Capture the Crown (Gargoyle Queen #1) -Jennifer Estep Page 0,58

my direction. I whirled around to stride away—

“You there. Wait.”

I gritted my teeth, but running from the queen wasn’t an option, and I had no choice but to turn around.

Maeven strolled over and stopped in front of me, her sharp gaze locking onto my face. I stood rooted in place, not sure what to do or say.

A small flutter of movement caught my eye, and a woman stepped up beside the queen. She was a couple years younger than me, twenty-five or so, and quite lovely, with long, wavy onyx-black hair, pale skin, and dark amethyst eyes.

A short dark purple velvet cape trimmed with purple feathers covered her shoulders, while a lilac-colored gown floated around her body. A silver choker ringed her neck, and the design in the delicate filigree reminded me of the liladorn I had seen earlier. Glittering onyx vines adorned the choker, along with tiny amethysts shaped like thorns.

I had seen portraits and other likenesses of the woman, so I knew exactly who she was—Princess Delmira Myrina Cahira Morricone, Maeven’s only daughter.

Delmira smiled at me and tilted her head, not in greeting, but as though she was trying to tell me something important—

My eyes widened in understanding, and I dropped down into a deep curtsy. “Your Majesty,” I murmured, striving for a humble tone. “Please forgive my lack of etiquette. Your presence . . . overwhelmed me.”

Silence.

The servants, merchants, and nobles kept moving through the rotunda, their whispered footsteps and murmured conversations droning through the air like bees, but a dangerous silence reigned in the bubble of space around the queen, the princess, and me.

I stayed frozen in my curtsy, even though my arms and legs trembled from the effort, and sweat gathered on the back of my neck. My body was about as firm, steady, and strong as a scoop of apricot sherbet melting in the summer sun, but I gritted my teeth and held the pose.

Even worse than the continued silence and my own exhaustion was Maeven’s magic, which sizzled over me in hot, electric waves, as though I were swimming in a sea of lightning. The Mortan queen was one of the most powerful magiers on the Buchovian continent, and the tingling in my fingertips intensified to an almost painful level, while more sweat pricked the back of my neck.

“Rise,” Maeven finally commanded.

I shot to my feet and clasped my hands together, trying to strike an attentive but submissive pose. I also plastered a smile on my face, as though I were absolutely thrilled to be the subject of the queen’s attention, and not worried she was going to order the guards to murder me.

Maeven’s gaze roamed over my clothes before settling on my face again. Not a flicker of emotion crossed her features, and I couldn’t tell what she thought of me.

“Who are you?” she asked, a demanding note in her low, silky voice.

An excellent question. I drew in a breath, trying to think of a lie that would please the mercurial queen—

“Lady Armina!” a familiar voice called out. “There you are!”

Leonidas strode across the rotunda and stopped by my side. He was once again bundled up from head to toe in a long black cloak over an equally long black coat, while gloves covered his hands.

Relief coursed through me, along with an equal amount of wariness. He wasn’t summoning the guards to have me thrown in the dungeon—or executed—but I was far from safe.

“Leonidas,” Maeven said, her voice much warmer than before. “I didn’t expect you to return from Ravensrock so soon.”

Her words were perfectly pleasant, but a faint, chiding tone rippled through them, as if he’d somehow displeased her.

Leonidas dipped his head in apology. “Of course I returned. I would never miss your birthday.”

He smiled, stepped forward, and kissed his mother’s cheeks. Maeven stood there and accepted his affections, her face still poised in that blank mask.

Leonidas turned to Delmira, who surged forward and kissed his cheeks. Then she reached out and clasped his hands in hers, smiling wide.

“It’s so wonderful to have you home!” she said, her voice as light and pleasant as wind chimes tinkling together.

The warmth of her love for him gusted over me, but it didn’t melt any of my own icy unease.

Leonidas returned Delmira’s smile with a genuine one of his own. “It’s good to be back.”

Delmira dropped his hands and focused on me. “And who is this?”

Leonidas stepped to the side, putting himself in between me and Maeven. “This is Lady Armina, a jeweler and