Page 100 of Under Restless Skies

I’m stunned. “It’s beautiful.”

“Not half as beautiful as you.” He eyes me up and down. Devours me. This time, I like it. “Want something to drink?” he asks.

“Nothing.” A nervous chuckle leaves my lips. “I’m still traumatized.”

Alayel laughs and walks to the counter, candlelight accentuating the muscles in his forearms as he reaches for two cups and fills them from different jugs, then returns with them cradled in one hand.

“Water,” he says. “I wouldn’t want you to forget such a special moment.”

“Remember you need to be nice.”

He tilts his head, a corner of his mouth pulling up. “When am I not?”

I look down at my cup. “When you ignore me.”

“It goes both ways.” He takes a long sip of his drink, which my dulled sense of smell identifies as wine. “There’s something I need to tell you. And ask you.”

“What?” I take a sip of my water.

“I’m going to become the king of Dracolius.” He pauses, watching me over the rim of his cup. “You know that, don’t you?”

By now, what I do know is that Alayel is extremely presumptuous, but I still want to understand his logic. “Why do you think your father won’t choose one of the princesses?”

He chuckles. “Trust me that I just know, Mayara. I’ve spent too long having to watch my back to let a spoiled princess take the throne and kill me. I won’t let that happen.”

“You think your father favors you?”

He pauses, holding the cup mid-air. “I’m pretty sure he thought I was going to die in the Kingdom of the Riders. I’m not sure that’s favoring… But… I’m winning him over. Plus, Princess Ledeia won’t leave that goon.” He lifts his cup, his gaze never leaving mine, a subtle threat in his dark eyes. “What’s the deal? Marcus and you? He said you were betrothed.”

“There hasn’t been anything between us for over a year, and we were never betrothed. He delivered fish at the restaurant, and we got acquainted.”

His jaw tightens. “Closely acquainted?”

I don’t like his veiled threat, his odd jealousy. “Why should I tell you?”

Alayel sets the cup aside, on a low table, and leans forward. “Because I want to get more than closely acquainted with you. When I’m king, what will that make you?”

I look down at my water, the surface glowing faintly under the candlelight, and I watch it for a moment before I raise my eyes to him. “You tell me.”

He reaches over and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “The most beautiful and enchanting queen in the world.”

He’s exaggerating, I’m sure of that. “But see, if Marcus is a problem for Princess Ledeia, I’m also⁠—”

He places a finger on my lips. “Hush. I’ll make the rules. And there’s a difference between queen consort and king consort. All a queen needs to do is smile and be pleasant. A king consort, they’ll fear he’ll seize the power for himself. Nobody will let Ledeia take the throne and risk a fisherman for a king.” He sighs. “It’s a pity, as I can’t even consider killing him.”

The word killing twists my stomach, but I keep my face composed. “Why would that even cross your mind?”

“I wouldn’t kill him, no. Let him and Ledeia live their true love.” He snorts.

“You don’t believe in love, then.”

He blinks slowly, his long eyelashes fanning his face. “Of course I do. Why do you think I hover around you like a fool, even after you reject me time after time?”

I set my cup aside. “I never rejected you.”

“Twice now you’ve run away from my room as if it was catching fire.”

“So now you made sure your room is full of real fire.”