The sound of my heels echoed through the grand hallway like a countdown to madness.
Axel walked beside me. By the Moon, his silence was like a tight rope around both of us. His hand grazed mine once—just a little. He didn't take it, didn't squeeze. He hadn't all day. He was still brooding. I couldn't blame him.
We'd barely spoken since he saw me and Álvario in the main hall or since I confronted him about his silence in court, or since—you know, our honeymoon, and tonight wasn't exactly looking like the best time to bridge marital rifts.
Especially not with what waited at the dining hall.
The heavy doors stood ahead. Axel reached them first, pushing them open without a word. The scent of roasted meat and warm bread wafted out, but it did little to ease the tension building in my chest. Xiomara growled in my head, already pissed before the first fork even clinked.
"Brace yourself, mi alma. The circus is in town."
