I jump and cheer. Brevan captures me, his arms around my waist, and he spins me around. Then, he stops, still holding me elevated so my face is level with his. His warm breath caresses my face and sweat shimmers on his brow.
He’s breathing far too heavily for the mild exertion. I know he’s feeling the same things I’m feeling. What if I just leaned down a little?
He sets me back on the ground then hurries to retrieve all the fallen knives. “That was good. You were nowhere near hitting thecenter, but you made progress. Let’s keep going. When you get a bullseye, we can be done for today.”
It takes me twelve tries before I hit the center of the target. When I do, I drop the other knife I’m holding and jump with excitement.
Brevan smiles. “Good work.”
“Now, realistically, am I ever going to throw a knife at someone?” I ask.
“Probably not, it would be more likely that you’d need to stab them at a close distance,” he says. “But throwing helps gain confidence. Plus, I wanted to see if you’d give up.”
“I don’t give up easily,” I tell him. Then I realize that’s not true. I gave up after my brothers died. And I’ve been struggling here to complete my mission.
“Good. Because tomorrow you’ll be learning how to defend yourself against an attacker,” he says.
“After breakfast?” I ask.
“Yes. I’ll be outside your room.”
“For now,” I say.
“As long as I’m in the castle, I’ll be here.”
I swear I can still feel the heat from where his hands were on my body. I am not supposed to be thinking about him like this. It is dangerous and stupid. And it is a betrayal to everything my family sacrificed.
“Does the emperor know how to fight? Or does he just count on his immortality?” I ask.
“That’s a dangerous question considering what you were helping Katherine research,” he warns.
“I know. But the emperor isn’t the only one, is he? The empress is dead, but she lived longer than a normal mortal. Her mother is still alive and looks far too young. Is Caiden immortal, too?” What if he is? What if he was given the same gift? That would make it even harder to take them down.
“I don’t know how any of that works, and I know it’s dangerous to ask. I also know your father continues to search for a way to do it himself.” His brow furrows. “Is that why you were looking? Did your father ask you to find out?”
I’m careful not to give anything away when I reply. “No, I didn’t even know that he wanted to be immortal. But he did speak about how the emperor was, so I think that’s why I was so curious.”
“You need to let it go. That curiosity is only going to get you killed.” He removes a knife from the target and tosses it in the basket on the ground. I walk over to him and help remove the remaining knives.
“Or fed to a dragon?” I ask. “How does he even have a dragon? We’ve been told they’re all gone.”
“They are. He’s the last one. The only one left.”
“And he’s kept like that? In a pit with no sunlight or trees or companionship?” I ask. The emperor is a blight on everything he touches.
“Dragons are dangerous. Unpredictable.”
“So are emperors and princes.” I drop a knife into the basket, then turn to grab another. Our hands meet as we both try to grab the same knife. Instead of pulling away, I close my fingers around his hand.
We’re so close again, and this time, I don’t want to move away.
“Anyone can be unpredictable when pushed too far,” he says.
“Maybe sometimes that’s not a bad thing.” My words come out breathy.
He leans closer to me, and those flutters return to my stomach.
“Tell me why you really snuck out that night,” he says.
