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He nods, then looks down at me. “Has your brother made purple wine yet?”
I laugh. “You know about the vineyard.”
He chuckles. “I see it’s still a running joke.”
“It is, sir, and the answer is no. Every season, he waits for the color to turn purple, but it remains white. We get drunk on the white wine all the same.”
D’Artaron looks down at me and smiles, a great big smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and I get caught admiring his masculine beauty. Females in the village would say that D’Artaron is the forbidden fruit. Every girl (and some boys too) want a taste, but the bite leads to doom.
We’re following the Unseelie king with quick feet and a preference for more twirling than necessary, and I feel like my world is spinning, my breathing becoming more labored.
D’Artaron brings me closer to his body. “Try to keep up. We are being watched.”
“I’m trying,” I whisper.
“You’re doing an excellent job.”
“Thank you. If I’m being honest, I can barely breathe.”
“Don’t let them dress you this way.” Two gloved fingers tap my back. “The corset is too tight.”
He’s mentioning my corset. I blush again.
“You can’t show weakness,” he tells me, eyes locked with mine.
I can’t stop staring at him, and the more I do, the less I feel solid ground under me. “I’m going to faint.”
“Stay with me,” he snaps, and the whip of his voice makes me obey.
“That’s a good girl. You’re doing fine. Just fine.”
“I’m dizzy.”
“I know.”
“We have to stop.”
“We can’t.”
“Why not?”
“If we stop, your magic will lash out.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’ve lost control of it.”
“I have not.”
“Have too. Keep moving. Once the Unseelie king sits, this will all be over.”
“Let me go.”
“Don’t,” he orders, but I push him away.
Since we’re in the Winter Court, lightning is a common occurrence. It lights up the sky, and my magic grabs hold of the energy, draws it in, making it pierce the windows. As it travels toward me, it attracts more light from the thousands of candles and light bugs in the palace. I draw it all to me, and once I realize how much power I drew, I freak out and release it.
A bright white flame sets my dress on fire.
