Chapter One
Maeve Cross
My life ends today.
That was the only thought in my mind as the moon shone into my bedchamber from my balcony door. In less than a day, I’d be stuffed into a dress, my father’s arm keeping me tightly in place as he dragged me to the altar to marry a man I hated.
Nathaniel Pike—Lord of the Ivory Keys.
At least I could spend my last night staring at the harbor. Watching the light twinkle off the surface of choppy waves and wondering what it would be like to be free. Not shackled to my royal obligations.
Wind in my hair as I breathed in the thick, briny breeze.
The ocean called to me, but I could never answer.
Thickness formed in my throat as my father’s voice echoed in my head.
“Oh, don’t make a fuss, Maeve. It’s only marriage. He’s a rich man. He’ll give us what we need.”
Burn in the Nine Hells!
I wanted to see how my father fared when he was stripped of his voice and privileges.
It wasn’t only marriage. It was the rest of my life saddled with an egotistical man who viewed me as something shiny to use for his pleasure. But, oh no. I couldn’t say anything about it without seeming hysterical. A word weaponized to keep me in my place.
A silent, pretty piece of meat.
Tears dotted my bedspread and wetted my nightgown. Hopelessness swallowed me.
There was a swift knock on my door. I perked up, using my palm to wipe away the tears.
No one should be at my chamber at this hour.
Unless….
Hope swelled in my chest.
Maybe, just maybe, it was my father. Perhaps he had finally seen reason and was coming to tell me he’d called off the wedding. But when I swung my door open, my hope solidified and sank deep into my belly like a heavy stone in water.
My mother.
The absent figure in my life stood in my doorway, dressed in nothing more than a nightgown and carrying a lantern in one hand and an elixir in the other. My lips flattened into a straight line, trembling slightly as I fought off tears.
There was a frantic gleam in her eyes, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
“What?” I warbled, swallowing my raw emotions.
She didn’t ask for an invitation as she sidestepped me, forcing me to take a step back while she looked down the hallway both ways and then closed the door behind her. “You know I can’t get you out of this, Maeve.”
“Why not?” I put up a stiff lip, but I couldn’t hide the damp tracks down my face.
“When your father wants something, no one can stop him,” she said quietly, as if she was afraid someone would hear her. My entire life, she had always been distant, so her sudden appearance in my bedchamber was odd to say the least.
“But I’m sure you could—”
“I can’t, child.” She outstretched her hand that held the tonic. “I need you to take this. I can’t save you from this wedding, but I can buy you time.”
Desperation colored her tone, an emotion I’d never heard from her before. My mother wasn’t numb or intoxicated. In fact, she looked stone-cold sober.
I looked down at the shimmering liquid, but I didn’t take it.
“I can’t stay, Maeve. Please.”
My tears had dried, and a flare of anger bubbled to the surface.
Of course now she decided to be present.
Only now.
Hours before I was sent away forever.
Not during my twenty-two years of life where she’d been drunk and absent. Emotionally unavailable. I didn’t know how to feel about it, so I pushed those feelings down and asked, “What is it?”
“A wedding tonic,” she answered. “It will prevent pregnancy for three months. Not forever. But you’ll have more time.”
“More time for what? I’ll be trapped.” The words came out like a snarl as I snatched the tonic from her hand.
She didn’t answer, and I caught a glimmer of… was that regret flickering in her eyes?
Good. I hoped it ate her alive.
“Just drink it. I need to go,” she said, voice thick. She turned on her heel, opened the door, and closed it behind her without another word.
Without another explanation.
Just like during my childhood, no one ever answered my questions.
I held the smooth glass vial, chilly from the liquid inside.
And drank it.
* * *
My life ends today.
The cream-hued lace over my face could’ve been a hanging rope. It would probably feel the same. A cascading train of pearl-laden embroidery followed my gown with every step, a pool of fabric pulling me down into a deep, endless trench like the seas surrounding the Isles. I feared I would never escape.
The haze of lace obscured my vision as I struggled down the crimson trail to my soon-to-be husband. Blurry visuals of the common folk gawking at me from open windows. Nobles in the pews watched as I marched toward my fate.
That would be my legacy—Nathaniel Pike’s pretty wife. My voice would be smothered.
I never had much of a voice anyway. Not as the Princess of Farlight. My life would always end like this. Groomed to be a wife. An arm piece.
A bargaining chip.
A tool to use to get my father his army. He never cared for my happiness. No matter how much I objected to this engagement, I had no power of my own. I could rip my veil off right now and yell to the high heavens, but what good would that do?
I dragged my feet in silent indignance, but my father pulled me along, ignoring the fight I put up, like I was a petulant child. It would never be more than a temper tantrum to him.
I glanced up at my father. He wasn’t looking at me.
What can I do to make you see me?
A white-gold crown adorned the top of his grayed hair, curled around the metal as if he’d slept in it. He never took it off. He lived in it. A glimmering black stone containing flecks of blue like the depths of the ocean sparkled in his amulet. He never took that off either. It was always shined and polished to the nines.
Leviathan draconite.
The mere sight of it caused bile to rise in my throat. A purely visceral reaction that I had no control over, similar to the disgust that crawled under my skin whenever Nathaniel touched me.
My father and I both wore our family crest proudly—the moray eel coiling through a dragon skull, indicative of our history.
My crest was in the form of a brooch made from draconite as a goodbye gift. It had been pinned to my corset that was peeping over the extravagant white dress.
I hated how it felt on me.
I didn’t want it.
My father’s crest was woven into his surcoat with golden embroidery.
He curled my arm around his elbow as the music played behind me. All eyes were on me. Commoners. Nobles. People from both the Ivory Keys and Farlight watched the union of His Lordship, Nathaniel Pike of the Ivory Keys, and me, Maeve Cross—the princess hidden under lock and key far up in my tower with only the harbor to gaze upon for that elusive taste of freedom.
I should’ve leaped from that balcony.
Now only a few steps away, I could take in my soon-to-be husband’s attire. Nathaniel was dressed in a manner that boasted of both his status and his military power, his elegant silver armor bearing the Pike crest of a barracuda. While he was only thirty-four, he had influence that far exceeded his age. His reputation matched his coat of arms.
All teeth.
It wasn’t hard to notice him dragging his light eyes up my dress from my petticoat to my tailored corset designed to show off the valley between my breasts. His gaze felt like the stroke of a freshly sharpened blade.
The officiant stood beside Nathaniel, dressed in all red and holding a holy book in his hands.
I’d heard stories of the Reaper. A black cloak. A scythe to whisk away souls. But now, I truly believed the Reaper was a man in crimson holding a holy book as he placed coins on my eyelids. This officiant didn’t know what he was doing. Or he didn’t care. I’d hedge my bet on the latter.
My father and I reached the steps. I held my head high. I would not give Nathaniel the satisfaction of a subservient wife.
Never.
The music petered out, but I was barely aware of it. I’d tuned almost everything out, numb to it all. I could’ve screamed from the highest tower how badly I didn’t want this, but what power did I have?
“Do you, King Varric Cross, give your daughter, Princess Maeve Cross, to Lord Nathaniel Pike?” the officiant asked, looking only at my father. Not me.
Because they don’t give a damn how I feel.
“Yes,” my father answered as he gestured for Nathaniel to take my arm in his place, just as we’d rehearsed.
My throat bobbed, but I didn’t argue. I couldn’t embarrass my father. As horrid as everything was, I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint him.
The lord stepped down to my level, replacing my father as he went to his seat.
Sickness crept up my throat, my skin crawling as he touched me. It didn’t matter how many times we’d rehearsed this, my reaction never changed. Physical contact didn’t usually bother me, but Nathaniel’s touch tore this reaction from my bones.
I dug my heels into the rug, making him work extra hard to haul me up the steps. Those cold eyes met mine, and I didn’t look away. I wished that only once, someone would look at me and feel fear rather than dismiss me as nothing more than a foolish woman who didn’t know what she wanted.
I knew exactly what I wanted.
The ocean.
The breeze.
Freedom.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t what had been chosen for me. If that didn’t piss me off enough, Nathaniel loved to tell me all the ways he could use me. Yes, use. Like I was a replacement for his left hand.
Every time he got a moment, Nathaniel would lean over and whisper how he couldn’t wait to see how wet a virgin could get.
Rehearsal dinners.
Luncheons.
Wedding preparations.
If my parents heard him, they didn’t say anything.
And meanwhile, I had to politely smile and fight the overwhelming urge to tell him how dry he made me.
I’d rather bed a fish.
But here I was, getting handed off like some buttery hors d’oeuvres at a celebratory party. Or perhaps like a basket of bread at dinner. I knew they’d devour me until nothing remained.
But I was determined to leave a bitter taste in his mouth.
A smirk pulled the side of Nathaniel’s mouth. His jaw was freshly shaven, and his icy blue eyes felt just as cold as their color. I knelt in front of the altar, and he followed my example. His armor creaked, the draconite-imbued sword on his hip brushing the floor.
The officiant read phrases and paragraphs from his holy book that didn’t apply to this situation at all. We weren’t in love. My father was simply passing off the keys to my irons.
Nathaniel pulled on my sleeve when it was time to rise. I took my time, clearly annoying him when he dragged me back up to my feet. When the officiant asked for objections, the chapel was silent. That didn’t surprise me, since there was no one to speak up for me. I didn’t even have any bridesmaids. Or friends. A cold pit opened up in my stomach.
I was alone.
The officiant let Nathaniel know when it was time to pull my veil back, and I let him. Nathaniel wasn’t an unattractive man. Not even for being twelve years my senior. Blue eyes pinned mine as a satisfied grin curled the corner of his mouth. His gaze slid down to the exposed skin of my chest. It sickened me.
He looked so damn smug that I had to curl my hands into fists to stop myself from striking him across the face. Instead, I looked at him like I smelled something putrid.
Oh, he didn’t like that at all.
A tic formed in his jaw, offense written across his mouth. Satisfaction flickered through me.
Oh, this is just a taste, my dear husband. I’m going to make your life burn like the Nine Hells.
He said the vows to me, and I soullessly repeated whatever the officiant said. My skin crawled as Nathaniel slid a ring on my finger, set with a massive stone to display my new status.
I hated status. The parties. The complete apathy toward anyone deemed lesser. The obsession with power. It turned men into monsters.
But I had to pretend to be happy. My lips twitched as I forced a smile, remembering that I should be putting on a show so I didn’t embarrass my father.
“You may kiss your new bride!” the officiant announced.
The crowd cheered, and Nathaniel grasped my face, dragging me forward into a forceful kiss. I flinched, refusing to open my mouth as his tongue came out to lick at my lips. The urge for violence buzzed in my chest, and I needed to repress the impulse to bite him.
When I wouldn’t play along, he drew back, his grip on my face going tighter only for a moment before he released me. It was the first time he’d ever shown aggression toward me.
Fear flared inside me. My heart dropped into my belly, which was churning with bile.
“Come now, wife.”
We walked out and into the Great Hall, where servants were waiting to serve our reception dinner. When we sat at the head table, he leaned over, pinching my side harshly while our guests came filing in.
A reminder to behave.
“Next time you refuse me, you’ll regret it. Don’t forget who you belong to.” His hand drifted down to where he’d be touching my thigh if it wasn’t for the layers of fabric.
Choosing my words carefully, I widened my eyes as if I didn’t understand what he was saying. “But husband, we needed to keep it chaste. Otherwise, it would’ve been indecent.”
He removed his hand, gaze softening as he stroked my jaw with the back of his hand. I shivered, nauseous. “Play up your innocence while you can. I’ll deeply enjoy ridding you of it.”
Ugh.
I repressed the urge to gag, a shameful rouge brightening my cheeks. I wriggled uncomfortably, gulping down the taste of vomit.
Nathaniel grinned, visibly enjoying my discomfort while the servants brought over the first platter of food. “Go ahead. Eat. No one will save you tonight. I’ll have what I’m owed.”
I don’t owe you anything.
But could I say that?
No.
Smile and nod. Cross your ankles. Don’t eat too fast. Don’t talk. Your purpose is to please your husband.
I gazed at the guests, all of them gathered for my father and Nathaniel. I didn’t have anyone here for me.
No one will save you.
My father took a seat next to my husband and immediately began discussing armies and strategy. Taking advantage of his new freedoms while he stripped me of mine. Bastard.
“Have you rid yourself of that pirate problem yet? I don’t want to share the port with scoundrels,” Nathaniel asked, gulping down wine while I refused to touch my glass.
Maybe if he drank enough, he’d forget me.
My father sighed. “Pests. Kill one and two take their place. But with your resources, perhaps I can finally hit them at their source.”
Pirates. Now that was the life. No man telling you what to do. I’d heard stories of women taking to the high seas despite the naval armies refusing to recruit them. They clawed their way out from under the thumb of those who believed themselves superior.
It was a shame that the age of pirates would be coming to an end.
I’d recently overheard my father saying so in his study. It was a rare opportunity, but when I did manage to eavesdrop, I clutched on to the information. Knowledge was everything to the powerful. The ultimatum my father proposed echoed in my head.
“They can join our army or hang.”
The idea churned the sickness in my belly.
“Maeve!” Nathaniel jabbed me in the ribs to get my attention.
I winced, whirling around to look at him. I bit my tongue and swallowed a swear. “Yes?”
“I was saying how you’ll need to be careful at the harbor when we depart for the Ivory Keys. I can’t have my new wife snatched before I’ve had a chance to—”
Thankfully, he didn’t finish his statement, as my father cut him off. “You’ll have to forgive my daughter. She’s always been a daydreamer,” he jested.
Nathaniel chuckled like I wasn’t here. “Can’t have her getting too many ideas, then.”
The corner of my father’s mouth twitched into a frown. “Maeve is quite bright. You could learn something.”
My husband paled briefly before straightening up again.
I didn’t reply, but warmth bubbled up in my chest before it became cold again. I was feeling a complicated myriad of emotions.
I spotted my mother on the other side of my father. She was practically a ghost, ignoring my existence as she enjoyed the food. She didn’t say anything. Didn’t object. The biggest female figure in my life… absent.
Aside from sneaking into my chamber last night to give me a tonic to temporarily prevent pregnancy. What good would that do? Three months down the line, I would still be forced to carry Nathaniel’s heirs.
I really am alone in this place, aren’t I?
“Nonetheless, you should take my escort to the harbor. The darker it gets, the more pirates take to the taverns. And the more sea beasties rise to the land,” my father warned. “It’s your responsibility to keep my daughter safe now. I can’t have the sea claim her.”
“Don’t you worry, King Varric. I will take very good care of Maeve.” Nathaniel tossed back the remainder of his wine. “We should be on our way to the Ivory Keys.”
He held out his hand, and I took it. Powerless.
“It’s a beautiful island. You’ll love it,” my father told me, standing to press an affectionate kiss against my cheek. “It’s time you left your tower, darling. These stone walls are no place for you.”
He drew back, and I wiped my cheek with my palm. “At least my new prison will offer a change in scenery.”
“Maeve—” my father started.
I turned my back to him, crossing my arms while breathing heavily through my nose. I was trying so hard not to cry. I wouldn’t give them that power over me. “Goodbye.”
“Smile and wave as you leave, Maeve.”
I whipped my head over my shoulder to pin my father with a withering stare. Hot tears welled in my eyes, but I blinked them away. I sucked on my teeth and forced a smile as I hooked my arm in Nathaniel’s and let him escort me to the doors, a detail of guards behind us.
But my eyes screamed, “Go to the Hells.”
The cool coastal air greeted me as we stepped outside. The moon was high in the sky, and the water lapped nearby. I glanced back at the castle within its stone walls, its iron gate like a devouring maw.
As comforting as the air felt, that feeling was sapped out of me as soon as I stepped into the carriage. I scooted down as far as I could on the bench to put as much space between me and Nathaniel as possible. He climbed in after me, and the guard closed the door.
A faint clucking noise from the driver broke through the silence, followed by whinnying from the horses and the sound of grinding wheels sloughing through the mud as the carriage jolted into motion. I crossed my arms over my chest, tucking the long train from my dress under myself.
The harbor wasn’t far away. Once I was loaded onto Nathaniel’s ship, it would be over.
A hand reached across the carriage, heading right toward my breasts, but I slapped it away. “Did I give you permission to touch me?” I snapped, glaring daggers.
Nathaniel tilted his head to the side, a smug grin curling his lips. “It’s sweet that you think I need permission.”
I turned my body completely away from him, but he didn’t let me escape. He grasped my arm and forcefully yanked me across the carriage until my chest pressed against his armor. My muscles whined, and a yelp fell from my lips.
“You think you’re a stallion, but you’re nothing more than a foal. A pathetic little creature who can barely use their legs. You will cry for me. You will bend for me. Refuse, and you will break for me.” His breath fanned over my lips with every word.
“We’ve hardly been married an hour and you’re already threatening me?” I hissed back. Perhaps it was foolish to bait a man nearly twice my size, but I wasn’t going to roll over. I was going to give back as much as I was given.
His eyes glimmered with thinly veiled violence. He grasped my face as he’d done in the chapel, holding me in a vise grip. “Fight all you want, Maeve. Overpowering you is the fun part.”
I bared my teeth, thrashing to pull myself back with a snarl. “Get your disgusting hands off me.”
“I’ll do something about that vile mouth.”
He crashed his lips into mine, taking advantage of my parted lips to plunder my mouth.
Bile rose in my throat as his slimy tongue swiped my lips, my tongue. I gagged, then bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. The metallic tang of it flooded my mouth, and Nathaniel hissed, yanking me back, grasping my throat hard.
I shoved at him, panic rising and firing in my blood. It was no use. He was stronger than I was. I tried to gasp for breath as he closed his hand around my throat, black dots flittering across my vision.
I can’t breathe.
Suddenly, the carriage came to a harsh halt. Nathaniel pulled away, shoving me into the corner against the door. He breathed hard, pale ivory skin flushed.
Relief bombarded me like a tap had been fully opened, and cool, refreshing water cascaded down my throat to soothe the awful pressure of his hands. My mouth felt swollen. My neck ached. I breathed hard, gulping in the air that I had just been deprived of. I felt like a cornered animal.
The danger of my situation became vastly clear.
Nathaniel wasn’t above hurting me.
A knock sounded from the carriage door, and Nathaniel brushed his hair back. He opened the door and wiped his mouth, smearing blood from where I bit him.
“What is it?” he asked, not hiding his annoyance.
“I apologize for the interruption, milord, but we have a block on the ship. They are asking for your identification,” the carriage driver reported.
Nathaniel sighed. “Fine.” He looked over at me. “There are pirates all over this port. Stay here. I will be back, and I will protect you.”
I nodded, desperate to have him leave. If even for a moment.
“Look at you. Already learning. Maybe you’ll last longer than the others.”
Others?
He grinned, then slid out of the carriage and away. It was like I could finally take my first breath.
The fear paralyzing me ebbed away bit by bit until I gained control of my muscles again. I reached up to touch the bruises forming along my throat, then whipped my head to look out the window. I could see Nathaniel in the distance speaking to the harbor watchman.
My chest rose and fell rapidly as I took in the numerous ships in the harbor. Some massive. Some small. Despite the number of ships, the pier was fairly empty with only a few sailors strolling up and down the wooden planks.
Nathaniel looked back over at the carriage, his cold eyes washing over me like the hot breath of a predator billowing down my neck. He would be back any moment, and I’d be nothing more than a bunny in the jaws of a python.
He’d swallow me whole.
My upper lip curled into a snarl.
I will not let him.
With one brave shove, I pushed the door open and scrambled out of the carriage on unsteady legs. As I was about to dart away, my lacy train got stuck in the carriage door.
“Princess?” The carriage driver’s voice carried over from his seat on top of the carriage.
I ripped the train, making direct eye contact with him. He was coming toward me.
No. I wouldn’t go to the Ivory Keys. I wouldn’t be Nathaniel’s wife.
I took my one chance at freedom and sprinted off toward the taverns lining the docks.
“No one will save you.”
He was right. I had to do it myself.