Iris~~

            Gadfrie's Order lives together in one magnificent, death-entreating palace surrounded by the sea. A Konkursi leads Jonas and I through the courtyard where high above the light brown stone columns and pavilions the sun basks on us and the sea, kept from crashing down on us by structures I cannot see, looms over our heads as if we are positioned at the bottom of four waterfalls.

Droplets of water splash against my bare arms, causing me to shudder. Jonas doesn't seem to have any difficulties trusting Amorian architecture. He doesn't look up, doesn't pay the towering water wall of doom a moment's notice other than when he first saw it and paused to admire it. Percy trails a few steps behind us. I wonder if he's nervous.

Maybe it's just me.

Knowing them, it's probably just me.

Ean is somewhere in the palace, supposedly meeting with other Veils for security purposes.

I lean into Jonas, tightening my grip on his hand.

When I woke up the morning after winning Tela, I found that Elisana had right after the game to return home to the Head Order in Borilia.

The Konkursi stops to push on a door that groans as it opens. Inside is a room paved in stone and decorated with ferns and furnished with brown furniture. Two chaises are set at angles, a small round table positioned between them.

The room holds five additional doors. The Konkursi opens one of them, revealing a large bathroom that smells of vanilla and salt. The next door is the room that's been assigned to Percy. His luggage is propped in the corner, and he immediately heads toward it.

"We received word today that your brother will be joining us as well, Preeminence," the Konkursi says.

Colton's on his way? I half expect him and Vienna to have married since we last saw them.

The Konkursi crosses the room and twists the handle of another door. "We've prepared rooms for the Beta and his party with you. But this"—she pushes open the door—"is yours."

My eyes are first drawn to the floor to ceiling window across the room. A wall of water bathed in sunlight fills it, reminding me of where exactly the palace is situated. Ferns frame either side of the window.

Jonas places his hand on my lower back, his fingers pressing into my skin, and we follow the Konkursi into the room.

A bed draped in white is pushed against one wall. On it are two large silver boxes, the ribbon sealing them shut reminding me of the shimmer of scales.

There must be heads in them.

We haven't seen any of the Order yet. I don't know how they feel about us besides for the fact they originally agreed to let Jonas marry me.

"Dinner will be brought to you for tonight. If there is anything you need before then, please do not hesitate to call." She drops into a curtsey. "The Order sends their regrets, but they won't be able to meet with you until tomorrow evening." She motions to the boxes on the bed. "They hope though you'll attend tomorrow's ball."

A chill runs down my back. "We didn't know there was one."

"It's nothing too extravagant. Only a weekly one the Order hosts. They won't have time until then to speak with you unfortunately."

"We'll be happy to attend." Jonas looks at me as if making sure I'm okay. "We understand the Order is busy, and we're grateful they're able to accommodate us at all."

The Konkursi offers us a smile that I swear says she couldn't care whether Gadfrie threw us into a deep dark hole to rot or not. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Jonas shakes his head. "No."

She curtsies again and exits the bedroom and then the outer room. When she shuts the door leading into the courtyard, I hear a click.

An alarmed look passes over mine and Jonas's faces, and I exit the bedroom and try the handle of the main door.

It's locked.

And there's no lock on this side of the door for me to unlock it.

Panic's already begun clawing its way up my throat.

Jonas tugs my back against his chest, wrapping his arms around me to stop my trembling. "Breathe. I'm here. You're not alone."

Percy comes out from his room, and when Jonas explains what's going on, he tries the door to no avail as if my attempts weren't good enough.

I try to put some pattern to my breathing, but my heart pounds, and I feel it's echo all through my body. "It's locked." My words sound hollow.

"I'll call for a Konkursi. But I need you to relax. To remember this is not France. Not Borilia. That I have you. If something's wrong, I need you.

I close my eyes, focusing on the feel of his arms against me, the way his muscles flex and tighten, the feel of his hands digging into my skin. And slowly my breathing evens out.

He turns me around to face him. "Are you okay?"

I nod.

He lets go of me and enters the bedroom, and a moment later I hear him on a phone.

I sink onto one of the chaises. Perhaps the Order doesn't want us wandering around. Maybe the water wall is as precarious as it looks, and they're worried two Expireds would be enough to bring it down. Or maybe they think we'd manage to accidentally drown ourselves.

Percy paces the length of the room, head down, hands flexing.

It doesn't always have to be the worst option. If Colton arrives and the door remains locked, then it's not personal. It's not because they want to throw me and Jonas to the sharks. Make us walk a plank.

They could be doing it for our own safety.

When Jonas walks back in, I stand, and Percy comes to a stop. "Well?" I ask.

Jonas's face looks worn. "The Order doesn't want us exploring."

"Are we free to leave though?" Percy asks.

"That's what they're claiming." He holds out his hand to me. "They didn't take our weapons; if they intended to make us prisoners, they would have."

I place my hand in his and thread our fingers. "I don't like this."

He cracks a smile. "You haven't liked this place since we walked through the shark room."

"I took it as a threat."

He leads me into the bedroom. Percy doesn't follow.

"I'm sure they're friendly sharks that just want to be your friend."

I narrow my eyes. "I doubt it. They're mothers would have told them not to play with their food."

He stops in front of the end of the bed where the boxes wait. "Try as I might, I'll never match your humor, my love." Letting go of my hand, he unties one of the boxes and lifts the lid. Inside is a gray suit, the shade reminding me of shark skin.

In the second box is a gown. The under layer is the same gray as the suit, but it's draped in a top layer of French blue tulle. Once it's on me, the sleeves will hang off my shoulders. Not ideal for dancing. Either the Order plans for us to spend the entirety of the ball speaking with them or they're hoping my top will slip down so they can laugh at me.

I take a seat at the foot of the bed where a plush rug is spread and lean my head back against the mattress. "You know I love dancing."

Jonas nods. "I do."

"But after the last ball . . ."

He sits down beside me. "They won't make us do the Death Waltz. You heard what the Konkursi said; it's a ball they have every week. Whether or not we're here, they would be having it."

"But what if?"

"Then we dance any other dance we know even if it doesn't match the music." He takes my chin between his fingers. "This is the last Order and then we get to go home."

"And get a dog."

He laughs, but it doesn't meet his eyes. "And get a dog."

*****

Dinner arrives with little fanfare, and the three of us eat together on the chaises. Jonas pops open one of the three bottles of champagne the Konkursi brought and pours a glass for each of us.

Percy downs his in two gulps, and by the time someone knocks on the door, I'm on my second glass.

The Konkursi from earlier opens the door. Colton enters the room behind her followed by Vienna who steps to the side as Andrew and Basile shuffle in, Andrew already grimacing.

Percy, about to finish his third glass, points at him, his finger wavering. "What are you colluding with Colton about?"

Andrew scoffs, looking offended. "Why on earth would I collude with Colton in my plans for world domination?"

Percy snorts and downs the rest of his drink.

No one else seems to notice the Konkursi excuse herself or the sound of the lock clicking behind her.

Colton strolls forward and pours himself a glass. "They need a ride home. Leorus left them stranded."

Jonas's silence is more than an absence of words. It rolls off him, leaving even me a bit terrified at what he's contemplating. He sips on his champagne, eyeing each member of his family.

"Colton." Percy's lips curl and his eyes shine. "You get to room with me again."

"Wouldn't you rather have the room to yourself?"

Pouring himself another glass, Percy spills a few drops on the stone floor. "Not if it means getting to screw you over."

Colton throws him a vulgar gesture, and Vienna comes over and elbows him.

"Behave," she says.

Andrew rests against the wall. "Colton told me about your latest assassin." Jonas stiffens. "Where is he?"

"We seem to have lost him . . ." I say. Percy offers up the champagne bottle, and I hold out my glass for him to fill.

"I hear you're friends with him now though."

Jonas says nothing instead finishing off his glass before he pulls me to my feet, my silk dress sliding into place above my knees. He sets the empty champagne flute on the tray. "I'm suddenly feeling tired. We'll bid you goodnight."

He all but drags me into the bedroom, and I shut the door a moment before he sinks to the floor. For a moment, I'm back at the Estate after Erik's initiation into the Order when Jonas passed out in front of me from the pain of being around so many Amoris.

I wrap my arms around him and pull his head to my chest. Our Marks haven't bothered either of us in a while, not after spending over a year around so many Amorians since our Expiration Dates. Jonas clings to me and lets out a breath that shudders through him.

"I don't know why I'm like this."

His words break my heart, and I pull him closer.

"No one expects it to be easy for you to see him."

"I thought I had moved on. We stayed with him in France. I saw him in Borilia."

"None of those were great circumstances."

"Why wouldn't Colton warn me?"

I smooth his hair. "He didn't know we were in Gadfrie, remember?" We've been trying to keep our exact locations under wrap for as long as we can in hopes of deterring anymore would-be assassins. There's no guarantee though that Ean hasn't been feeding information to Borilia and even if he hasn't, I'm sure the Head Order was alerted the moment Jonas told Gadfrie we were coming. Still, we had hoped to be in and out before any attack could be planned. But now the Order is making us wait.

In response to my words, Jonas nods, his head rubbing against my chest. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"I should be stronger."

I take his face in my hands and pull his head back so he can look at me. "Jonas, you are strong. Most people wouldn't be able to have a conversation with someone who tried killing them, but you have. And it's not just with Andrew. You've done it with Erik. You rule a country and you're only twenty-two. You amaze me."

"I'm on the floor."

"Do you look poorly on me for my nightmares? Do you hate me when I wake you in the middle of the night?"

He jolts. "No. Of course not."

"Then why would I think any less of you?"

He's silent, staring at me, taking me in, his breathing heavy.

"What do you need to do? Do you need to go out there and prove to yourself that you're okay or do you want to go to bed?"

He stands, slowly, and pulls me to my feet. His eyes rake over me. "If I stay in here, am I a coward?"

"No. You are not a coward, Jonas."

He closes his eyes. "Good." A second later he sweeps me off my feet, cradling me in his arms and walks us to the bed. He lays me down on it gently and climbs over me, propping himself up by his hands. His hips rest against mine, pressing me into the mattress. "Let's stay here."

"Whatever it is you need, I'll support you."

He lowers his head and presses his lips against mine, but I pull away.

"Are you sure this is what you need?"

"Iris, all I want to do right now is worship the one thing that makes sense in my world." He presses a kiss against my jaw, and his body trembles. "Please."

I place my hand on his cheek and nod. "Whatever you need."

His head dips down, and he covers my mouth with his own, his lips pushing and dragging mine, his teeth biting down on my lip. His hips pin me in place beneath him.

He tears his mouth from mine to trail a line of kisses down my throat. I let out a moan, and he takes my skin between his teeth in a way that has my back arching off the bed, his breath washing over the skin there. When he lets go, I reach for him to pull him back, but he traps my wrist beside my head. I glare at him. He ignores that, pressing a kiss against the center of my chest, right above where the neckline of my dress starts.

I shift underneath him and reach for him with my other hand, but he pins that one as well.

"Behave."

He kisses my stomach where the dress covers, the silk sliding against me. Another kiss, this one just slightly lower.

He releases my hands but one look from him has me keeping my hands where he put them. His lips turn up in a smirk. "Everything all right, Iris? You look frustrated."

I try kicking him, but his hand flies back, grabbing my foot.

"That wasn't very nice."

"You're not very nice."

"On the contrary." He releases my foot and leans down, pressing his lips to my hip. "I think I'm very nice."

My dress has ridden up, and he moves lower, kissing my thigh before his teeth drag over the skin there.

I clench my eyes, pushing my head deeper into the pillow. "Jonas."

He pulls his mouth away from my thigh, looking up at me. "Hmm?"

"They're all right outside the door."

His grin is positively wicked. "Well I'm being quiet. I guess you'll just have to try harder." He slides his hand up my stomach, taking my dress with it. I bite down on my lip. "You truly are the most divine distraction." He drags his hand back down until he grips the bottom of my thigh, his fingers squeezing my skin.

Someone bangs on the door.

Jonas drops his head face first onto the mattress and groans. "Go away!"

The banging only gets louder, and Jonas drags himself up and off the bed as I fix my dress and hair. I'm equally as frustrated as he is.

Crossing the room, he reaches the door and throws it open. Colton stands on the other side.

"It's Elisana."

"What?" There's ice in Jonas's voice.

"She's here and she wants to speak with you. She says it's urgent."

I suddenly feel cold, and I slip out of bed, inching my way toward Jonas.

"About?" Jonas's whole body is tensed, ready to strike out at anything, anyone.

"The Head Order."

Please don't hate me for having Colton interrupt them *hides*. My mother reads these books.