I let out a breath. “You wouldn’t hurt me.”
He raised his head, so his eyes met mine. “Wouldn’t I?” A warning. He cocked his head to the side, and in that moment, he looked all the part of the predator. And I was afraid. And I was painfully aware that he knew it.
“You wouldn’t,” I repeated.
And he seemed disappointed in that truth. As if he should hurt me. As if he was supposed to.
He pressed a kiss to my pulse. “Get some sleep, Charlotte.”
And the sudden absence of his warmth was awakening.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“He’s an odd fellow,” Queen Sindri told us as her staff fanned her with different colored fans to see which one felt better. Her eyes narrowed, settling on nothing as they tested each one. “Purple, most certainly.” She nodded, sure of herself.
It was a warm day. I’d never worn something so revealing as I did last night, and today was no different. The fashions back home were more loose and flowing. Today I wore an aubergine gown that was fitted yet stretchy. It was quite comfortable, even though I felt very much on display. It had tiny sleeves that draped off my shoulders.
We had just had breakfast in one of the many breathtaking gardens. Each tree, each hedge, each flower down to the leaf seemed as if they were all meticulously placed with the most care. And the backdrop of the towering mountains always kept my mouth slightly agape anytime I attempted to take in the overwhelming scene.
Queen Sindri told us all about Professor Johan, someone she had been trying to track down since the portal opened, but he was rather elusive.
“He does not concede to threats.” She leaned in, lifting her eyebrows like a shrug. “So, don’t even bother, Sebby.”
He frowned at the name.
“Not even a royal order could shake him. He has refused to speak to anyone because he can’t be persuaded to leave whatever he’s working on. He can’t afford to lose any time, he said.” She moved her hands around like a conductor as she quoted him. “But!” The fans waving her from every direction stuttered as the ones waving them jumped from her sudden exclamation. “He might be intrigued by whatever tracking spell Alaric has tied to Charlotte.” She eyed Sebastian and then me, raising her brows. “We couldn’t persuade him by force, but perhaps we could persuade him with what he loves most. Knowledge.”
* **
Sebastian and I rode the carriage through the countryside of rolling green hills into the city. We met winding cobblestone roads lined on either side with iron lamps and quaint, little shops draped in wisteria and ivy. Some shops were stacked on top of each other with spiral staircases leading to the higher levels. It was again a completely different image than what I had expected for a city of vampires.
The carriage lurched to a stop, and I flew into Sebastian’s lap, who was sitting across from me on the opposite bench. Or rather, I fell to my knees in between his legs, clutching his thighs to stay upright. I gaped up at him, at the compromising position, and he simply looked down at me with that same perpetually blank face, though something faint sparked in his eyes. There was cursing outside, someone must have cut us off. I scrambled to my feet as Sebastian hauled me up and sat me back down on my bench, rather aggressively. There was little gentleness about him.
We had yet to speak of what occurred—almost occurred—last night. If we would ever even speak of it at all. We hadn’t even spoken of the first time he was between my legs. Perhaps there wasn’t much worth speaking of. Simply, or maybe not so simply, a minor—no—major lack of judgment. That’s all.
He looked out the window, examining the buildings. “We’re here.” He slipped out of the carriage, holding the door open for me.
I stepped down, and as if I were being punished for some reason, my heel caught on the step, yet again, and I careened forward. Sebastian’s steel rod of an arm wrapped around my waist, nearly knocking the breath out of me, as he pressed my back flush against his hard chest.
“You must be more careful, Charlotte.” I shivered as he whispered in my ear. A warning. A promise? Heat pooled in my center at the grip he had on my hip. I sputtered, slappinghim away. He released me with a dark chuckle. And then I remembered he was my betrothed, and people were staring. I heard a slight gasp as a woman looked at me with a face of horror. Not only was he my betrothed, he was also the Prince, we were in his world, and I had just swatted at him. He held out his arm for me, and I took it with a dainty smile.
As we walked along the sidewalk, men bowed their heads to Sebastian and women curtsied. But my eyes were fixed on all the shop windows we passed. Fresh baked bread wafted through the air, followed by sweetened pastries. I kept pausing at each shop, taking in all that adorned their windows. Sebastian stopped without question, silently watching me. Once we got to an art gallery, I took a step closer, admiring the work from afar. It reminded me of Olivia.
How she could paint without care, without the many clouds of burden hovering above her, a constant reminder of what she was not, of what kept her from joining the living.
“What is it?”
As I snapped my head up to Sebastian, I realized how my face had fallen. I looked back to the paintings shaking my head. “Nothing,” I murmured.
“Do you like to paint?”
“Oh, no. Not really. Why do you ask?”
“You look at the paintings as if you have been left out.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
“I would like to paint. I just ... I don’t know if I could enjoy anything right now.”
“Why not?”
