Lorcan frowned, wishing she were wrong, but he had to admit that she had a point. “What would you suggest instead?”
Reyna stared at him for a long moment, and then gave him a wicked smile.
The back of his neck prickled with alarm. “I don’t like that look on your face, princess.”
She opened her mouth, shut it, and then shook her head. Her cheeks even flushed. “I have an idea, but I don’t think you’ll like it.”
“Princess,” he said slowly.
“Well, it seems a bit silly for a princess to sneak out of the castle for worms. I mean, I do love them dearly, but would an assassin know that?” she said, face turning an even darker shade of red. “But a princess might sneak out for another reason, especially if she did not wish to be caught inside the castle.”
Lorcan still wasn’t following. He crossed his arms over his armored chest.
“It’s possible those guards even saw us leave together,” she continued, rushing forward. “Depending on who the assassin is working for, he might learn this information before he heads out of the castle. And then, he’ll expect you to be here with me.”
“I’m one of the strongest warriors in this kingdom,” he said with a frown. “He is far less likely to attack if he sees you here with me.”
“He would if you weren’t armed.” That wicked smile stretched her lips again, the wind rustling the fabric of her hood. “We could make it seem as though we sneaked out of the castle together. So that we could come here to be alone...as lovers.”
Shock hit Lorcan square in the gut. Of all the things for Reyna to suggest...though, the idea did have some merit. The hoarfrost worm excuse had always sounded ridiculous in his head, but he hadn’t been able to invent another rumor that sounded any better. This, on the other hand, would explain Reyna’s desire to escape the castle, and it would provide a non-threatening reason for his presence.
Although...
“And how exactly would you convince him of this?” he asked.
“Yes, well.” Reyna shrugged, flushing again. “We’ll have to take off some of our clothes.”
Lorcan found it difficult to muster up much of a reply. When he had once told Thane that Reyna was unlike any other princess in Tir Na Nog, he hadn’t even known the half of it.
“Really now, princess. First the bath, and now this. You seem to enjoy throwing off your clothes in my presence. One might begin to wonder why.” He shot her a wicked smile that matched her own, but inside, his mind ran wild. It was difficult not to drop his gaze and stare right at her breasts. Now that the thought had popped into his head, he was finding it difficult to concentrate on much else.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. As if would ever want to get naked for your pleasure. Obviously, we’re notreallygoing to be lovers, now are we?”
She laughed, though he could not help but notice how tense the sound came out.
Lorcan stared at the disturbed snow. Why was he even considering this? It was completely preposterous, and it went against every bit of training he’d ever had. Indeed, this entire thing went against the orders from his king, even if his mark was once again strangely silent this night.
He should not evenbehere, helping an enemy princess trap the fae who wanted her dead. In fact, Lorcan’s orders would be much easier to carry out if she weren’t around, distracting him.
She stood there, regarding him carefully, her cloaked form backlit by the brilliant snow-drenched woods. “You don’t like the idea. I suppose you have a better one?”
“No,” he said slowly before meeting her gaze again. “This could work. We need a way to explain my presence here without it being a threat.” Slowly, he nodded, as if trying to convince himself of this ridiculous plan. “We’ll pretend to be lovers, caught out in the woods.”
Reyna gave him a nervous smile. “Then, I suppose that means we should settle in for a wait.”
It would be a couple hours more before dawn pushed the sun into the sky. The assassin would likely press out into the woods before then, but they still had some time to spare. With Wingallock circling overhead, they would be alerted as soon as anyone stepped foot into the Witchlight Woods.
They found a fallen tree well off the path and sat quietly on the icy bark. Reyna sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest, breathing deeply. Lorcan watched her. She seemed...almost peaceful. They were out here, trying to trap someone who wanted to kill her, and she looked far more relaxed than she had in weeks.
“You like it here,” Lorcan finally said. “Out here in the woods.”
Reyna smiled. “The forests feel like home. Castles do not.” She opened her eyes and turned to him. The silver of them glinted in the moonlight. “Do you feel that way about the grasslands?”
Reyna often asked him about his past. He sensed there were deeper reasons for her questions than simple curiosity.
“I never felt as though I fit in back home,” he said honestly. “Though I can’t say I fare any better inside that castle. Thane feels like a brother to me, but the rest of that family...”
Lorcan frowned to himself. For so long, he had tried to keep Thane at arm’s length, but it had become difficult as time pressed on. He’d formed a kinship with the future High King of the Air Court. A dangerous kinship. One that made his mark burn.
