“I'm going to disappear.”
“You're going to leave me?”
“No, listen.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me over around the table. “Say that you came down to the kitchens looking for food.”
“I have done that before…”
“He won’t suspect anything.”
“What about you? What are you going to do?”
“I'll talk to you when it's safe.” Gideon glanced around the kitchen, slipping the tome under his shirt. “For now. I need to see what's in this.”
The footsteps grew louder and Gideon vanished from sight.
Pretend I'm hungry. Look for food.
Quickly, I darted toward one of the counters with a tray of bread from that morning. The roll had hardened slightly but was still edible. Taking a bite, I chewed the bread and leaned against the counter as if I had wandered here, desperate for a bit to eat. The crust crunched in my mouth, dry and bland, but it helped me focus on acting completely normal.
Kane and the brown-haired pixie, Ella, entered the kitchen.
“Deirdre?” Kane asked, his expression shifting from surprise to annoyance within seconds. “What did I tell you about wandering at night?”
I stood straight, gripping the bread in my hand. Ella eyed me but showed no signs that she had seen me in Kane’s mother’s bedroom.
But she had looked right at me.
Why didn’t I ask Gideon if pixies could see through illusions? Did he know?
“I know,” I said with a yawn, stretching out my arms. “I woke up and I was hungry.”
Kane shook his head. “Call a servant. That’s what they are there for. You’re queen now.”
“I didn't want to bother Liora at night, especially after today.”
Folding his arms, he eyed me, probably debating if I was telling the truth or not. Finally, he sighed and stepped closer to me. “I can get you some of the lavender cookies or a different dessert.”
“That's okay. This is enough.” I gripped the roll, nearly crumbling it in my hand.
“Right. Well, let me return you to your chambers.”
“I can do that, Your Majesty,” Ella said, flying over the table, smiling at me.
“Thanks. Good night to you both.”
“Wait!” I yelled, suddenly nervous about being alone with his pixie.
He stopped, turning to look back at me, his brow furrowed.
I was so terrified Ella knew the truth that I did something completely unthinkable. I ran to Kane and threw my arms around his waist, gripping him in a tight hug. “Thank you.”
He went rigid, his body tensing under my touch.
“Not just for saving me, but for listening to me today.” Though I hadn’t meant to say that, it wasn’t a lie. After nearly falling to my death, we’d had a… friendly conversation. It was the first time he and I actually talked about what happened.
His shoulders relaxed, and then he wrapped his arms aroundme, hugging me back. “I told you I would protect you,” he whispered, his face resting against the top of my head.
“I know.”
