A matching silk robe hung on a hook beside the vanity, and she put it on, tying it around her waist. Opening the beauty case Shiloh had packed for her as a wedding gift, Adalia found many scented lotions and cosmetics. Her best friend really was all a girl could ask for.
The vanilla and blueberry perfume Adalia usually wore was tucked away inside and so she spritzed it in the air and stood under it, letting it settle onto her hair and skin. Next, she placed a small dollop of rose-pink lip balm on her mouth and smacked them together quietly. Smoothing down the fabric of her nightgown, she took in a deep breath and left the room.
She found Matthias sitting on the balcony, leaning up against the stone barrier, strumming softly on his veslo. Soft cushions and blankets were scattered on the rug beneath him. Hundreds of white candles in clear glass canisters covered the balcony floor, sending a warm glow into an evening sky littered with a thousand tiny pinpricks like a sea of glitter.
The prince had changed too, now sporting loose grey cotton trousers and a white shirt, with his unruly hair falling across his forehead. He looked at her intently as she approached and she was afraid her heart might stop completely.
Cause of death? . . . too much love.
“Was today how you expected it would be?” Adalia asked as she lowered herself onto the pile of cushions and reached for the glass of sparkling rose` Matthias held out to her. She sipped asshe waited for his reply.
His fingers reached for his wine. “It was everything I imagined it would be and more. All I wanted from the day was you at the end of it.”
Adalia blushed at his words. “I’m all yours . . .”
“You will be soon,” Matthias purred in response, reaching for her and pulling her into his lap. She giggled as she positioned herself so that she was straddled across his legs.
“Before any of that, though, I would like you to do something for me,” Adalia said as she traced a single finger over Matthias’s bottom lip.
The prince’s brow rose. “What is your heart’s desire, my love?” he murmured as he nipped at her hand.
“I want you to sing for me.”
Matthias threw back his head, his laughter filled with pure joy. The gold nose ring, glinting under the light of the moon. “And here I thought you wanted me to kill someone or teach them a lesson or something.”
Adalia joined in with the prince’s laughter. “I certainly don’t need you killing anyone for me.”
“So, what song would you like to hear, wife?” the prince teased as he leant forward and placed a sweet kiss upon her lips.
“The one you are always writing about in your book. The one that I’ve heard you sing more than once before.”
The prince chuckled and reached for his veslo. “As you wish, little dove, but you must promise not to tease.”
Adalia’s brow rose. “But I do it so well . . .”
A roguish grin appeared on the prince’s face, and Adalia blushed under his hungry gaze.
“I promise I will not tease. Now play.”
Remaining on his lap, Adalia closed her eyes as soon as the prince’s fingers strummed the first chord, his voice taking her to another world as he sang.
“I walk the halls of my mind and, like my heart, I find them empty.
I’m wide awake in a world built for sleep and my body is ready.
But I don’t dare close my eyes ‘cause that’s when the monsters prowl.
Will you save me? Or am I doomed to lay waste in this hole?
Nothing matters anymore. Take me away from here.
Show me the other side of life, the place that you hold dear.
I want to be happy. Promise us we can be.
I’ll take care of you, and you’ll take care of me.
Pull the bleeding heart from your chest and I’ll rip out mine, too.
