A maddening dimple peeks out at me, barely visible in the dim light. “So, what have we learned today?” he asks, annoyingly amused as ever. “One, daggers are not needed for dancing, and two, you actually have to be close to your partner during the dance. And shockingly, you seem to be struggling more with the latter.”
“Would you rather I struggle with the first and put a dagger to your throat?” I pause. “Again.”
“So very predictable.” he chuckles, the sound washing over me before he mutters, “Always so vicious and eager to stab me.”
He is very close to me. Too close to me.
And it’s because I’m so distracted by that fact that my foot lands on top of his, and I stumble forward to collide with his solid frame. Both of his hands wrap around my waist, steadying me before I regain my senses and push away from him. A deep laugh rumbles from his chest, paired with a genuine smile, one that I’ve only ever seen him wear around his brother.
Lethal.
“How can a fighter have such poor footwork?” His eyes dance between mine. “You are just full of surprises.”
“Well, surprise, I’m done with this lesson,” I say flatly, turning out of his grasp. My back is to him when he snatches my wrist and whips me around, pulling me back.
“But you still owe me one more dance.” His wavy hair tumbles over his brow, the look in his eyes practically begging me to play with him.
“Fine,” I say, playing along. “Another dance for the answer to a question.”
His eyebrows raise. “Is that a bribe, Gray?”
“Those are my terms. Take it or leave it, prince.” His only response is a low chuckle. He turns his head away from me, thinking before he finally meets my gaze.
Slowly, he raises my hand back into the air and rests his other hand comfortably onto the small of my back once again. “Deal.”
Another slow waltz begins, occupying me with the music and steps, drowning me in the dance. When I can’t seem to ignore the feel of his eyes watching me so intently, I finally meet his gaze.
“Alright, what is it you’re dying to know?” Kai asks, leading me through the dance.
I have no idea.
He looks at me, through me, waiting for an answer. His gray eyes are like chips of ice, shards of glass. Like both, his gaze is pointed and piercing. Cold yet captivating. Beautiful in the way only deadly things can be.
And just like that, I suddenly can’t think of a single thing I want to ask him. I rack my brain for a question only to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.
“Do you wish it was you?” He blinks, dark lashes fluttering. “Do you wish you were the future king of Ilya? The heir?”
It’s not at all the question I thought I would be asking, but here we are.
“No,” he says simply, holding my gaze.
I raise my brows in a silent question. When he doesn’t continue, I say, “That’s it? ‘No’?”
“You got your answer, and I got my dance. That was the deal, darling.”
I can barely breathe.
Adena’s thin arms are wrapped so tightly around my neck that I’m beginning to see spots. She screamed and squealed when she spotted me waiting by the Fort.
My best friend. My literal partner in crime. Safe and sound. Beautiful and bubbly as ever.
Lenny arrived at my room early this morning, ready to take me into Loot and retrieve my new seamstress. Apparently, he had gotten approval to do so, though I was too excited to bother asking for details. I may have even squealed myself.
“I’m going to be your what?!” Adena squeaks.
I sigh, though it comes out sounding more like a laugh. “My personal seamstress.” I’ve filled her in on the details about three times now. “I mean, unless you don’t want the job...”
“Are you crazy?! Of course I want the job, Pae!” She’s practically skipping as we make our way to the coach waiting at the far end of Loot.
I survey the market and wide alley before me. My home looks just as dull and dreary as it did when I left it. I let the sound of curses and haggling, the scent of fish and spices wash over me. All familiar. All the same.
Lenny opens the door of the coach and both Adena and I settle in before we are rumbling up the uneven cobblestone street, heading for the palace.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Adena says, in awe as she looks out the tiny window. She turns back to me, taking in the casual dress Ellie forced me into with wide eyes. “I can’t believe this.” She looks from my face to the dress before snatching up the hem of the skirt and inspecting it.
“Don’t get used to...this.” I gesture to the dress. “I typically wear pants during the day, but Ellie insisted I wear a dress to make a good impression on the people who saw me at Loot.”
And there certainly were a lot of people. Despite how early it was, the marketplace was teeming with men, women, and children, all gawking at me as I passed.
I’m not sure what impression I made on them, but I certainly made one, nonetheless.
“It sounds like Ellie and I will get along perfectly,” Adena says, her smile bright.
“Oh, I’m sure you will.” I laugh before continuing, “And you will be paid, fed, and have a real bed to sleep in at night. I’m told there is a sewing room where you will spend most of your time, filled with every type of fabric you could ever dream of.”
Adena’s eyes go glossy at the thought. “Heaven. I’ll be in heaven.”
I fill her in on everything—the training, the interviews, the contestants. She does the same, telling me of her time in Loot while I’ve been gone.
“I was beginning to think you forgot about me!” Adena says with a laugh, dismissing the idea. “And now, here you are, taking me back with you!”
A wave of guilt slams into me, threatening to drown.
I swallow before opening my mouth to plead for forgiveness, to tell her I’m sorry, to—
“I could never forget about you, A.”
Never again.
She beams while my heart beats wildly against my chest. She’s so very good, and I am so very guilty. I’m weak for withholding the truth from her, but with each beat of my heart, I vow to never do it again.
“Oh, wait! Who are you going to the ball with?” Adena’s high-pitched question cuts through my confused thoughts.
Of course Adena would know that detail of the Trials, how we all have to pair up for the balls. She loves this sort of stuff. I run a hand through my hair, combing it out of my face. “Well...I’m going with Kitt.”
Adena blinks. And then she shrieks.
“Kitt? You mean, the heir?” She’s practically hyperventilating, fanning herself with her hands.
“It’s not a big deal, A. Except that I do need to look good,” I say, trying to calm her down.
“Well then you came to the right girl,” she says confidently. “Wow, okay, you have to look really good then.” She swipes at the curly bangs falling into her eyes. “Well, there are several beautiful shades of green we could choose from. We could put you in an emerald, or a sage—”
I hold a hand up, a smile curving my lips. “Actually, I have a different color in mind.”
Chapter Twenty
Kai