Truth Be Told

There was even a part of me that wondered what the gods would do if I went to them no longer an original maiden.

Would they disregard everything else I did or didn't do plainly because I was no longer a virgin?

I wasn't sure, but I wished that wasn't the case. Not because I intended to have sex now or next week or…ever, but because I wanted to be able to make that choice.

Though, I wasn't sure how I'd find myself in a condition where that option would even arise.

But I imagine there would be voluntary participants who'd want to do the things I had heard the Ladies in Wait speaking about here at the Red Pearl.

A nervous flutter thumped in my chest as I compelled myself to take another sip of the champagne. The sweet bubbles tingled in the back of my throat, easing some of the sudden dryness in my mouth.

Truth be told, tonight had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Most nights, I couldn't fall asleep until it was nearly dawn. When I did, I practically wished I hadn't.

Three times this week alone, I aroused from a nightmare, with my screams ringing in my ears.

And when they came like this, in bundles, they felt like a forerunner. An instinct much like the ability to sense pain, screaming out a threat.

Drawing in a frivolous breath, I darted back to where I'd been looking before. The woman in red was no longer on the table.

Rather, she was in the lap of the merchant who had asked what would occur if two men won.

He was examining his cards, but his hand was where hers had been heading initially, delved deep between her thighs.

Oh, my. Biting down on my lip, I pulled away from where I stood before my whole face caught on fire. I wafted into the next space that was divided by a partial wall, where another session of games was being played.

There were extra guards here, some I even identified as belonging to the Royal Guard, soldiers just like those who worked the Rise but who safeguarded the Ascended instead. This was why the Ascended also had personal guards.

People had attempted to kidnap members of the Court before for ransom. No one was usually hurt too greatly in those circumstances, but there had been other attempts that arose from far different, more vicious reasons.

Standing near a leafy potted plant that displayed tiny, redbuds, I was unsure of what to do from there.

I could join another card game or strike up a discussion with any of the several people who lingered around the tables, but I wasn't all that good at formulating small talk with strangers.

There was no doubt in my mind that I would blurt out something bizarre or ask a casual question that would make a little point to the conversation.

So that was off the table. Maybe I should go back to my chambers. The hour had to be growing late and—An unusual awareness swept over me, starting as a tingling sensation along the back of my neck and heightening with every passing second.

It felt like…like I was being followed.

Scanning the room, I didn't see anyone paying much interest in me, but I hoped to find someone standing near me. That was how strong the feeling was. Unease bloomed in the pit of my stomach.

I started to turn toward the entrance when the smooth, drawn-out notes of some kind of string instrument pulled my attention to the left, my gaze landing on the gauzy, blood-red curtains that swayed gently from the motion of others in the establishment.

I stilled, listening to the advancement and fall of the tempo that was soon joined by the heavy thump of a drum. I forgot about the perception of being watched. I forgot about a bunch of things.

The melody was…it was like nothing I'd heard before. It was deeper, thicker. Slowing, and then speeding up. It was...sensual. What had Ivy, the servant, said about the kind of dancing that took place at the Red Pearl?

She had reduced her voice when she spoke of it, and the other maid Ivy had been speaking to had looked scandalized.

Making my way along the outskirts of the room, I approached the curtains, reaching out to part them—

"I don't suppose you want to go in there."

Startled, I swerved at the sound of the voice. A woman stood behind me —one of the ladies who worked for the Red Pearl.

I knew her. Not because she'd been on the unit of a merchant or businessman when I first came in, but because she was utterly gorgeous.

Her hair was a deep black, thickly curled, and her skin was a deep, rich brown. The red gown she wore was sleeveless, cut short across her chest, and the fabric clung to her body like liquid.

"I'm sorry?" I said, uncertain what else to say as I lowered my hand.

"Why wouldn't I? They're simply dancing."

"Just dancing?" Her gaze drifted over my shoulder to the curtain.

"Some say that to dance is to make love."

"I…I hadn't heard that." Slowly, I looked behind me.

Through the curtains, I could make out the shapes of bodies churning in time with the music, their actions full of mesmerizing and fluid grace.

Some danced alone, their curves and forms outlined, while others…

I sucked in a quick breath, my eyes rolling back to the woman before me.

Her red-painted lips shifted into a smile.

"This is your first time here, isn't it?"

I opened my mouth to deny that opinion but could feel the heat scattering across every visible part of my face. That alone was telling.

"Is it that obvious?"

She giggled, and the sound was throaty. "Not to most. But to me, yes. I have never seen you here before."

"How would you remember if you had?" I stroked my mask just to make sure it hadn't fallen.

"Your mask is fine." There was a strange, knowing glimmer to her eyes, which were a blend of gold and brown.

Not exactly hazel. The gold was far too bright and warm for that. They reminded me of another who had eyes the colour of deep citrine.

"I know a face, whether it is half-hidden or not, and yours is one I haven't seen here before. This is your first time."

Truly, I had no idea how to react to that.

"And it's the Red Pearl's first time also." She leaned in her voice lessening.

"As we've never had the Maiden step through the doors."

A wave of shock swirled through me as my hold tightened on the slippery champagne glass.

"I don't know what you suggest. I'm a second daughter—"

"You are like a second daughter, but not in the way you intend," she cut in, lightly brushing my cloaked arm.

"It's okay. There is nothing to fear. Your secret is safe with me."

I stared at her for what felt like an entire minute before I regained the usage of my tongue.

"If that were true, why would that type of secret be safe?"

"Why would it not be?" she returned.

"What would I have to achieve by telling anyone?"

"You'd earn the favour of the Duke and Duchess," My heart banged.

Her smile melted as her gaze hardened.

"I do not need a favour from an Ascended."

That way she said that it was as if I had insinuated that she was pursuing favour with a pile of mud.

I virtually believed her, but no one who lived within the kingdom would ruin the chance to win an Ascended's esteem unless they didn't acknowledge Queen Maria and King Jaja as the true, rightful rulers.

Unless they endorsed the one who labelled himself Prince Nate, the true heir to the kingdom.

Except he was no prince or heir. He was nothing more than a remnant of Philvania, the corrupt and crooked kingdom that had fallen at the end of the War of Two Kings.

A demon who had wreaked havoc and induced bloodshed, the embodiment of pure evil.

He was the Dark One.

And still, some supported him and his claim. Descenders who had been a part of rebellions and the disappearances of many Ascended.

In the past, the Descenters only caused conflict through small rallies and revolts, and even then, that had been few and far between due to the penalty that was meted out to those who were suspected to be Descenters.

The trials couldn't even be called that. No second chances. No long-term detention. Death was swift and ultimate.

But things had changed of late.