Right now, I thinkIam.
Maybe that’s better, though. I fully intended to go into this marriage as a matter of political strategy, and there’s no reason I can’t. The princess deserves a gentle companion, not a jaded soldier who spends his waking hours walking across blood-soaked battlefields. There’s no place for...forsoftnessin my life.
But I keep feeling her delicate touch as she carefully washed the blood off my face. A few tendrils had escaped her braid, and her cheeks were so pink from the wind, but her hands were warm and tender. She didn’t flinch from the violence—or the result. With every stroke of her fingers, I found myself wishing she wouldn’t stop. I remember the way she sat in my lap astride the horse. She was so angry, yet so determined. The memory of it sends a flare of desire through my belly, and my trousers go a bit snug.
I have to shove the thoughts away—but they’re immediately replaced with thoughts of Asher. He bested Nikko so fluidly that it was almost artful—then yielded when I called him off. He tries to be vicious and cold, but it’s so clear that he craves trust and security. He cravescertainty—and I think there’s a part of him that regrets he could never fully find it with the princess. I’ve seen him flinch from her touch, but every time I put a hand on him, he goes so still.
I glance over at him again, watching the firelight paint shadows across the smooth, muscled arc of his shoulders.
Fuck. I need to think about something else. It’s foolish to lust after either one of them. They’re in love with eachother.
But I can’t help glancing over at the princess. A breeze whips through the ravine, lifting the tendrils of her hair, and she shivers, tucking her hands into her sleeves. The camp has truly fallen into the heaviness of sleep, but I keep my voice low anyway.
“Cold?” I say.
She glances my way sheepishly. “I shouldn’t complain. It was far worse in the hut when we kidnappedyou.”
“Yes,” I agree. “But here, my magic is not bound.” I sketch a sigil and pull a small blaze of fire to my palm, then shift to sit beside her. We’re close, yet not touching, and the princess stares at the flame. Firelight flickers off her cheeks, making her eyes sparkle, and I draw a little more power. The warmth of the flame pulses almost in time with my heartbeat, and it only takes a moment before her hands pull free of her sleeves.
“Can I touch it?” she says.
“Carefully.” I hold it a bit closer. “It’s real fire, Princess. It’ll burn whatever it finds.”
She lifts a hand, reaching out delicately, like it’s a ball of glass. Her hand flickers along the edge, making the fire gutter and spark. But then her eyes light with daring, and I can see she’s going to push too far.
I twist my hand to crush out the flame before she burns herself.
I’m too late. She gives a sharp yip.
I swear under my breath and put out a hand. “Here. Let me see.”
She offers me her hand, but it looks like she only burned the tip of her middle finger. It’s red, a tiny blister already appearing.
I tsk, then hold up her hand to blow on her fingers like she’s a child who touched a glass lantern.
She blushes. “I should have listened.”
“Probably.”
Lady Charlotte shifts in her sleep, and the princess goes still. For a moment, I wonder if I should move back to my spot, but Jory hasn’t withdrawn her hand from mine—and in fact, now her fingers have curled a little around my own. I can’t quite bring myself to let go.
I drop my voice. “Is Lady Charlotte going to rap my knuckles if she wakes?”
Jory’s blush deepens. “We’re just sitting.”
“She had no idea about Asher’s nighttime visits to your quarters?”
Jory shakes her head quickly. “He was very stealthy—and I was never willing to risk it.”
I glance at the woman curled in the blankets, and I wonder if PrinceDane specifically ordered her to make sure I kept my hands off his sister. “She seems very loyal. Is she a friend?”
“No. I...I don’t think so.” The princess frowns, her expression shifting. “None of my ladies have ever been a friend. Usually they’re too frightened of Dane to be truly loyal tome.” She pauses. “But not Charlotte. Maybe...maybe shecouldbe a friend.”
There’s a note of longing in her voice that drives home how lonely she must have been in that palace. No wonder she and Asher were so desperate for each other’s company.
She nods down at our hands, which are loosely linked together. “Show me again. I’ll be careful.”
I draw another sphere of fire to dance on my palm, and this time she doesn’t reach for it, she just gazes into it. “So much danger, from something so small and beautiful. No wonder the rumors about you are so terrifying.”
