I gasped and jumped back, ducking between some deep roots in the wall nearby, pressing into the skinny hole and holding my breath.
The prince passed by without noticing me, turning the corner moments later.
Getting out of my hiding place turned out to be much harder than getting in. Thankfully, my long sleeves had protected my arms, but I’d ripped the shoulder of the white shirt, and my red skirt was tangled up in the roots.
As I finally stumbled out, I tripped over a root and tumbled toward the ground.
Soren caught me right before I got a face full of dirt.
Wrapped in his arms, I tried to catch my breath, but the warmth around my ribs seemed to speed it up unnaturally.
This was starting to be a bit of a habit.
He steadied me with one hand on my shoulder, the other around my waist, and maybe it was my imagination, but it seemed like he lingered.
I drew in a deep breath, wanting to lean into him, into the way his arms made me feel safe, but the things I’d just overheard made me pull back.
I needed to ask him about it, point-blank.
If he couldn’t deny it, I’d know for sure.
But my eyes watered at the thought of him admitting it was true.
Just pull the Band-Aid off and ask.
“Well done,” Soren said before I could find the words, though he didn’t sound pleased. “Even if you didn’t wait with the others like you were supposed to.” He started walking back toward court without looking at me. “Now, I’ve quite a bit of work headed my way, so let’s get this Winter Solstice Ball over with, shall we?”
THE SHADOW OF Soren’swings along the dirt walls seemed to almost vibrate with some kind of held-back energy as we strode back to court. Caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t slow down, forcing me to jog every few steps if I wanted to keep up. He didn’t look at me once.
Which was fine, because I didn’t really want to look at him either.
The shift in his demeanor now that he’d gotten what he wanted felt like another confirmation.
So did his words when he waved down his friends in court and said, “We’ve obtained two hundred contracts.” As they cheered, he added, “Caius is sending them to us instead of directly to the Shadow Court, so I’ll brief you on how to handle the influx as soon as we get back to the burrow.”
My stomach sank like a fiery ball.
