“May I have this dance, Lady Veri?” Hayden asked with a cocky smile and a bow.

Veri laughed and gave him a sweeping curtsey. “Why of course, my lord.” There was so much freedom in finally being on Draga Terra, away from Hayden’s awful mother and the constraints of her title on Priea.

Veri missed home, but she had too much to do to simply stay on her own planet like so many other nobles. It was a massive mistake to stay so far from the core. If she hadn’t been to Avvis she wouldn’t have made the match with Hayden. If she did not go to court to attend the festivities she would be lost among the lesser nobles. There were deals and alliances to be made aplenty.

One, in particular, would give her more power than all the others combined.

“I saw the way Prince Asher danced with you,” Hayden said, teeth clenching as his smile turned fake. “Is this some sort of payback for what I said about Princess Raena?”

Veri smiled pleasantly, pleased to know his feelings for her were still there. It would do Hayden some good to see he was not the only available option for her and that she would not suffer long if he were to drop her. “It might be,” she teased. “But we both know how important it is to have a royal favor you. Priea needs that kind of backing more than Avvis does.” She shrugged as he led her through the steps.

Hayden frowned. “I won’t be played with, Veri,” he hissed.

Irritated at his sudden display, Veri dropped her smile and gave him a sharp look. “And neither will I, Hayden. It would be best if you remembered that when the crown princess calls. You are male and therefore think you are somehow more important, that I must wait around for you to make a choice instead of also exploring the options available to me.” She dropped his hands and practically stomped off the dance floor before the song was even over. She needed a drink and to clear her head.

Veri snatched a glass of champagne and headed to the terrace. A spider dropped from the ceiling and she flinched, giving it a wide berth despite knowing it couldn’t touch her. It wasn’t that she was particularly afraid of spiders, she simply didn’t like them. The way they moved and skittered, how they hid, waiting for their prey, the feel of their feet on her skin when she hunted in the jungles.

There had been an incident during a hunt. She and her brother, Alock, had been tracking one of the creatures who’d attacked a family in a nearby village for days and when they’d had to stop and camp to rest, she’d woken up with bright blue spiders resting on her arms and legs. They were hunting her long and slow, injecting their paralysis venom while she slept. They’d had to give up that hunt so she could be treated at their seat. Alock had to carry her for over ten kilometers to get her back home.

Veri shuddered. Without those spiders the creatures they hunted would be far more plentiful, but her feelings about the spiders on her planet since then had changed drastically. Thank the goddess the ones Princess Adelina had on display looked nothing like the ones at home.

They still moved the same though.

She drank from her glass, keeping an eye on them until she was outside on the terrace. The cool night air reminded her of home, so different from the sweltering day on Draga Terra. She had forgotten how hot it could get. How many cycles had it been since the last time she was at court?

The triple moons in the starry sky were a glory to behold and Veri tapped a nail against her champagne glass. Not even her turquoise gown could shake her out of this mood. It didn’t matter how exotic and lovely it made her look. The male she wanted to admire her had just picked a fight and it was not the first one since Hayden said he would accept the Princess Raena’s proposal if it was offered.

She shook her head and took a long drink. Being out in the open air helped settle her emotions. Those spiders made her flinch every time someone brushed against her.

“Lady Veri, are you all right?” Asher’s deep voice sent a shiver up her spine. Despite the commanding dominance in his voice she didn’t turn around, but allowed him to approach her instead. Asher leaned his back against the stone banister and propped his elbows up so he could study her. “Should I look into why Lord Hayden would anger you?”

His innocent question was anything but. Veri glanced at him and shuddered at the delicious darkness in his eyes. “No thank you, mia prince. It’s simply a misunderstanding.” Would the prince care if they were former lovers? Her and Hayden’s current relationship was a secret. Everyone thought she and Hayden had officially ended their romance when the Archduchess of Avvis had denied her father’s request for their marriage.

“Was it a misunderstanding concerning my dance with you?” Asher leaned forward, getting into her space. His scent was everywhere and intoxicating.

“Among other things,” she admitted. Veri finished her champagne and sighed. “After our relationship ended there were rumors he might be favored for a royal marriage. Lord Hayden would accept of course. Now he is angry I appear to be moving on as well.”

“That seems rather idiotic.” Asher took the glass from her hand and set it aside. Then he tugged her towards him and simply held her. There was no sexual tension or indicator he wanted more from her. Asher just comforted her and Veri melted against him. “You need to do what is best for you,” he told her. “Ignore his childish temper.”

She laughed. Asher was a few cycles younger than Hayden, but it was easy to forget it with the way he spoke. “You seem to know exactly what to say to make me feel better.” It was strange as she knew Asher was always the quiet, brooding one.

“Come riding with me,” he murmured against her neck. “I think you would like the forests on Draga Terra. They are not so different from your tropical jungles.”

A breeze ruffled her skirts and Veri’s hands clenched his arms. “Of course, mia prince. I would love to ride.” She grinned, leaving the statement open to interpretation. Her prince.

Asher actually smiled at her before pressing a kiss to her cheek. He stepped sideways and out of her arms, trailing his fingers down her sides. “By the way, I think you ought to know how stunning you look in that dress. It matches your coloring perfectly.”

Pleased someone had noticed, Veri watched him wander back into the ballroom. Being a prince meant there were certain requirements and she understood completely. One more deep breath of the sweet night air and she drew her shoulders back. If she wanted to be a princess herself one day, she would have to get used to the demands. Her time at court would be a test she could not fail.

Veri swept back into the ballroom, a winning smile on her face. She made sure to chat with every noble there. Even the Prince of Thieves was due a smile and perhaps a dance. The rogue certainly was handsome despite his disreputable nature.

The fire opal around her neck glittered and she tapped it as she talked with a lesser noble from Deytis. The answering glimmer across the room drew her attention and Veri saw Hayden run his hand through his hair, the opals at his wrist glittering under the candlelight. Who knew the sweet, submissive Princess Adelina had such a dark and romantic side?

Veri nearly excused herself to go speak with Hayden and make an apology for her temper, not necessarily her words. But she hesitated when she saw a different, darker sparkle of black. The noble had asked her something. She nodded without really paying attention to the repeated question and he swept her onto the dance floor. It gave her a better view of Hayden.

Hayden laughed and chatted with the royal family and the royal cousins, Princess Vasara and Prince Ajax. He smiled at Raena as she asked him something and then her tinkling laugh in response set Veri’s teeth on edge. How dare he flaunt such a thing in front of her so soon after their argument?

Accepting a proposal was one matter, actively seeking out a new relationship was another entirely. How dare he treat her like something disposable, something unimportant? She was not one to be scorned like she was no more than a scullery maid desperate for attention.

As the room spun again, she seethed. The warmth and love she felt for Hayden trickled away to be replaced by a need for vengeance, for justice. He should have simply told her they were through instead of leading her on as he had all these weeks.

“Lady please, you’re hurting me,” the lesser noble whispered.

Instantly she relaxed her grip on him. “I apologize, I didn’t intend to hurt you,” she said gently, truly sorry about the mistake.

The male smiled again, happy with her attentions. “I’ll be all right, but I appreciate your concern, Lady.”

Veri curtseyed as the song ended. If Hayden wanted to play these games with her, then she would play. Oh, how she would play.

Lord Hayden had no idea who he had just crossed, and if a male she thought had loved her would throw her away so easily – Veri didn’t intend to waste the energy mourning their supposed relationship.

She set her sights ahead to a more glorious future.