“But when I saw you…I couldn’t take my eyes off you. There was something calling to me—something familiar.” His shoulders set back. “I know you feel it, too.”
My legs trembled beneath me.
“I didn’t expect any of this.” He leaned in. “Being near you is undoing me. I’m agreeing to trade far more than I planned to call you mine.”
I leaned into his lingering touch, but my blood ran cold.
Marriage to me was a part of a trade—a transaction between two powerful men.
His eyes narrowed. “This pact doesn’t just benefit me. You will have power over your life in the Vale.”
It was like he knew I longed for that.
Thalen slid his hand firmly over mine. His lips hovered above mine. With a quickening breath, he pulled away from me.
He traced the gemstone that hung around my neck. The inky black stone cooled at my chest despite the sweltering sun. A smirk spread across his face and his jaw released.
I was crumbling with his touch.
“Lord Thalen,” Lord Joran called as he approached. “King Ardyn requires an audience with you in his study.” He folded his arms as he turned toward me. “Princess, it is good to see you looking so lovely today.”
“Hopefully we will have much to celebrate later, Your Highness.” Thalen towered over me, his head tilted into a subtle bow, before he fell in step with Lord Joran.
The force of Thalen’s words, the feeling of his touch, lingered even after he left. It all felt real, but what if it wasn’t? What if the excitement faded after his trade was complete?
My hands met the chill of shaded concrete. I clenched the flower box behind me until my fingers turned purple. A cascade of vibrant flowers surrounded me. My mother’s roses were still tightly furled.
I gripped the stem, careful to avoid the thorns. The gemstone warmed against my skin as unease tightened withinme. My palm trailed the velvety buds as I breathed in their scent.
If only I could see my mother’s roses bloom before I had to leave, then I could enjoy them one last time. I blinked back the tears, the lump in my throat solidified.
Then the petals slowly unfurled until each one bloomed after the next. I had never seen anything like it.
Heaviness settled in my muscles. I yanked a rose from the flower bed.
A thorn pierced my flesh and blood trickled over my hand.
Chapter 4
My father rose to stand, his hands pressing into the mahogany desk. The rich scent of scotch and leather lingered in the air in my father’s study.
Thalen’s boots scuffed across the floor as he gripped the back of my father’s armchair. His eyes glittered in the darkness, even though the candlelight hadn’t reached them.
My heart thundered, racing on without my permission.
He was handsome.
He spoke the words I longed to hear.
But still my heart drummed within me, and it felt like a warning.
Thalen hadn’t done anything wrong, but long after his words were spoken, after a moment of excitement faded, I couldn’t get past the feeling there was something I was missing.
“We have reached an agreement—the two of you shall be married tomorrow. The Vale and Bailoc will prosper from such a partnership.” My father squared his shoulders, drawing in a deep breath.
The decision was final.
The stagnant air held thick around me. I clutched the edge of the desk as my vision blurred.
