“I missed you,” I whisper, desperate to inhale his scent. The crisp air clings to his smooth cheeks.
“I hoped you would be here. Otherwise I didn’t know if I’d be able to see you today. I’m training with your brother and the guards most of the day.” Kieran’s training with Gabe has continued, despite the restrictions put in place to keep us apart. Kieran, it seems, is not a threat to Gabriel.
“You know you can use the key,” I murmur against his neck, the package bumping between us. Despite my eager protests, Kieran has only ever come on the full moon, and despite my growing want for more of him, he’s only ever kissed me, claiming that he can’t keep me. Not when I’m to be queen.
So we do this tentative dance—our love for each other evident, despite the divide between our blood.
“Open it,” Kieran insists, passing the package to me. It’s heavy, and I can already tell by the strange shape that it’s a potted plant.
I carefully remove the brown paper wrapping, revealing the most beautiful plant I’ve ever seen. Green leaves are spotted with white dots and splashes of brilliant pink. Pale pink flowers arch out of a soft pink stem. “Oh, Kieran! It’s beautiful!”
Nervousness traces his features, and I know it’s because he’s worried I won’t appreciate it. “It’s just for you, Gen. I’ve been working on it for years, and now it’s yours. Begonia Gen.”
“It’s the most perfect gift anyone’s ever given me. I love it!”
I gingerly set the pot down on the counter before I lace my hands into his hair, pulling him down intoa kiss.
I take my breakfast in bed. I can’t risk facing Kieran. Knowing I’ll be spending the day in negotiations with Icelantica, I needed a moment alone. My heart is still racing at the thought of our kiss under the willow. Now I can’t stop thinking about our conversation in my room. I suspected he was the one bringing me flowers, but now he’s confirmed it.
A tingle runs down my spine at the thought of him watching me while I sleep. I should be horrified, but instead I like knowing he can’t seem to resist me.
Once breakfast is complete, I change with the help of my lady’s maid, then sneak away to the warmth of the glasshouse. I’ve been so busy lately with the upcoming wedding that I’ve neglected my plants.
The scarlet begonias are in full bloom, brilliant blood-red petals hanging heavy on green foliage—but it’s the Begonia Gen that catches my eye today. The plant Kieran painstakingly bred over years just for me. A gift for my seventeenth birthday. Its speckled leaves and creamy pink blossoms are a sight to behold. The plant now grows across the back wall of the glasshouse, dominating the room. I’ve pruned and propagated it for years, and it’s always been special to me.
It once represented the last piece of Kieran I could hold on to. Now, I don’t know what it means to me. Part of me wishes to toss it out, if only to keep my mind from straying to Kieran.
My thoughts keep returning to that kiss. No matter what I do, how distracted I try to stay, I can’t stop replaying the way his lips pressedagainst mine—the urge to explore him, to relearn his stronger, broader body.
But I can’t let thoughts of Kieran cloud my judgment. I must prepare for my upcoming wedding to Leland, even though the kiss with him fills me with anxious energy. The way he pressed his lips to mine, as if to prove that I still want him as much as he wants me, makes my stomach churn. It pains me to admit he’s right.
I know Leland is a good man. He’s everything I should want in a husband, and yet, despite my best efforts, I feel so little attraction to him. I can see him as a friend, as someone I could count on—but the thought of being intimate with him makes my skin prickle, and not in a good way.
I prune some wayward stalks from the Begonia Gen and place them in a pitcher of freshwater with rooting powder before washing up at the basin and slipping out of the glasshouse. If only I could stay in the humid space with my plants all day, perhaps then I could find some clarity.
But I must make my way to the meeting with Leland and his sister, along with Mother, Father, and Gabe. Gabe will share a brief military report on Wylan, then be excused from the hours-long session meant to finalize the matrimonial terms.
I thought we’d already established a firm contract, but Queen Kalise has requested last-minute changes. I worry it must have something to do with the rot—or perhaps she’s too perceptive and suspects there’s more between Kieran and me than meets the eye.
I return to my rooms to freshen up and find a rare orchid bloom on my pillow. There’s a note attached that reads only,My blossom.
Is this from Kieran as well? He has a key to my room, but surely he wouldn’t be so bold as to slip into my apartment in the middle of the day—not when he knows how many maids pass through in the latemorning. Not when he’s already brought me blossoms in secret each night.
And yet, Leland brought all those scarlet begonias to our engagement party. Perhaps he’s been researching rare flowers? It would be something he’d do, knowing how naturally he tries to please others.
I twirl the flower between my fingers, studying the handwriting on the card. It’s neither Kieran’s old script nor Leland’s. Placing the orchid in my vase, already filled with fresh blooms, I leave for my meeting.
“Did the orchid make it to your rooms?” Leland whispers as he lays a hand on my back, guiding me toward the table where the others wait.
I feel a strange mix of regret and relief. This flower wasn’t from Kieran. Of course it was a gift from my fiancé, not the man threatening my ruin. A ruin I believe he may be having second thoughts about.
“It’s beautiful. Where did you find it?”
Leland smiles broadly. “Mr. Blackwell. Strangely, he’s very knowledgeable about rare flowers. Once he showed it to me, I knew you’d enjoy it.”
I try to hide my surprise as I agree that I did. Kieran must still be trying to ruin me, flaunting his desire for me right in front of Leland like that.
We take our seats, and tea is poured for me. I take a desperate sip, trying to compose myself before I’m called on to speak again.
