“What are you doing?” I whisper, my nose mere inches away from his.
“Shhhhh.” He winks and my eyes widen, knowing if the men see this, what will they do?
His chest radiates warmth against my back, and I can feel the defined ridges of his muscles shifting beneath the fabric of his shirt. I suck in a breath.He shouldn’t be doing this.Yet, he reaches for my arm, his touch gentle yet firm as his hand glides smoothly down my skin, creating a trail of tingling goosebumps.
He shouldn’t be touching me.
He places the cold dagger into my palm, his fingers closing my hands around it. His eyes linger on mine for what feels like an eternity, and I find my chest rising and falling rapidly, my heart beating against my chest.
My body is scorching.
My breathing trembles, hitching as I try to suck in a deeper breath.
He directs us toward a target, a worn-out straw figure that appears as if it won’t withstand another blow. Slowly, he raises our hands for us to throw, but our eyes remain locked in an intense gaze. I should look at the target, but his eyes are like a magnet, pulling me in, only to want him in my view. But the moment his eyes shift from mine to linger on my lips, it's as though the very air has been sucked from my lungs, leaving me breathless.
I shudder, trying to catch a breath that won’t come. My pulse races as I feel his warm breath caressing my lips, a mixture of fire and floral scent filling my nose.His smell.His eyes focus on my lips for far too long and I can feel his body shifting closer to mine, leaning in towards me.
But then he yanks our arms back with a violent pull, and we hurl the dagger together, his eyes rising from my lips to lock with mine. And I breathe,at last. The dagger slices through theair with a high-pitched whistle and strikes directly in the center of the straw figure, splitting it in two. Straw falls to the ground, scattering across the pit.
“I think that worked.” Koen’s brow lifts, his dimples digging into his cheeks with a wink.
I peek around, still catching my breath, and spot Florian standing beside Skie, dressed in a white armor with a matching flower of those in Skie’s hair, pinned against his chest. He turns to leave within seconds of me noticing him. Skie’s pastel lips tug into a smirk, and she raises her brows as she turns to follow him.
My stomach tightens. Could Koen and the rest be right about Florian’s affection towards me?It’s impossible.I step away from Koen, straightening my back and clearing my throat. “Why did you do that?”
“Skie doesn’t like competition and if she has any fear that Florian might feel something for you,” he begins to walk over to the straw, “she will kill you herself.”
“Geez.” I follow behind him, ignoring the fact my heart rate was at a deadly speed when he was that close to me. “She looks so innocent?”
He yanks the dagger from the straw figure. “Ahhh—” He points it towards me in a playful manner. “That is what she wants people to think.”
“Well she has nothing to fear. Florian and I are just—”
“Friends,” he interrupts, sheathing his dagger against his raven-black pants that are speckled with the rust dirt. “My brother always gets the girl, just you wait.” His voice drops to a low mutter, only speaking to himself.
“Koen,” I say and he halts, pushing the loose curls away from his eyes. “Do I need to worry about Skie? Truthfully.”
He lets his hair fall down to his shoulders, tousling it before running his fingers through his curls. “Just don’t drink or eat anything she gives you and you should be fine.”
I cross my arms, taking long but slow steps towards him. “Are you saying she poisons people?”
“I’m saying…” He drags out the words, redoing his bun as he takes a step towards me and we stand almost chest to chest as he gazes down to me. “She is cursed. Remember all Royals are cursed. Theon, Kaine, all of them. But hers… she can turn any plant, any speck of dirt, into a poison. She could turn the air you breathe into a deadly toxin with the snap of her fingers.”
“So I do need to worry.”
He leans closer, his breath tickling against my ear. “Yeah. I suppose so. The Royals are forbidden to use their curses unless it’s to protect the Realm, but that doesn’t stop them.”
I push his chest, my hands hitting against his stern body. “What the hell, Koen? How is she allowed to even walk outside the walls of the castle?”
“She’s the princess and future Queen. You forget, those who rule Azure have the control. We do not.” He crosses his arms. “Why do you think I touched you and held you close before we threw the dagger?”
I roll my eyes, sighing. “I suppose to make her not view me as a threat?”
“I suppose you are smart after all.” His brow lifts, letting his lips form an arrogant grin. “I’ll see you this evening, but first…”
His eyes fall down to my boots. “Go change.”
“Change into what?”
