Page 38 of Heartbreak Prince

“You don’t have to like it,” I reply. “You just have to do it without whining.”

“You do whine far too much,” comments Severin.

Vawn’s eyebrows rise. “I’ve been on your side this whole time, and now you’re agreeing with her?”

“I am on no one’s side, and I never asked you to be on mine,” Severin says coolly. “I am always aligned with facts, logic, and reason.”

“Those are all the same thing,” Vawn retorts.

“Indeed they are not. Facts are objective truths which can be verified through evidence or observation. Reason is a type of thought process, and logic defines the norms or rules of reasoning.”

The prince looks at me miserably. “Go ahead and wrap me up. Maybe the layers of cloth will impair my hearing. One can only hope.”

“Maybe they’ll muffle your mouth.” I kneel beside him and commence swathing his neck and jaw with the loops of black cloth. To wrap his head properly, I have to touch his lovely, silky hair. I enjoy touching it, which infuriates me so much that I tug more sharply than I have to as I’m securing each layer of the wrap.

Vawn keeps warm silver eyes on me, his black lashes slow-blinking every few seconds. My heart starts to race and my cheeks grow hot.

“Stop staring,” I snap. “It’s creepy.”

When he smirks, I cover his full lips with a fold of the cloth.

Severin hovers nearby, observing us. “You two are behaving oddly. Did you copulate at the inn?”

Vawn coughs under the cloth, and I press my fingers hard against his skull as I tighten the final layers of the head covering. “Of course not. What on earth would give you that idea?”

“I’ve observed that human pairs often demonstrate a shift in their behavior once their pre-copulation rituals successfully culminate in mating,” says the carpet.

“There’s no ritual, no mating, and no culmination,” I grit out, securing the ends of the wrap. “It’s rude to ask about such things.”

“Is it? I thought you two were open to conversation about the topic. You did perform at the Pink Lycan in Kyr, did you not?”

I release a long sigh. “Yes, and we’ll have to perform again here if we’re going to afford glyph paint.”

“If you need glyph paint, you’ve come to the right place at the right time,” Severin says. “During my imprisonment at the Lyre & Vice, I overheard many conversations, one of which occurred the day before you freed me. A group of women were discussing their upcoming journey to Zeletas for a Rauveron Guild paint drop. It should take place tomorrow, midafternoon.”

“I’ve heard of those,” Vawn says, his voice fuzzy through the cloth. “I’ve never been to one, of course. As the prince, I’m sent a complimentary box of the Guild’s best paints and varnishes whenever they produce a new batch. But the Guild believes in making high-quality paint accessible to everyone, so before they release a new paint formula, they arrange random secret drops so the common folk can get samples for free.”

I try to keep my cynicism inside, but I can’t. At my scoffing snort, Vawn narrows his eyes. “What was that for?”

“You say the Guild cares about common folk and that they want their paint to be accessible. So why are rich patrons at the Lyre & Vice discussing a ‘secret’ drop well ahead of time and planning a trip to take advantage of it?”

Vawn’s brows contract.

“Here’s what happens with these generous surprise drops,” I continue. “Word gets leaked in advance, and the folks who can actually afford to travel to Zeletas make their way here to party and invest in new fashion before the release. The young, healthy nobles and rich merchants line up and wait for hours to get the samples, while the common folks can’t do that because of work, age, or health issues. All the free vials go to the privileged citizens of Belavrin, who then resell them for five times their value to other rich people who want to have the new batch before everyone else does, but who don’t want to wait in the line.”

Because of the wrap, I can only see Vawn’s eyes, but he looks troubled. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s not.”

“So we shouldn’t wait in line for the samples?”

“I didn’t say that. It could be our best chance for high-quality glyph paint, so we might as well try it. We’ll pawn some of your jewelry first, a few pieces that aren’t so recognizable. In a city like this, they’ll be easier to move. With that money, we’ll buy supplies and clothes for our trip north, and then I’ll get you a room where you can hide out while I secure the paint.”

“What if they find me?” he asks. “Shouldn’t we stay together?”

I chew my lip. “We’d have to wait in the line for hours. I hate the idea of you being out in the open for that long.”

“I’d feel safer with you,” Vawn says. “Especially after watching you take down those soldiers in the forest. That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”