At twenty-one, I shouldn't blush because of a handsome guy and a lurid ballad, and I also should have at least some carnal experience, but to my great embarrassment and Shovia's even greater disappointment, I was still a virgin.
It was not by choice.
I wasn’t a prude, and I wasn’t saving myself for marriage. I just hadn't found anyone who inspired me to go any further than kissing.
"Come on." Shovia dragged me forward, her eyes locked on her prey. "We are just going to pass by them on our way to the bar."
Behind us, Morek snorted. "Have fun, ladies. Let me know if you need me to escort you home."
I turned and smiled at him. "Seen someone interesting?"
"Several someones." He winked.
"Make an impression, Kailin," Shovia whispered in my ear.
"Make an impression?" I hissed back. "How exactly am I supposed to do that?"
But she was already moving, weaving through the crowd with a practiced sway of her hips and a confidence I couldn't replicate. I followed, doing my best not to look as self-conscious as I felt.
"Oh, my," Shovia said loudly. "The bar's quite crowded. Perhaps we should find a table." She smiled at the Elurians and then struck a pose in case they misinterpreted her hint.
The one whom I'd dubbedPrinceturned to look at her, his striking blue eyes sweeping over her and then turning to me. When his gaze lingered on me for a moment longer than it had on my friend, I felt my pulse quicken.
His companion broke into a broad grin. "Come, join us." He waved his hand at the two empty chairs at their table. "We were saving these for you."
"Thank you." Shovia rewarded him with a grin of her own. "That was quite a performance," she said as she sat down on the chair he pulled out for her. "You have a lovely voice."
ThePrincepulled out a chair for me, and I had to admit that I liked the Elurian custom. What I didn't like was Shovia's blatant maneuvering to get us invited to sit at their table.
"Thank you." I offered him a smile, hoping that he couldn't see the furious blush on my cheeks.
Now I finally understood why Morek got tongue-tied when talking to girls he liked. I had never blushed because of a guy before, not even Morek when I had my silly crush on him, but this stranger with piercing blue eyes and aristocratic features heated the blood in my veins and made my pulse quicken.
I should follow the advice I'd given Morek and pretend that he was just a nothing-special guy, so I would stop acting like a drakking blushing virgin.
If there had been any drakking involved, you wouldn't be a blushing virgin,Shovia's mocking voice sounded in my head.
"My cousin and I were just discussing the finer points of Elucian ballads." The singer winked at me. "Though perhaps some of the verses aren't suitable for mixed company."
"Codric," my prince said, his tone carrying a note of warning.
"Alar," Codric replied, imitating Alar's warning tone. "It's a perfectly legitimate cultural exchange. Besides, these lovely ladies might know some verses I haven't learned yet."
"I certainly do." Shovia extended her hand to Codric. "But I'm too much of a lady to sing them to you. I'm Shovia, and this is my best friend, Kailin."
Shovia had sung far worse in this very bar on more than one occasion, so I had to wonder whether she'd found a loophole that allowed her to skirt the truth or just didn't care about following Elu's precepts when dealing with Elurians.
After all, their interpretation of Elu's Truths was much more flexible than that of most Elucians.
Codric lifted off his chair just enough to lean over Shovia's hand and kiss the back of it. "Enchanted."
I heard Alar release a hissing breath before he offered me his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kailin."
"Same here," I mumbled as I put my hand in his.
The contact sent a zing of electrical current through me.
I was dying. If he kissed my hand like Codric had done to Shovia's, I might turn into a puddle of goo and seep into the ground through the cracks in the floorboards. It would be a mercy too, because at least I wouldn't have to endure the humiliation of acting like a fool in front of him.
