And I will also admit that his beauty, far too perfect though it may be, is an unfair advantage as well. It’s distracting up close. I wonder how long he’s spent making his hair fall that way; how many elixirs does he use to make his skin so smooth and soft-looking? Does he have an entire team of servants dedicated to trimming his eyebrows?
I wouldn’t be surprised.
Maybe it’s a trick of the light in the room, but it looks like his skin is actuallyglowinga little. It’s subtle, but with it, I can see the outlines of his arms through his royal robes, the sheer black fabric catching on ample muscle—of course. Of course his body is perfect. How else could it be?
He’s standing quite close, closer than I’d expected him to come. I hadn’t expected him to come off his throne, to be honest, let alone to meet with him eye to eye on our first day in the palace. He’s right here in front of me, only a few feet away, close enough to kil—
Fuck.
Think of something, anything, else.
My mind jumps frantically from the word I want to think, the word I’m desperately trying not to think, and lands somewhere else entirely.
Close enough to…close enough to…close enough to…kiss.
His eyes flash with recognition, and heat rises up the back of my neck.This is mortifying.I’m about to pray to any god that will listen to keep my cheeks from turning red.
He smiles with his eyes wide open, no doubt picking up on whatever the fuck is going on with my feelings. “Sylvie. Welcometo the capital. I’ve heard it’s your first visit. I hope you find it to be everything you imagined and more.”
Then he winks at me before turning to Adria.
He fucking winks.Gods, save me.
I’m reeling, my thoughts flying in a panic. I feel sick. I have to get out of here. I can’t believe I let my mind think even for asecondabout kissing him, even to save my own life. I don’t want to be anywhere near him. This is a huge mistake. There’s no way I can do this. There’s no way I can conceal my feelings. I’m going to doom us all. This is an absolute disaster.
And then, just as I’m watching Adria bow out of the corner of my eye, something occurs to me: I’ve got him exactly where I want him.
He was charmed by my presence. Wasn’t he? What else could the wink have been for? In any case, he certainly didn’t seem angry or concerned about us or what we’re doing here.
Larus has trained me to observe. To use my senses, to keep out of sight, to speak little and carefully consider my words, to believe in the power of secrets to strengthen my shadows.
Secrets and lies. The key to my power.
My heart is the secret.
My mind is the lie.
They can’t change your heart, Adria said.
I don’t have to change my heart to do what we came here to do. All I need to do is keep my mind on track. I can lie to him. It can work.
And maybe I can make him feel something too.
Chapter Six
Iturn slightly to look at Adria where she waits for Ronan to approach, and I’m shocked at what I see.
Her eyes dart with fear. Her chest rises, her breathing shallow. She’s cowering in his presence. I have never, in all my life, seen her like this.
What in the name of the gods is happening?
“Lady Adria,” he says as plainly as if he’s addressing a servant. “I trust you remember how to bow.”
I seethe with anger. Adria looks as though she might cry, but she does as he says. I want to reach for her, to comfort her for the first time in our lives.
And I want to slap that smirk right off his face.
“I can feel the heat coming off of this one,” says Ronan, gesturing to me. “Fire-born too?”
