How to Tame a Beast in Seven Days (The Embraced #1)

“I told her maid to let her sleep late.” Leo had figured Ana needed more rest after all she’d endured the day before. She’d narrowly missed an arrow meant for her and a poisoning, and then she’d been coerced into a sudden wedding.

“She spent the afternoon in the library reading,” Edmund continued. “Gabriella said she plans to take a bath here before meeting you at supper in the Great Hall.” He gave Leo a skeptical look. “You’re planning to bathe, too, right?”

“I’m on my way to the bathhouse,” Leo growled as he stuffed clean clothes into a knapsack. “Why don’t you make yourself useful and help Gabriella bring water up here?”

“Yes, my lord!” Edmund dashed through the bedchamber and out the door, no doubt eager to resume his flirtation.

Alone now in the dressing room, Leo dropped the knapsack, then dug through the stack of Ana’s nightgowns till he found the extra-sheer one. With a smile, he placed it on top.

Knapsack in hand, he headed into the bedchamber. He slowed as he passed the upholstered chair, recalling how oddly Ana had acted when she thought no one was looking.

He tossed the sack onto the seat, then ran his fingers over the same area she had touched. There was definitely something hidden in the upholstery, and it had been inserted through an opening in a seam. Slowly he pulled it out. A folded sheet of paper.

Was it a love letter like the one in his desk drawer in his tent? But if his wife wasn’t Lady Tatiana, like Captain Bougaire had claimed, then she hadn’t written that letter.

Slowly Leo opened the note.

Our dear sister, Luciana …

The first line came as such a shock, he stood frozen for a few seconds. When he read it again, a swarm of questions swooped across his mind like a horde of bats fleeing a cave. Was this his wife’s real name? Was that why she’d asked him to call her Ana? Was Ana short for both Luciana and Tatiana? Had his suspicions been correct? Were the two of them twins?

He quickly read the rest of the letter, searching for clues. The four females who had signed the letter considered Luciana their sister. If Ana had grown up with them on the Isle of Moon, it would explain why she’d made the sign of the moons. And if there had been twin girls, it would make sense that Lucas Vintello had hidden one of them. Twins, especially girls, were never allowed to live in Eberon.

But if Luciana had taken Tatiana’s place, where was Tatiana? Hiding or … dead?

And Ana could speak to the dead.

A chill ran down Leo’s spine. Surely his imagination was going wild, and none of this could be true.

In the letter, the four sisters wrote about the Game of Stones and Ana’s prediction of meeting him. Their story matched the one Ana had told him, so that much appeared to be true.

How much was true? How much was deception? When she’d defended him in the courtyard, was that how she truly felt? When she’d hugged him last night, had that been sincere?

By the Light, he hoped so. He wanted it too much for it to be a lie. He wanted her. He wanted her to love him.

Dammit to hell. What was happening to him? He couldn’t allow himself to get weak over some sappy feelings. Not when the king would keep trying to kill him. He had to remain strong if he was going to survive.

He folded the letter up and inserted it back into the hole. Out of sight, out of mind. He wouldn’t mention it to Ana. If she didn’t trust him enough to tell him the truth, then so be it. He just needed to keep his distance.

After all, it was a marriage in name only. He could never actually live with her. It was foolish to hope for more.

*

Her new husband was ignoring her.

Luciana pushed her food around her plate and took another sip of wine. The Great Hall was packed tonight with nearby vassals, merchants, and tradesmen who had come to swear allegiance to the new duke and toast the newlyweds.

The atmosphere at Vindemar was tense with excitement. The level of curiosity was so high that no one even attempted to hush their voices. By the time Luciana had walked to the Great Hall, she’d heard most of the gossip. Everyone was wondering if somehow the Lord Protector had coerced her father into giving up the duchy. Had he threatened the poor duke with his Beastly powers?

And she hadn’t missed the sympathetic glances aimed her way. How on Aerthlan had Lady Tatiana survived a wedding night with the Beast?

Now from her seat at the high table, she could spot the furtive glances. Once everyone realized she was somehow miraculously alive, they turned their attention to Leo.

She did, too. He looked as handsome as ever. His dark-red hair was still damp and curling around his ears. Was it as soft as it looked? Were those dark whiskers lining his jaw soft or prickly? How would she ever know if she couldn’t touch him? With a pang of annoyance, she drank more wine.

He was definitely ignoring her. He’d left the bedchamber this morning without even telling her good-bye. Now, at her father’s insistence, he was sitting in the larger chair at the center of the dais—the duke’s chair. Luciana was seated at his right, and her father at his left.

She’d tried to look her best tonight. Freshly bathed, wearing her golden gown, her hair gathered at the nape of her neck in a sparkling golden net. But Leo had hardly seemed to notice.

With a sigh, she reached for her wine goblet. During the entire meal, he’d been engaged in deep conversation with her father. Apparently the army was leaving in the morning. She’d tensed for a moment, believing Leo was leaving, too, but he appeared to be staying. Relieved, she took a long drink of wine.

Perhaps it was a good thing that Leo and her father were getting along so well. It would help to dispel the rumors that the Beast was forcing them into compliance.

The dinner dragged on as more and more toasts were offered. At first, the guests simply wished her and Leo a long and happy life. Then a guest wished them a healthy child. As if that could ever happen, Luciana thought with dismay as she drained her goblet.