By the time Lexie knocked at dawn, I’d slept no more than a few hours.
“Are you awake?” she called out. “If not, get up. Bathe. Brush your teeth. We’ll head down to breakfast together in fifteen, so hurry!”
“I will!”
“We’ve got plans for our poisoner,” she said in a lowered voice. “Just so you know.”
“Leave a scrap of him for me.”
Her answering laugh came out wicked enough to make me glad I wasn’t the one she was planning to take down next. “Oh, we will. Enough for you to sweep up and toss in the trash.” Her voice lifted. “And don’t wear that distracted, swoony-eyed look at breakfast.”
“I don’t have a?—”
“You do,” she sing-songed. “And it’s all king shaped.”
I threw a pillow at the door, but she only laughed harder as she walked away.
I slid out of bed and bathed quickly, dressing in leathers for another day of training. It was only when I’d returned to my bedroom to put on my boots that I saw something out of place on my bedside table.
A small cluster of wildflowers with deep violet petals had been placed in a small vase. Morning dew dusted the petals that smelled faintly of earth and rain.
Not a bouquet, just a handful, gathered carefully and left for me in silence.
I thought back to our conversation, how I collected small things, imperfect but rich with meaning. These flowers weren’t flawless or arranged for show. They were wild, untamed, and utterly real.
Like Trew.
He’d been here while I slept. He’d thought to leave me a quiet piece of the world he wanted me to know.
I cupped the blooms gently and a slow smile spread across my face.
Lexie was already leaning against the wall outside my door when I stepped into the hall, her hair twisted up, and her own leathers laced tight.
“Took you long enough,” she said, pushing off the wall. Her badger chittered beside her, pretty much shaking his paw my way.
“I’m exactly on time.”
“For a ball, maybe.” Her grin turned sly. “Speaking of which… Did you sleep well? Or were you too busy thinking about a certain king breaking down your door again?”
I huffed and started toward the stairs. “I wasn’t thinking about him.” And it appeared he didn’t have to break down my door when it was normally locked. I wasn’t sure what I thought about that.
She quickly caught up. “You were thinking about how he looked at you in that gown.”
“I was thinking about how he might still owe me a new door.”
She laughed, trailing me down the steps. “Sure you were. Just wait until the ball tonight. He’s going to lose whatever royal composure he has left.”
“Maybe he will.” I gave her a sly smile. “And maybe he won’t.”
Lexie’s sidelong glance was far too knowing. “Oh, he’ll notice. You might even get a dance, assuming you don’t bite him first.”
“I don’t bite.”
Her brows rose. “You do, though maybe not where people can see.”
My cheeks heated, which only made her grin wider as we stepped into the dining hall, sitting quickly with our friends. Maddox was noticeably missing—as was Trew.
I ate fast and went with my friends to the training hall that smelled of leather and steel.
