In a flash, I was shoved away as the prince leapt to his feet. “Guards!”

“Wait!” I pleaded. “I can explain!”

Grabbing my arm, Prince Bane snarled, “You had damn well better!”

I was dragged out of the room in front of the crowd, all of whom seemed to still be caught in a state of shock. I caught a brief glimpse of my parents’ faces, my father’s expression slowly turning into rage while my mother looked as if she might faint.

This was…not what I had planned. Not at all. All I’d wanted was for Isolde to get away and have a life of her own, but now it was sinking in that my deception might not have cost only me, but my family as well. Even if I was unhappy with my parents and blamed my father for putting us in this situation, I didn’t want to damn them to a dreadful life behind bars or worse.

The prince’s grip on my arm was tight enough to make me grit my teeth, but I didn’t make a single noise as I stumbled along behind him all the way back to the sitting room I’d first been taken to when arriving at the palace.

Once we were inside, I was shoved against a wall. Rage suffusing his face, the prince gripped my collar roughly. “Speak,” he demanded. “Explain.”

“I-I di—” I broke off, struggling for words in the face of his anger. He looked well and truly ready to kill me, and I was terrified at what was beginning to feel like a very plausible prospect, that I would be arrested, or worse.

I jumped as Bane slammed a fist into the wall beside my head. “Explain yourself now!”

“Isolde is my sister!” I burst out. And even if I was in a terrible situation now, I hoped she had gotten away. I hoped she would be able to live the life she truly wanted. Our parents should have never made her the sole bearer of our fortunes, and if this disaster of a scheme had managed one thing, I hoped it was allowing her to find something better.

Bane was still scowling. His cold, angry gaze swept over my face, and I could almost see him beginning to put it together, seeing the resemblance between me and the bride he had chosen.

“So why are you here instead of her?” he demanded. “Is this some sort of game? Did you think it would be amusing to deceive me?”

I shook my head, unsure of how to explain it. My carefully practiced speech was completely gone. I couldn’t seem to remember a word of it, and I struggled to give him some answer that might satisfy him, though deep down I knew there was nothing I could say to make it better.

In the end, all I could say was, “I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Bane was still scowling, but he finally released me and turned around, beginning to pace the room. He reminded me far too much of some wild animal stuck in a cage, and the fact that I was stuck in here with him didn’t escape me. He might not have had me thrown in the dungeon—yet—but that didn’t mean I was going to be spared that fate. Or worse.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for whatever might come next as the door opened and Lord Syr appeared. “Prince Bane, this isn’t as bad as you think.”

“Isn’t as bad?” Bane snapped. “I married the wrong fucking person!”

Lord Syr spared me the briefest of glances before nodding. “Yes, but he is still a human of noble birth. This is what we wanted, isn’t it? It can still work. We have shown that you are willing to see the humans as equals. You are still married to a human just as we wanted.”

Bane scowled, and I guessed he was angry that there was logic in his uncle’s words. “Yes, I suppose.”

When I’d volunteered, I hadn’t thought beyond what I was doing for Isolde, but it was becoming much clearer to me that this marriage was very important—as a symbol if nothing else. All those people gathered in the palace to witness this union…they were expecting it to be real.

And I had turned it into a sham.

“We will just tell everyone that there was a small change before the ceremony, but that we were all aware and intended for you to marry…” Lord Syr trailed off and turned to me. “Sorry, what was your name, my boy?”

“A-Adrian Til-Tillcot.” I was still afraid, but at least Lord Syr seemed much calmer and more reasonable than his nephew. Could I blame Prince Bane all that much for his anger? In truth, no. In his place I would have been angry as well, but being on the receiving end of his ire still made me incredibly anxious.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Lord Syr said.

I nodded, unable to get another word out. Even if Lord Syr was apparently fine with the unexpected change in plans, his nephew clearly wasn’t. Even now, he seemed determined not to look at me. It stung a bit, but I tamped down the feelings of hurt. It was ridiculous to be hurt given the situation. I’d only done this for Isolde. I wanted nothing from this man save to avoid being thrown in prison or executed.

“I will prepare a statement from you to be released announcing your happy union with Lord Adrian Tillcot,” Lord Syr declared. The finality in his tone said everything else: There would be no arguing.

“I’ll come with you,” Prince Bane said, starting for the door, but his uncle held him back.

“No, you should stay and get to know your new consort.” He nodded at me one last time before slipping out and shutting the door firmly behind him.

I half expected Bane to turn on me again, to berate me, but instead he turned around and went to a snifter of what was likely brandy sitting on a table. He poured himself a generous glass, which he then downed in about three gulps.

I watched him in silence, wondering if I was meant to say something or if it was better to stay quiet and keep my distance from the angry prince. He didn’t offer me a drink, though I wouldn’t have minded a glass of brandy—or preferably something stronger.

I would have given anything to be back in my room painting or working on another invention. Anything at all to be somewhere other than here with so much uncertainty hanging over my head.

The prince poured himself another glass and downed it before turning back to me. As he stalked toward me, I instinctively took a step back and immediately regretted it, as a small settee caught the back of my knees and sent me falling—yet again—back onto the couch.

When I looked up, Bane was looming over me. He looked just as angry, but still so damn…hot. Why did he have to be so damnably attractive? It made it so much harder to look him in the eye and say what I needed to say…though what I needed to say seemed to have left me altogether. I was no longer certain of anything.

We were married now, and apparently it was all being made official. I only wished it had happened a different way—or even better, not at all. As much as I wanted to tell the prince the truth, that I had never sought to trap him in a marriage he didn’t desire, I seemed to have lost the ability to form words.

“You will go along with whatever story my uncle concocts,” the prince snarled. “You will not say that you lied or tricked me into marrying you.”

I nodded. What choice did I have? He was angry and had every right to be. To go against him now would certainly spell disaster for me and likely my family as well.

He leaned down, placing one hand on the back of the settee and the other right beside my head, effectively trapping me beneath him and sending my heart surging off.

“If you do anything to embarrass me or make me look weak, there will be consequences,” he said in a low, dangerous voice.

“I-I would never! Th-that wasn’t my intention.”

Bane’s eyes narrowed, and he lowered his head. My gaze flitted to his full lips, mere inches from my own now. Was he going to kiss me? He hadn’t gotten to do it at the ceremony, so did he have to kiss me to seal the deal or something?

A bit panicked, I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for it to come, but a second later I felt his lips against my ear as the demon prince whispered, “If you displease me, there will be consequences.”