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Gianna’s eyes widened. She wasn’t sure she’d actually wanted this much information. Kozien’s brothers were watching with smug expressions as if they were hoping she would just go away after hearing his words.
She wanted to bolt. Her heart pounded, and her mouth was as dry as a desert. She wanted to go and leave this silly prince to his hasty retreat from royal responsibility.
So why can’t I leave?
Gianna looked down at their linked hands. He was only holding her fingers lightly, but the touch sent thrills right down her arm. Even though she was shocked to find out he was a prince, at least it explained a few things.
Like, how his head got jammed so far up his ass.
She grinned, trying to hold back a laugh. Kozien grinned back, and with the smile, a light came into his eyes. Suddenly he looked ten times more handsome than before, and her body stirred in response.
Well, now I know I’m in trouble. I have so many reasons to stay away from him, and I still want to disappear into dangerous territory with him. You’re a fool, Gianna.
Still, she couldn’t stop smiling as she looked into his eyes.
Kozien broke the moment by grabbing Gianna’s arm and hurrying out of the bar into the passing crowd with her. His brothers cursed and attempted to pursue, but he was good at evading them among the busy streets. He knew they would soon give up and go to contact his father.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Kozien muttered, “but up until this moment, it really didn’t matter.”
“Where are we going?” she huffed, a little breathlessly. “What’s happening?”
“My brothers are more talk than action,” Kozien told her. “But I don’t want to push it. And I’d rather not draw too much attention to myself because if my father does find out… Well, we’ll be done before we’ve started.”
“Okay,” she agreed softly. Kozien kept a firm hold on her arm as they rushed through the streets, finally coming to a small, unkempt little shop.
It was a trader’s stall, where people who had little money came to bargain and swap items that weren’t worth enough to sell. He dragged Gianna to the back and found her some robes to wear that were favored by an alien race of short stature. No one would bother to check under the robes for her true race.
He found himself a big hooded cloak. If he kept his horns covered, he might get by unseen.
“I need to hide from my father.” Kozien helped Gianna adjust her robes. “I don’t want the responsibility of being next in line on the throne, and I sure as hell don’t want to lead my people into war, which is what my father would have me do.”
Gianna reached up and tied his cloak under his chin. The soft brush of her fingers thrilled him.
“I understand,” she whispered very softly.
He wasn’t sure she did understand, though. He knew this was not an exciting adventure to her, as it was to him. She was probably frightened and sick with worry over her brother, where Kozien could only see a place free of responsibility and duty.
Having this beautiful woman by his side only made it much sweeter, like the trip of a lifetime. There was only one problem with his dream-come-true adventure.
I told my brothers.
It’s not so much that he didn’t trust his brothers. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have gone to speak with them in the first place. But he certainly hadn’t been thinking about their father when he went strolling through the streets of Noxxa with a human for all to see. His father had people everywhere, and once the king found out, soldiers would be deployed to Noxxa to search for him.
Gianna was somewhat of a burden to him now because he had to protect her and hide her from the soldiers of Lorr.
He had not even stopped to consider the complications her missing brother would pose to the current situation. It would be very difficult to search for Gabe while protecting her and trying to stay off his father’s radar.
Kozien also knew the kid might be in the sort of trouble that drew attention from other violent groups as well as law enforcement. No way could he bluff his way through any negotiation while Lorr royal guards were looking for him.
Most criminals would know that turning him over was worth a lot more than helping him evade his father.
“What do we do now?” Gianna pulled the colored scarf across her face. Kozien traded a few old coins for the clothes and set off into the streets again.
“We’ll have a quick run through the city and retrace Gabe’s steps. Maybe we can get an idea of exactly where he went.”
Gianna nodded. “I asked a few of his friends, but it didn’t get me far.”
Luckily, the places they had to visit in order to trail Gabe were far enough away from the reputable parts of the city that they weren’t likely to be tracked. Kozien knew the royal guard would eventually turn over every stone in the city, but it would take time. He had no doubt in his mind that word was already getting back to his father, and although his brothers weren’t ratting him out, they certainly weren’t going to cover for him.
