“That doesn’t explain why you’d do it in a beach bar in Nice, with none of your royals pals around to report it back to your father.” At his silence, I folded my arms tighter. “Don’t worry. I’m fully aware of how fit Jolie is. I also know you’re not a monk, despite your protests to the contrary. I just wish you would’ve kept it to yourself.” I bit my tongue before adding sourly, “Jolie definitely wished you had, too, by the way. So… thanks for that. I managed to embarrass her, asking her about it, all because you more or less dared me to.”
“I didn’t…” He trailed, looking at me, then averted his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Right.” I squeezed my arms to my chest, just under my breasts, and fought to let it go. I motioned at my face and body with a hand. “Forget it. Just change me. Whatever it is you plan to do.” I bit my tongue again, but couldn’t resist adding, “I’d prefer if you didn’t make me look like my flatmate, though, if it’s all the same to you. I’m sure there’s some other model of witch you can pretend to findnearlyas enticing.”
His jaw ticked, but he didn’t answer right away.
He stared at me for a few seconds, then shook his head.
“We can’t do this,” he said, decisive.
I blinked, then scowled. “What do you mean, we can’t?”
“Shadow, you can’t be angry at me when we go out there.” When I glared at him, his voice grew harsh. “You’re going to have to touch me, and let me touch you. If you’re sitting there, scowling at me like you want me dead, flinching every time my fingers brush against––”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. I won’t.”
“You’re doing it right now.”
“We’re not out there right now.”
“You’re missing my point,” he growled. “We can’t do this. Not now. You’re not that good of an actress.” When I aimed another glare at him, he only shook his head. “I’ve seen you lie. I was already worried you’d be shit at this, but if you’re actively angry at me––”
“When am Inotangry at you?” I snapped.
There was a silence where we just looked at one another.
“You promised,” I said, seeing the increasingly immovable look on his face. “We made a deal, Bones. I let you listen in on The Golden Sun, and in return, you were going to let me listen in on the royals. You can’t back out of this now, just because––”
“It might get you killed?” he growled.
I stared up at him, half in disbelief.
“Don’t pretend this is for me,” I said coldly. “I know you’d rather I was anyone else but me. But, unfortunately for you, I’m what you’re stuck with.”
Frustration flickered through his eyes, right before he looked away. I watched him think, his gold eyes staring at one of the black-painted walls.
“I’ll take you out of there,” he threatened in a low voice. “If you can’t pull it off, or worse, if you sit there, snarling at me, or acting like you want to stab me in the eye every time I touch you, I’m pulling you, Shadow. I don’t give a fuck what you say. I don’t care if we’re only five minutes in. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of there, knocked out, if necessary, and thispart of our deal will be over. I’ll find some other way to let you listen in, but you won’t be there in person. Ever again.”
I swallowed, but slowly nodded when I realized what he was saying.
He was right. I knew he was right.
I didn’t have to like it.
“Okay,” I said.
“Just pretend I’m someone else,” he said, gruff.
“I said okay.” I gave him a warning look. “Now change me, Bones. And give me semi-realistic proportions, please. This is the first time I’ve ever evenwornthis outfit, so I’d prefer it if you didn’t stretch it out so badly I’ll never be able to wear it again.”
He stared at me blankly for a second.
Then he let out a low, humorous scoff.
“I’ll try my best,” he said, his voice mockingly sweet. “But as you said, I do need to at leastattemptto make you ‘enticing,’ mongrel, so no promises…”
Shouts and catcallsgreeted us as soon as we entered the bare edges of the firelight around where the party had been staged. Bones raised a hand in return, a faint smirk on his lips, and pulled me closer by the hand. We passed a freestanding bar and an outer ring of armchairs and couches to one side of the roaring flames.
