When I found Dey waiting outside the dining hall, I nearly did an about face, but he noticed me before I could make an escape.
His nose twitched as I neared and my step faltered.
Shit. Could he smell Sin on me?
Dey dipped his head slightly and gave me a wary smile. “Good morning, Princess. That is an interesting tunic choice. Where did you get it?”
Okay, he could definitely smell Sin.
“Oh, I found it in the weapons room a couple days ago. It was folded and smelled clean to me, so I took it back to my room. It gets chilly in the Sylvarium sometimes. I must not have the same elevated body temperature because of my human side.” I gave him my best ashamed look, and it worked like a charm.
Dey stepped into my space, and I fought the urge to cringe as he ran a hand over my shoulder. “You should not be embarrassed about your human half, Rain. It only proves how strong you are to overcome it.”
Damn he was predictable.
With Sin’s smell forgotten or deemed unimportant, Dey took my arm and led me into the dining hall where my father was already eating breakfast.
“Good morning, Raynella,” he greeted. “I trust you slept well?”
I tried not to blush at the reminder of exactly how well I had slept. “Yes, thank you.” As I took my seat his nose twitched as well.
He asked Dey a question in Rivellan, but Dey just responded dismissively. I could imagine what he was saying, but I needed to be ignorant to sell it.
“What’s up?” I asked, taking a bite of fruit and palming a couple berries at the same time to give the crescia later.
“Nothing important, Raynella,” my father said. “I wanted to remind you that the dinner this evening will be somewhat elevated, though not quite as elaborate as tomorrow's banquet. Please make sure your servants dress you accordingly. The seamstress will return this afternoon for a fitting of your finished gown, and you will need to meet her in your chambers.”
“I will come find you in the Sylvarium later,” Dey added. “So that I can assist with the translation.”
“That sounds great,” I said, hoping it came out more authentic than it sounded to me. I snagged a handful of nuts and pushed back from my chair. “I’m actually not that hungry, and I want tomake sure I get plenty of time with the crescia, so if you don’t mind, I’m going to head out.”
My father looked like he wanted to argue, but I breezed out the door before he got the chance.
I left in the direction of the Sylvarium in case they were watching, then hooked a right toward the stairs to the lower level. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Sin waiting outside of the library, leaning against the wall. He was a harsh kind of beautiful, and I imagined most people gave him a wide berth. I wondered if it ever bothered him, this persona he portrayed. Maybe he preferred it like that. Preferred the solitude. Either way, I knew what was in his heart, and he could play scowly and growly all he wanted with everyone else because I knew the truth.
His slow grin melted my insides as he stalked toward me like a panther sizing up his prey.
He stopped just shy of me and slid his gaze up my body, causing something inside me to clench at the desire in his slow perusal.
“I wish I could dress you in my clothes every day,” he said, his deep voice rough with approval.
I closed the gap and slid my arms around his neck. “Yeah? Well I think people might catch on if you did that.” I gave him a placating kiss on the nose. “Is Corym here? I need to see if he can fix the language issue before we leave.”
“Yeah, I think I heard him in there.”
He pushed the door open and gently nudged me to enter first. I braced myself for the remnants of the destruction I left behind but was surprised to find no evidence of what occured. The rug and couch were gone, replaced by new ones, and all scorch marks had been scrubbed from the ceiling and walls. There wasn’t even a lingering hint of smoke.
“Princess,” Corym called, crossing over to me, an unexpectedly wide smile on his face. Apparently my royalty status trumped the destruction of his antique rug. “It is wonderful to see you again under better circumstances. I feared this one might have scared you away.” He gave Sin a pointed look who just shrugged and leaned against the doorframe.
Corym drew me over to the sofa and sat beside me. “What can I do for you?”
“Right, so the language transfer thing? It worked, but it seems to be stuck in my subconscious. I can only remember conversations when I’m sleeping. Any way you can fix that? The medication should be long out of my system, but things aren’t improving.”
Corym’s eyes lit up. “I would be delighted to try. It is so fascinating how your brain works. I never placed knowledge in the back of the mind before. I have spent quite a bit of time considering the practical applications of such a possibility.”
That was Corym, ever the scholar. I gave him a small laugh. “Well, I’m happy to be your guinea pig. Let’s see if you can push it to the front.”
“Yes, let us,” he said, shifting to take my hands. “Close your eyes. I do hope this will be quite a bit faster and less painful.”
