“Then what do you mean?”
The Prince takes a step forward so that our bodies are nearly touching, his brown eyes looking into mine and commanding that I listen to him carefully.
“When I first met you, you were awake during the early hours before dawn and saddling your horse for a walk around Moonsbay Lake.Ancientsknows why, but you wereliving,Alexis,taking the day for your own as you saw fit...”
Keane tugs my wrist again and makes me take a step towards him, my chest brushing against his.
“And when you arrived in Gaumond for the first time in your life, you immediately visited the first place that showed signs of humans and Discerni enjoying each other’s company. That’sliving…”
My heart nearly stills at the words.
“And when you dared me to watch you enjoy yourself in that tavern, to watch you relish in what a new city had to offer…”
His rests his lips just above my ear, not caring that his court can see.
“That’s living.AndAncients, Alexis, I couldn’t take my fucking eyes off you the whole night.”
Fuck me.
Keane grips my hand even tighter, everything about him and his words lighting my body to fire.
“You meet everything that the Court of Warriors has to offer you with an open mind and an open heart…”
My eyes close with a heavy exhale.
“You’re determined to embrace this court, and you have the desire to not just talk about life, but live it as well. What you’re still doing in Knowledge is beyond me…”
I feel his sigh against my ear, as if he’s genuinely disappointed.
“But I can see the curiosity behind your eyes, Alexis. You’re wondering why more Discerni and humans don’t embrace eachother as we do here. You’re wondering why you’ve accepted the sentiment that Discerni can be cold and indifferent to you just because of their lifespans. You’re wondering…”
Keane pauses for a brief moment.
“…Open your eyes, Alexis.”
Ancients.
I can’t.
I don’t want to.
Because I know if I see his brown gaze looking back at me right now, I’ll let him lead me away so I can show him just how much I’d like to experiencelivingwith him.
I think Keane sees how his words have affected me, and instead of pressing the subject, he gently releases my wrist and takes a small step back.
“Enjoy the rest of your night,Alex…”
I let out another heavy breath when I no longer feel him near, my eyes opening to the sky above as my body begins to tremble.
I rush out of court following Keane’s words, not saying goodbye to anyone. My full body is flushed and heated as if he purposely etched those words into my skin as a fiery caress. I didn’t give a damn about the etiquette of the night or that the moons weren’t even at their apex, only that I needed to get far, far away.
My walk is hurried and takes me down the many halls and up the countless staircases of Castle Gaumond. I hear Golem’s padded footsteps join me from the shadows when I turn down a new hall, the two of us walking in silence until we reach my door. I push through swiftly and head straight for the bathing room, leaving the gold dress in a pile on the floor before dipping into the hot tub. I wash as I do every night before I know I’ll be on the road for a while, silently scrubbing away the sight of the Prince’s heated gaze and the feel of his lips so close to mine.
How does he know?
How can he see those part of me?
Ever since I arrived in Gaumond, there’s been a yearning curiosity that has pulled me into all sorts of different directions. There’s just something about the Warrior capitol and the way the people live here that has me abandoning every notion of what I thought it meant to truly live. The people here don’t settle for easy days of reading and mundane chats on the weather. They approach everything in life with a fire and tenacity befit of their name.
