Page 67 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

Our relationship has caused quite the buzz in the media. Everything from a royal baby on the way to power-grabbing relationships. After meeting with members of the publicity team this afternoon, we all agreed it was time for the Q&A we agreed upon last month.

Maya nods, and I reluctantly pull the moss agate raindrop from my finger, and the loss of it is a sharp, localized ache. As it settles against the skin between my breasts, I feel the heat of Ryker’s gaze. The Bond doesn't just want the ring on my hand. It wants his hands on me, regardless of the cameras.

Ryker’s eyes follow hungrily, taking in my chest and making me laugh. Maya poses us in a few friendly poses: ones of us laughing, splashing each other, me on his back, but never any romantic ones of us. I catch her hiding her smile when Ryker kisses me between poses.

This morning, another gossip blog claimed we had already Bonded and the Ceremony in two weeks is only a formality, so naturally, now both kingdoms are relying on Maya and Anneli to do their jobs. Our kingdoms can’t afford to pull more resources away from the evacuations right now.

News of our engagement and the prophecy can’t get out. Of course, there’s plenty of speculation, but we need to maintain a united front that we are friends and doing the Ceremony early because of the war. Our people need stability, not change. Not right now.

After a few more photos, Ryker and I grab our Prisms and do a joint Live Chat for our followers. It’s part of the plan to win our people over.

Maya steps away as we find a rock, sitting side by side and propping up our devices. Before we go live, Ryker cups my face and brings my mouth to his in a searing, heated kiss that leaves me breathless.

I adjust myself, running my hand over my gown and through my hair before nodding that I’m ready. His smirk pulls at his lips before he starts our chat. Within a minute, we have over twenty thousand people streaming.

With a deep breath, I plaster on my practiced facade and begin.

“Good afternoon from Malaya!” I say with as much enthusiasm as I can muster.

I’d rather pull his lips back to mine and let the whole system watch as I profess my love to him. Instead, I stick to the plan.

“I'm here with Prince Anders, and today we thought we would do a quick Q&A for you all,” I say, using my princess voice. Steady, calm, confident.

“So send us your questions in the chat box, and we will get to as many as we can before we have to head in for a meeting.”

Our meeting happens to be legit. Today, Ryker is being fitted for wedding attire and some other pieces he will need along with his coronation outfit. I’ll be attending an afternoon tea with Queen Priana to meet with several ladies from their court.

The first question comes in, followed by hundreds of others. Ryker and I share a brief smile. I try not to let it show, but I want nothing more than to take his hand. Every time our legs brush, a jolt of electricity nearly makes me lose my 'Princess voice'.

It’s a struggle to keep my breathing even while twenty thousand people watch. My body is screaming at me to close the six inches of space between us, to ignore the chat box and the war and the optics, and just disappear back into him.

I’m not sure when I became so needy, but here I am.

“First question is from Gabriella. Have you and Princess Raea ever kissed?” I read it out loud, and Ryker amazingly keeps his face stoic while I laugh softly, trying to hide my blush.

“Princess Raea and I have been friends since our childhood and wouldn’t risk each other’s Bonds.”

It’s a perfect answer made of half-truths and omissions.

He reads the next question. “There are photos of you two holding hands. How long have you felt the Bond between you?”

I smile and look over at him, which gains us a bunch of hearts filling the screen. This is exactly what we need. We need to be seen as the sweetheart couple the system wants.

“Prince Anders and I have both felt the Bond between us since the start of the school year, and it has only grown in strength.”

He grins and snakes an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in for a side hug.

Putting our friendship, a glimpse of our love, on display for the entire system pulls me out of my comfort zone, but I only hope that it works in our favor. That our people fall in love with us as a couple. We will need their support and their trust for the coming war.

It doesn’t hurt if they like us, too.

“Do you already have a wedding gown? If so, what does it look like?” I wiggle my brows and shake my head. “It’s being made, my designer at the palace is fabulous, but I’d never tell.” I lift a hand, blocking my mouth as if Ryker can’t see me. “I can’t tell you what it looks like with him—” I gesture to Ryker. “Sitting beside me.”

For the next forty minutes, we answer questions about Ryker’s upcoming coronation, how many men are invited to my Ceremony, how we both chose which division we wanted to be in, and so on. Ryker gets questions about AerBall, and if he’s upset he never got to play in the championship game, then there are questions about what it will mean for our two kingdoms if we do Bond.

Maya nods in approval with each question we answer, and when we head back to the palace, she leaves us to have a moment alone.

Ryker drags me into a little alcove in the cliff face and pushes me up against the rock. “The entire time, I just wanted to scream that I was in love with you. I wanted to scream it, show it, and claim you as mine,” he says, bringing our bodies flush. His hands brush softly against my sides.