Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)

by Julie Soto

Her brother who was supposed to be the one to end this war. Her brother who had been foretold.

When the sun shines at night, he who will bring an end to war on this land shall be victorious. He shall be an heir, twice over, and a rightful sovereign over the continent.

Magic pulled from the mind did not exhaust the body, whereas magic from the heart took a greater physical toll. Heart magicians had always needed to rely on animal familiars to keep their strength for prolonged magic use.

Briony often wondered why she didn’t want comfortable, safe, kind.

And then there was someone far harder to decipher. Icy cold most days, only to thaw at the oddest moments. With strong hands and opaque eyes, a wicked mouth and a silver tongue. Who inspired as much fear and uncertainty in her chest as he did yearning.

“Your grace.” Briony turned to find Toven standing in front of her. His hands were behind his back in a strange imitation of civility, and Briony stared up at him, praying he wasn’t here to do what she thought he was here to do. “What?” she said shortly. “Your first dance,” he said. “As we discussed.” He flashed a bright smile at her.

“Don’t try to make a fool of me in front of everyone here,” he said. “You’ll do a fine job of it yourself. Get your hand off me.” “Or what?” he asked lightly. “Will you cause a scene? Don’t look now, but everyone is watching us.”

“You’ll come with me to the dance floor now, or I’ll put in a formal request with your father for courtship. It’s your decision.”

“You’ll need protection on the staircases now, Princess.” “And are you volunteering?” she said dryly. “Is that what this is about?” His lips twitched as he looked past her. “Perhaps I’ll come knocking on that private suite when your brother is occupied with Miss Hardstark.” “Perhaps I’ll light you on fire if you try.” “I should ask your father for your presence at Hearst Hall during the summer solstice holiday, I think,” he said, as if talking to himself. “No point in delaying the inevitable.” “Shall we get your mother’s ring resized as well?” she snarked, playing along for her own sanity. “Lovely idea, dearest,” he said, twirling them. “Your hands aren’t quite as dainty, are they?”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking now?” Her eyes were glued to his as their feet glided over the floor. He had specks of blue in the gray. She could feel his breath on her face. “I never know what you’re thinking,” she whispered. His gaze burned as he stared down at her.

“Well, if we were really two realms at peace, why must we hand over women as collateral? Or our young people, for that matter?” Briony narrowed her eyes at her. “Collateral? You mean the alternating school years?” Turning her dark gaze on Briony, Mallow replied, “Why, yes, of course. For what possible reason would we school our young people together if not in an eternal promise not to harm them.” Mallow tilted her head at her. “Promises are only words after all. They can be broken.”

And still, I can’t sleep for envy of you. Of what your life will be.”

“Apologies,” he continued, squinting at his numbers again. “With the virginity, they will be starting at fifteen thousand.” Briony took a silent inhale through her clenched teeth. “And what’s your estimation?” Gains asked greedily.

“Briony Rosewood. Estimating thirty thousand gold.”

The only reason he’d failed to capture her that night a year ago was that he’d been greedy with his magic. He’d misjudged what killing four people at once would do to his heart. It had been the first time she’d seen anyone take more than one life with a single Heartstop—an unheard-of skill. The Eversuns had known Orion was capable of it. Reports had come that he could kill two people with one casting of Heartstop.

Briony stared up at Mallow, seeing a slow idea forming in her eyes, a realization. She knew that Briony once had feelings for Toven Hearst. “Oh dear.” Mallow tsked condescendingly.

Briony had—at one time—yearned for the man who would hold her captive and drain her of her magic every day for the rest of her life.

“If you want your heartspring healthy and happy, then I need more to do, Toven. More to read.” She breathed deep and said boldly, “I’d like access to the library.” He laughed. And he was so handsome, it pained her. “The library,” he repeated.

“She’s your familiar,” Briony whispered. Toven seemed to glare at the doorway. “We’re still… working it out.” A hollow laugh burst out of her chest. It was such a casual sentence. Something couples would say. He turned his glare down to her. “Shouldn’t familiars do the magician’s bidding?” He pursed his lips. “I suppose I’ve never sought anyone who obeys easily.”

“Why did she want to kill me?” she asked. “Doesn’t she know I’m here by your wishes?” “She’s… a jealous creature. We both can be.”

The next drawer was socks—none of them properly paired. She scowled down at the sock drawer, as if it was a problem to solve.

There was a drawer in Toven Hearst’s bedroom that contained a shoebox. Inside that shoebox was a hair ribbon. And try as she may to rationalize it in any other way… that ribbon was hers.

“Rosewood, can’t it just be the right thing?” Spinning back to him, she laughed dryly. “The right thing? The right thing would have been stopping the auction altogether. The right thing would have been not going with your father the day the Bomardi school was attacked.” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed.

“The room was quite difficult to find, actually. Charms and the like.” He crossed his legs and smirked. “But I knew it would be close.”

He held her eyes as he whispered, “Don’t ever spill a glass I give you again.” She wondered how much he regretted trying the “whiskey spill” trick now. “Do you understand?” he said softly. “Yes.” “Yes, what.” “Yes, Master Toven.”

“I’m not sure how many more times I need to say it,” he whispered, and the room was barely breathing. “That heartspring is mine. Her mouth is mine, her magic is mine, her skin is mine.” His teeth bit through the words, and he met eyes with every person at the table before saying, “You will not touch her, under any circumstances. I purchased her. I do what I please with her.”

“What’s wrong, Tove?” Lorne said. “Do you think your heartspring is too good to do our cleaning?” “I do, actually,” he said. “I don’t usually let sixty-five thousand gold drop on the floor.”

As Briony looked around, she found every woman slowly squeezing another’s shoulder, hand, wrist, support vining among them all.

“If you insist on forgetting your manners, Rosewood, then maybe I’ll be tempted to forget mine,” he whispered against her mouth.

“Tell me, Princess,” he said, sliding his knee between hers, just as she’d seen him do to Larissa when they were being intimate in the corridors. She gasped, shock and thrill and longing singing in her blood. Briony’s hands braced on his waist, ready to push him away or pull him closer—she couldn’t decide. He smiled, and even though it was cruel, her gaze traced the lines of it. “Do you want a gentleman?” he asked, his voice a low hum that sent waves through her.

The response fell from her lips, unbidden. “No.” Something flickered in his eyes. His gaze softened as it slid down to her mouth.

Words caught in his throat as he met her hot gaze. She stepped forward. “Toven…” His mouth opened in understanding, and then he closed his eyes. “You’re out of your mind, Rosewood, if you think—” “Please touch me,” she begged, voice breathy. She reached for him.

“Well, that was instructive,” her voice rasped. “Is that what you’ll expect next week?” Without looking at her, Toven wrenched open the door and flew through it, slamming it behind him and leaving her alone in his bedroom.

True, she had never seen a man’s cock before, but she couldn’t possibly imagine that he was quite so… stately.

“But we were playing a dangerous game last night, and I should never have entered your mind.” She snorted. “Please. You’ve been entering my mind for years without permission, Toven.” His brows twitched in surprise, but he stayed silent. “How else would you know about Didion and me at the lake? And the laces,” she said, crossing her arms in a way unbefitting a princess. “Not to mention the pains in my legs all throughout year three. You knew all about them without me supplying the information.” Toven stared at her from across the room. “Ah,” he said slowly. “Yes, I suppose I did know all about that.”

She put her hands on her hips. “And how often have you been fucking me, Toven?” His eyes flickered before returning to gray. “What?” “Shouldn’t you know?” she said “You certainly had an active imagination at dinner last week. You were

well acquainted with how to unravel me, how to use your tongue on me. So how often does that all happen? Daily? Twice a day? How often do you fuck me just for your own satisfaction, and how often do you make me quiver for you?”

“Come on, Toven,” she continued, goading him. “Tell me how often I’m on my knees for you, and how often you’re on your knees for me.”

“I’ll bend you over the table, or a chair, or just press you up against the window that overlooks the ponds, and I’ll tell you to keep reading as I enter you. I’ll make sure you get to finish the chapter you’re on before I spend myself inside of you, then I’ll slap your ass and call you a good girl. You collect your dress and leave.”

Could he possibly have these thoughts? Was he describing more than just a scene to her? A desire? His head dipped down, and she thought he would kiss her. She thought she would let him. “Does that make things clearer, Rosewood?” he whispered, breathing in her air.

“Do get some rest, Larissa. It’s no good passing out during lessons.” At the threshold, she turned and smiled. “Oh, don’t go getting attached to me now, Rosewood. It will make it so much harder to despise you.”

“High suit is…” Canning turned over the card Jellica chose, and his face split into a smile. His eyes slid to Briony. “Roses.” The men chuckled as Canning flipped the card onto the table. It had an ornate rose in the center. “Wild card is…” Canning took the next card from Jellica’s hand and barked out a laugh. “The Rose in Chains.”

“My family is in jeopardy, Rosewood—” “And you’re blaming me for that?” “Sometimes I have to act without your approval to do what’s best for my family! Not just you, all four of us!”

“A No Kissing Me Rule, then,” she teased. His lips parted, and his tongue was quick to wet them. “Exactly,” he breathed. Her eyes flicked back up to his, and then he was kissing her. Briony’s breath caught. He’d stolen it, locked it away inside his chest.

If she could hear one sound for the rest of her life, she wanted it to be Toven Hearst moaning her name.