I uttered, not at all expecting what I saw. “It’s an oasis.”

We had walked at a steady decline through a path in the woods around the castle since exiting the walls, winding in a circular path around to the back where two high, beige mountains of sand rose majestically into the sky. But I hadn’t been able to see the valley between the mountains until we’d left the forest and curved around the last bend.

A tiny paradise locked away in the midst of a sweltering desert, the valley was full of green vegetation and a lake to one side. With the village sprawling throughout and merchant shops lining a main road into a center square, a market was in full swing, filled with vendors and consumers. The cottages and homesteads that branched out from there made the entire hamlet look like the design of an exotic tree.

“How…?” I started, shaking my head and unable to find the words.

“The sand mountains and surrounding desert hide it quite successfully, don’t they?” Brentley asked, returning to my side.

I turned to gape at him mutely.

“Welcome to the kingdom within the sand,” he said, back to smiling. Then my future brother-in-law clicked his tongue and set his horse back into a canter, moving toward the city.

“This is Mandalay,” he told me when I hurried to catch up. “The largest city in the kingdom. Not many people know of its existence, otherwise we probably would’ve had it stolen from us years ago.”

I had questions. So many questions. But all I could seem to muster was, “It’s gorgeous,” as I went back to gazing at it.

He glanced at me, his eyes twinkling. “Thank you. Have you heard our history before?”

I shook my head, suddenly curious to hear it now.

“Well… Our kingdom’s quite new, as I’m sure you know.”

I nodded. That’s about all I knew.

“Explorers had always shrugged this realm off as nothing but a hopeless, inhabitable desert, leaving it unclaimed for centuries. But a little over fifty years ago, two friends were banished from their clan in Lowden at roughly the same time Lowden had its civil war and the Graykey family took the throne there.”

I sent him a sharp glance. After fighting a two-year war with those very people myself, eventually overthrowing the current Graykey king and disbanding his reign until all of Lowden’s allegiance fell to my father, anything to do with that kingdom piqued my interest.

Brentley nodded. “I believe the two banished men were held responsible for the extinction of the dragons, or something to that extent. Anyway, the Graykeys of that time had them exiled and dumped at the edge of the Vast Desert. It was supposed to be a fate worse than death. But after they wandered for weeks, nearly dehydrating and starving to an unfortunate demise, they stumbled across this very valley. They settled in and thrived here for a year or two before claiming the entire ground as their own and sending for their families. Not long after that, the two discovered a way to use the sand in the region to make our rare and fine clear rock. So they set up a commerce for it, until others flocked to the area, making it prosper even more.”

“Remarkable,” I murmured, shaking my head. “And let me guess, one of the two first settlers was named Donnelly.”

“That’s right. Terran Donnelly. My grandfather. And the friend sent into exile from Lowden with him was named Wren Mandalay.”

“Strange,” I murmured, taking in the prosperous-looking valley. “One man got the village named after him, but the other got the crown and the entire kingdom named after him.”

“Ah, well…” Brentley chuckled a bit uncomfortably. “Grandfather Donnelly was always a bit of a showboat. Liked all the attention on himself. Besides, he dealt better with the people. Mandalay was much quieter, liked to keep to himself and was more the brains behind the operation. He watched and plotted, thinking everything through, while Grandfather made the grand, impulsive gestures that more people noticed. But aside from all that, they decided to marry off their children to each other, anyway, so they could share the power of the kingdom equally in the next generation.”

“Well, that makes sense, I guess.”

“Yes,” Brentley agreed. “Except they both ended up having only sons. Two sons for the Donnellys; that would be my father and his younger twin brother, Soren’s father. And one son to Mandalay.”

My eyebrows lifted, wondering how this Mandalay fellow had taken that defeat.

“So, they wrote a new edict,” Brentley went on, answering my silent query. “Arranging the wedding of their grandchildren, so the two families could unite there.”

A prickling awareness dotted my skin. “You mean…” I swerved my gaze to the city of Mandalay. “Vie—That is… I meant to say, the queen and her sister come from House Mandalay?”

“Exactly, so.” Brentley smiled and nodded as if congratulating me on my keen conclusion.

My mind raced, pieces of the puzzle coming together. I’d heard my one true love tell Allera her marriage had been arranged, but it hadn’t occurred to me until now to question why she’d been given to Soren. It all suddenly made sense, though. The two settlers of this realm finally had equal power with the Donnelly king and Mandalay queen. And any Donnelly-Mandalay heir would be considered quite honored.

Brentley’s description of Wren Mandalay made me understand Vienne more as well. Like grandfather, like granddaughter, I decided; they shared similar characteristics. Instead of the meek, shy woman I first thought her to be, I suddenly saw her as the stealthy, introverted brains behind the operation who watched and learned before acting. I had noticed she was reserved when I listened in on her talk with Allera, but now I remembered how she’d instantly mentioned that detail about how the magic faction had worked for rights to rejoin the kingdom when Allera learned they’d been banished. It was as if she had her ear to the ground and was personally keeping track of the situation.

I wondered what else she was monitoring around the kingdom. In fact, I wondered if she’d had a direct hand that no one knew about in starting those peace-communications herself between the king and magical kind. The idea seemed to fit her. I could already tell that many of the people closest to her seriously underestimated her. She could easily slip under their radar to mold and direct politics as she saw fit.

In that case, her union to Sir Soren would be extremely advantageous to her. It got her an in to the castle that being a mere sister to the queen wouldn’t. She now had a seat at the royal table and an ear to every discussion the king had with his top advisor. She’d be crazy to give that up.

A sour taste filled my mouth. Learning this was most distressing. It told me she would likely remain loyal to her husband no matter what she thought of the dick. Their marriage wasn’t about satisfaction for her; it was about the health of a kingdom. She needed to remain exactly where she was to keep the realm running smoothly.

Dammit.

Any stirrings of a plan I’d had to seduce her away from him so she could be with me seemed to crumble.

Still. Why did it have to be that pretentious asshat she’d been tied to? The man grated on every nerve in my body, and that had been before I knew he was wedded to my one true love. Now, I straight-up hated him. I think I would’ve been much more comfortable if she’d ended up with someone like—

Wait. Hold up.

As a new thought struck, I swerved my attention to Brentley.

“I find it curious,” I said. “That the two Mandalay granddaughters went to your brother and cousin, not to your brother and…you.”

“Oh. That.” Brentley laughed and shook his head. “Actually, yes, originally, Yasmin and Vienne were meant to marry Caulder and me, since we’re from the ruling line, but the evening before we were to visit and meet them, I fell quite ill. I puked my accounts up all night. They even sent for a healer to look me over. But she only claimed I must’ve ingested some rotten food, except…” He shook his head and let out a breath. “I don’t recall eating anything so foul as to cause that kind of reaction.”

I watched him, tempted to say, maybe someone put something in your food to sicken you on purpose… Someone who wanted to steal your spot in the royal lineage.

“Anyhow,” Brentley went on, shaking his head. “Soren was kind enough to go in my place.”

Oh, I’ll just bet he was.

I nodded, convinced even more than ever that Soren had been behind Brentley’s stomach ailment so he could secure himself a valuable Mandalay bride. The suspicion made me despise the dick even more for thinking of my one true love as if she were nothing but a prized possession, instead of a real human.

Glancing toward Brentley, I murmured, “So, you’re saying that if you’d only watched what you’d eaten, Sir Soren—not you—could be engaged to my sister at this very moment?” Because if Brentley had wed Vienne instead, then Soren would no doubt be the most available bachelor left in the family for Caulder to marry off to Allera.

Brentley laughed. “I hadn’t thought of that, but yes, I believe you’re right.” He gave a smiling nod. “Isn’t it funny how things work out? I must say, though, I’m happier with this outcome.”

I scored him with a hard glance for implying that anyone—even my own sister—was preferable to wed than my one true love. “You find fault with Lady Vienne?”

My hand fisted. I’d probably break his nose if he said yes.

But no. He flushed and immediately fumbled to say, “What? N-no! Not at all. There’s nothing at all wrong with Vienne. She’s quite one of my favorite people, I swear. Kind, compassionate, calm, steady. Incredibly easy to talk to. But… I just… That is to say, she’s like a sister to me, while Princess Allera is so full of...life. You know? She stirs a passion in me.”

I stared at him a moment. I was supposed to be happy he preferred someone else to my one true love. I was supposed to be delighted he found my sister enchanting. But I could only feel insulted for Vienne’s sake. It seemed impossible that any man would not prefer her above any other.

Sniffing out my mood, I trotted ahead of Brentley, entering the outskirts of the town and taking in the ambiance of Village Mandalay. It was friendly. About as friendly and clean and new as the Iron Castle. The chatter was loud, boisterous, and upbeat as merchants tried to sell their wares to the villagers. All the people seemed buoyant and in good spirits, not dragged down with any kind of oppression or poverty.

The air was temperate and quite comfortable, too. It didn’t possess the unbearable heat we’d experienced on the journey through the Vast Desert to reach the Iron Castle. This small place was like a whole other world locked away inside the Outer Realms. The kingdom within the sand, indeed. I decided that if Lady Vienne really was working in underhanded measures to keep this place running smoothly, then she was doing a damn fine job. She needed to stay exactly where she was to help preserve something so pure and healthy.

And though the very idea filled me with a sense of desolation because it told me I would therefore never have her for myself, it also made me proud of her accomplishments and more determined than ever to please her. She had a hard job ahead of her; the least I could do was ease her load with a reason for her to smile here and there.

It didn’t take me long to find the vendor for grumpackers. Louder than most of the other merchants, a barrel-chested man with thick butchers’ arms stood at the back of a wagon that overflowed with the strange blue fruit and hollered on about how fresh his stock was. I approached him, ready to get my purchase over with so I could return to the castle and be near my one true love again.

“How much?” I asked, prepared to pay anything.