Page 47 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

No matter. I took a steadying breath. I had returned in Zalie to help reinforce the wards, not to rekindle something that might have been nothing to begin with.

I had thought back to the night of the ball countless times over the past two weeks. The way Adrian had acted had left me confused and heartbroken. Had I imagined the stolen glances and longing stares? I hadn’t imagined the kiss, which had been both passionate and tender, overwhelming and sweet. Would Adrian have kissed me like that if he didn’t have feelings for me?

I’m not here to find out. I reminded myself with a slight shake of my head.

“Are you ready?” my father asked from his seat across from me and Sebastian.

“Yes.” I peered at the manor from the carriage window.

“We got here later than I expected, so we will spend the night and visit the border in the morning,” the king said.

My heart gave a little jolt at his words. I had figured that we would have to wait until the morning to reinforce the wards, but a nervous feeling invaded my senses when I thought about spending the night at the manor with Adrian in such close proximity.

“Are you all right?” Sebastian asked me, briefly pressing my hand. I had told him about what had happened at the ball. How I had been ready to fall, only to find that Adrian hadn’t been ready to catch me.

“Don’t give up on him yet,” my brother had said to me back then.

“He’s the one who gave up on me,” I had told him before giving in to tears.

“Yes, I’m all right,” I assured him now, refusing to let my feelings rise to the surface.

When it was time, I would let my magic rise and spill into the air around me, never my turbulent emotions. I had practiced without ceasing over the past two weeks, and my powers had grown stronger. If they were strong enough to reinforce the wards remained to be seen. Still, when my father had told me that he and Sebastian were traveling back to Zalie, I had asked to tag along, despite Lady May’s insistence that I wasn’t ready.

My legs were weak as I climbed out of the carriage and traipsed over to the front door of the manor. Heat blasted my cheeks as my mind flashed back to the night of the ball yet again. How would Adrian react when he saw me? Would I see cold indifference in his silver gaze? Or irritation that I was back even after he had made it clear that he didn’t want me?

When the door opened, Killian stood on the other side, greeting us with a warm smile. Thea joined him a moment later, pulling me into a tight embrace. As she let go, the study door opened, and Adrian and Tom stepped out. The lord’s gaze immediately fastened on me, but it didn’t hold the coldness I had been prepared to find. Vulnerability and longing filled it instead.

My breath caught as all my clashing emotions came rushing back as if it were only yesterday when we had kissed. My mind conjured the dreams I’d been having about him, where he looked like himself but also different. At times, he kissed me in those dreams, but the kiss felt different from the one I remembered. Unless I had been forgetting how his lips felt on mine.

Stop thinking about that. I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

“Emelin,” Adrian said before even greeting my father. When he approached me, his hand lifted as if he wanted to reach for me.

“Lord Gray,” I replied in a cold tone. What I had seen in his gaze had surprised me, but not enough to forget where we stood.

Adrian’s eyes shuttered as he lowered his hand.

“Your Highness,” he said low as he bowed.

After I had given a curt nod, he turned to my father and bowed before him.

“Sebastian has grown powerful enough to fortify the wards,” the king said to him. “Seeing how our travel here took longer than expected because some of the roads were snowed in, we will spend the night at the manor and visit the border first thing in the morning.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. As you wish,” the lord replied, inclining his head.

“I will help Killian prepare the guest rooms,” Thea announced before turning to me. “Emelin, you can stay in your old bedroom. We haven’t changed anything in it since you left.”

My gaze darted to Adrian at her words. I didn’t leave, I wanted to say. I was left behind.

“Please, Your Majesty, relax after your long journey. I will let everyone know when the rooms are ready,” she said, looking back at my father.

“Thank you,” he replied. “Join me for a drink, Lord Gray. I want to hear how everyone in the region has been coping with the wintry weather.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

As the king, Adrian, and Tom strolled in the direction of the parlor, I lingered in the foyer.

“Are you coming?” Sebastian asked me as he turned to follow after the other men.