Since I would step into the viper pit within days, “jaws” and all, I’d soon find out.
Farris shifted beside me, lifting his head to rest it on my thigh, a light snore escaping his parted lips. I stroked the fur behind his ears. “A choice is often a fork in the path.” I’d read enough riddles in mystery novels to sense when one held more beneath its surface than it revealed. Either way, I had to be a step ahead of this or risk falling prey to whatever lay in wait. Secrets, no matter how deeply buried, were always waiting to spring their traps. And from Lord Briscalar’s vague hints, Evergorne was a court full of secrets.
The book slid closed with a soft thump, and I let it rest on my lap, my pulse still jumping around in my throat. I refused tostep into Evergorne Court blind. I’d keep the lines in my mind and think about them every now and then to see if they held new meaning.
I’d lost myself in thought, my fingers twisting through Farris’s fur, when a firm knock echoed at the door, snapping me back into the room. My spine tightened.
“Reyla,” Merrick’s teasing rumble came from the hall. “Do I need to storm in, my fawn bride, or will you open the door and pretend you’re happy to see me?”
Great. Just great.
Heat burst in my chest, a slow burn that seemed determined to become a full flame. Muttering under my breath, I scrambled to hide the book underneath the mattress again.
Farris lifted his head, his ears twitching, and I gave him a quick pat.
“Stay here, little fella.” In the sitting area, I pressed my forehead against the door. “Pretend you’re good at courtly games, Reyla.”
Yeah, sure.
I wasn’t ready for Merrick. I suspected I’d never be ready for Merrick.
When I opened the door, I found him standing in the hall, tall and imposing, but with an air of nonchalance that somehow lit my guarded walls on fire. His green eyes met mine, amusement with something deeper simmering below.
“Have you been avoiding me?” he asked with a smile curling the corner of his mouth.
I swallowed, unsure how best to handle him. “I’ve been reading.”
Not a lie.
That damned smile grew bolder, a spark of laughter lighting his gaze. “Reading after all we’ve been through, huh? And here I was thinking you’d be eagerly awaiting my company. Pining for me, actually.”
The playful teasing, the easy way he spoke, sent warmth and irritation through me at the same time.
“Are all kings this arrogant?” I thought of stepping to the side to let him in but there was a bed in my suite, and if I did nothing else, I would avoid lying beneath him again on a soft surface. “Let’s stroll on the deck, shall we?”
Maybe the wind and distractions would keep him from fraying the edges of my composure.
“I’d love to.” He stepped back and offered his arm to me as I closed my door.
With a sigh, I slid my hand along his forearm, trying my best to ignore the thick flex of his muscles beneath my fingers.
With a calm, commanding stride, he led me along the hall and up the stairs. We burst through the top door and out into the sunshine.
“I wouldn’t call it arrogance,” he said in a low voice. As we paused to adjust to the bright light, his gaze flicked to my lips before returning to lock on my eyes. “Call it confidence earned, tempered with the knowledge that you’re not running to see me yet.”
His words sent a shiver through me, kindling feelings I wasn’t ready to name.
This was Merrick, dangerously charming, smug in his kingship, and a deeper person than I wanted him to be. I couldn’tsay he shied from hardness, not after what he’d done with the sailor. Other than carrying me down the stairs and dumping me onto his bed, he’d been kind and gentle with me. Teasing me instead of making demands like any other king would. His duality confused me. I hadn’t quite figured what sort of man I’d chained myself to yet.
“Careful, Merrick.” I stepped away from him and his too-overwhelming appeal. “You might find me less willing if you keep talking like that.”
He caught my challenge easily, tilting his head with a grin that bore the right amount of roguishness to scatter my will to resist. “I have no doubts about that, Reyla. But,” his tone shifted, quieting for my ears alone, “there are worlds in you that need unlocking, and I believe I’m the perfect man to do so.”
The words didn’t settle—they sank deep inside me. He couldn’t know what I was thinking or feeling, though I’d told him about losing Kinart. He must’ve seen the devastation on my face and heard it coming from my heart. His words reached me in a way no one else’s ever had. I wasn’t sure if that scared or stunned me. Both.
I could run from him now. Let’s face it, I’d essentially run already, hiding in my cabin for so long.
Or I could lift my head and do what I’d told myself I would do when I agreed to be his willing bride.
