Page 18 of A Fate In Moonstone

“One more thing before you go, my dear. You are about to be put to the test. Who you are and who you will become and the lengths you will choose to get there. There’s no way around it. So, whenever you are faced with a decision that must be made, ask yourself which answer makes you the person you wish to be.” Celestine scooped up her cat and a wind brushed past me, barreling into the tunnel.

“Thanks,” I whispered, knowing I wasn’t going to get any more from her.

My chest ached, and my muscles tensed with each step.

I came looking for answers and advice. And I got some, but they weren’t what I was expecting and definitely not the ones I wanted to hear.

Metal clanging against each other caught my attention as I exited the tunnel and froze expecting a battle ahead.

My mouth dropped when I saw the five men with swords taking turns attacking a shirtless man in the training area. They lunged and swiped for the warrior in the middle of their circle, but no blade landed.

I sucked in a breath, and a pair of icy blue eyes shot in my direction.

Chapter Ten

Rune wiped the sweat off his forehead, his eyebrows pinched together as he watched me. The guards training with the male joked about him taking over their army if he wanted. I think it was supposed to be a compliment. But Rune didn’t respond.

The ground shook for a second, and I looked around for whatever beast walked by to cause such a tremor. Then I remembered, Rune’s power. I wondered why he—

“Sapphira. There you are.”

Tor’s face came into view with a basket in one hand, and a blanket in the other.

The guards who joked with Rune stilled and watched Tor approach me, their Crysian training kicking in. Hearing the name Sapphira equals protection. They were locked in as the charming prince stopped two feet in front of me.

“Your mom said she saw you out this way, and I thought we’d have breakfast together.” Tor smiled and I cleared my throat.

“Yes, that sounds lovely.”

Tor’s mouth widened further when he felt the truth. I liked food, and I liked his company thus far. The only thing on my schedule for the day was looking over plans with my mother for the new shops commissioned for construction in the artisan section of the kingdom.

It would have been nice to digest the encounter with Celestine alone, but I welcomed this distraction from introspection.

Tor set the basket down and laid out the woven blanket for us to sit on. His lean muscles bulged under his blue tunic, and I wondered if he was built like his brother.

No, not like his brother.

He had a brother with muscles? That’s crazy.

I closed my eyes which was a mistake because I swear Rune’s sweaty chest and abdomen glistened more clearly in my head than in reality. Crap.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I grabbed a bit of everything the cook would let me.” Tor’s voice had my eyelids shooting open.

Tor.

I was with Tor.

Right here in the gardens.

My future husband with a picnic he packed for us.

“This is really kind, Tor. And I’m not that picky. I’ll eat pretty much anything,” I said, looking at the covered plates of food he pulled out of the basket. Raspberries, cheese tarts, a glass bottle of something I couldn’t scent with the cork sealed with wax.

“I’d never had these before, but they smelled good.” He lifted two sandwiches with green eggs from our local Craisen bird flock and finished the display with a small bouquet of flowers.

Prince Tor was trying to woo me, and he wasn’t doing a bad job.

“This is. Wow. Thank you.” I sat on the soft blanket and adjusted my dress around my feet.