“Perfect for what, Highness?”
Thane paused our conversation to nod and greet a few courtiers passing by in the hall, then he drew us to a halt and leaned closer, voice low. “I think you will be perfect for a bit of entertainment in this dull fortress. In all our acquaintance, I’ve never seen my dear friend so undeniably frustrated. It’s completely made my morning, Lyra. I thank you for that.”
“I don’t understand.”
Thane placed both hands on my shoulders and spun me toward a wide set of doors. Emi was there, free of her Stav uniform, and clad now in a green dress edged in silver, her long hair free over her shoulders.
The prince leaned close to whisper into my ear. “You’ve done something to dig under his skin, and I must know what it was, for he is the most infallible, unruffled ass I’ve ever met.”
Breath stuttered in my chest when Emi’s companion turned around and I met the sharp golden glass of Roark’s eyes. Soft for a moment, then his stare hardened at the sight of me.
Thane’s deep chuckle pulsed against my back. The prince whispered as he readjusted to stand at my side again, “See what I mean? Perfect.”
The Sentry was dressed in a new tunic, all black from the coat over his shoulders to the boots on his feet. Where had he gone after arriving? Did he have another room? Perhaps one shared with Emi? If they were lovers, and Thane believed me to aggravate the Sentry simply for existing, it would not be long until her calming demeanor wore thin.
The lack of contrast in Roark’s attire only emphasized how lithe and tall he was, how beautifully vicious he might be.
His gaze roved over me, unashamed, as though he were soaking up every surface of my body. To be viewed in such a way was strangely intimate, and even more strange, I didn’t despise it.
A thought I would never admit out loud.
Men in Skalfirth spared a look or two until Kael threatened them at the game halls. He thought I didn’t know, but it was a small village. Folk whispered a great deal in the markets.
Now, to tremble under the watch of the man who’d upended my existence was shamefully laughable.
The prince bowed at the waist. “By the gods, Emi, once more your beauty lights the room.”
Emi dipped her chin, but a smile teased the corners of her lips. “Always the charmer, my prince.”
“And you.” Thane’s features hardened when he faced Roark. “I am told you tortured our guest the whole of the journey. It won’t go unpunished, Roark. I swear to you.”
My eyes widened. I reeled on the prince. What was he doing? I’d not spoken a word about Ashwood.
Roark’s nose wrinkled, like he might snarl. In a frenzy he spoke with his hands to the prince, who observed each gesture as readily as if the Sentry were spitting his retorts vocally. Too fast for me to keep up.
“That is not the story she told,” Thane said. Ashwood responded briskly, eyes like fire. Thane sighed. “Well, forgive me, but why would she lie?”
“Highness,” I interjected. The last thing I wanted today was to earn more of Ashwood’s blades and ire.
Then, Emi laughed. She clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound and shoved—truly shoved—Roark’s arm like he was nothing but a boon companion. “You fool. How long has it been since you’ve fallen for his games? What’s gotten into you?”
Thane pressed his lips into a tight line, the sort of look when one was desperate to keep from grinning.
Roark’s gaze bounced from the prince, to me, then back to the prince. He made a jerky signal with one hand.
Thane drew in a feigned gasp of scandal. “You cannot call me such names, I’ll take your head. Ah, I will, don’t press me. I never should’ve made that one up.”
By the gods, this was…unsettling.
The prince gripped Roark’s shoulder, a friendly sort of greeting, then returned to me. “Apologies again, Lyra. I had to poke him. He never smiles, you see.”
“I’ve noticed.” I turned my indifference toward the Sentry.
His jaw set and fists tightened in return.
“This is where I leave you. I am told I must also escort my mother. Seems no one can stroll the halls on their own these days.” Thane bowed slightly and pressed a kiss to the top of my hand. His next words were heady with sincerity. “All will be well, I promise.”
The prince asked for Emi to accompany him and give a recount of the journey. The two Stav Guards remained at my back, the only other presence crowding the silence between me and Roark.
