She tilted her head to the side. “I understand that now. Forgive me if I wasn’t sure of your true intentions in the beginning. But it has become obvious what your purpose here is.”
None of this sounded like an apology to me. She hadn’t done or said anything overtly antagonistic or untrustworthy, but something about her rubbed me the wrong way. However, I was nothing if not diplomatic. “I’m glad we can work together to move forward. All I want is to help King Grimaldi and your people.”
“At least we have that in common, dear,” she said, patting me on the shoulder. “I was terribly sorry to see what happened at the Harvest Festival. I hope you’ve since recovered.”
“I appreciate your concern. I’m getting better.”
She hummed. “Let’s pray to the Fates that the rest of the tour goes smoothly. I’ll be here if you need anything.” With one more firm pat to my shoulder, she sauntered off ahead of me to take Marigold’s hand, her black skirt trailing behind her in the dirt.
“I’m sure you will be,” I muttered under my breath.
A few seconds later, the tunnels opened into a new cave with a low ceiling. The rocks jutting down from above were close enoughthat I could reach out a hand and touch them. Thorne and Galen had to stoop to avoid hitting their heads on the points.
Galen pulled Amalia to the side to speak with her and another miner stationed at the entrance, while Marigold dragged Azura to a wall full of glittering rubies. I averted my gaze from Thorne’s and wandered to the back of the cave, taking in the array of silver, red, green, and purple jewels still covered in grime, waiting to be shined to perfection. I skimmed my fingers along the sharp edge of a diamond.
“Something catch your eye?” Thorne asked.
I looked over my shoulder to see Amalia still standing with Galen across the cave. “Well, something has certainly caughtyours,” I said without thinking.
A smirk toyed with the edges of his lips. “Is someone jealous?”
I gave him a bland look. “Hardly. You’re allowed to spend time with whoever you want.”
Propping an arm against the cave wall above my head, he spun a strand of hair that had come loose from my bun around his finger. “If you wanted my attention, Empress, all you had to do was ask.”
I slapped his hand away, sudden irritation flaring through me. This was the Thorne from the hedge maze that night, the one who used his cocky grins and flirtation to get whatever he wanted. Not the Thorne from the bonfire. The one who let me glimpse the emotions hiding behind that mask, who was genuine and warm and felt like both sin and safety at the same time.
“Don’t play games with me,” I snapped. “You know I’m not that girl.”
I didn’t know where this bitterness came from, only that my tongue was saying the first thing that came into my head. The desire to push him away was equal to the desire to pull him in, and I was sick of how twisted it made my thoughts.
I was amasterof control. But this man got under my skin and ripped that control from me without even trying.
His roguish smile dimmed. He lowered his arm back to his side. “I never meant to play games with you, Clarissa. This is who I have to be.”
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
He ran a finger along his lips while the crease between his eyes deepened. “I can’t let you be anything other than just another woman.”
A scoff left me. “Well,thank you, Lord Reaux. That clears things up.” I moved to slip away, but his hand closed around mine.
“You don’t understand,” he said, voice low. “If I let you become what you are to me, if I let you becomeanythingother than the woman marrying my best friend, I…” He trailed off, his eyes resting on my fingers clutched in his.
The rest of the cave faded around us, save for the sound of my pounding heart and the heat spreading from my hand all the way to my core.
“And what am I to you, Thorne?” I whispered.
His thumb rubbed against the inside of my palm, sending a shiver down my spine. Images from my dream slammed into me. His lips on my neck, fingers at my thigh, my pulse racing to the warm breath below my ear.
He swallowed. “Clarissa, I?—”
A thunderous crash rang through the cave. The floor shook violently, the force of it throwing me into the wall. Small rocks and dust fell from the ceiling as a rumble echoed all around us.
“Thorne! Clarissa!” Galen shouted from across the space, and the last thing I saw was Marigold’s big brown eyes widening in horror as she shrieked for her father.
Then the ceiling collapsed.
37
