Page 98 of A Wayward Movement

Something shifted in Xavier’s eyes at her words, confusion melting into something much more urgent. He released her wrist, stepping into her as one hand rose to brush along her jaw. The simple movement kept her gaze trained on his as he lowered his head.

She barely had time to think before his lips met hers and time stood still. She leaned into him, her hands moving up to rest on his shoulders as she embraced the sensation of finally drawing him close instead of holding him at arm’s length.

This was nothing like the defiant kiss Xavier had planted on her lips when they’d been fourteen. Xavier was a hundred times more confident and capable than back then. And he kissed her with a hunger that robbed her of breath, even of thought. His palms slid over her cheeks so that his fingers laced through her hair as he drew her face closer. Alina kissed him back recklessly, matching his intensity with all the heedlessness of someone who didn’t know if there would be a tomorrow.

All at once, it flashed through her mind that the fire of his embrace might consume her alive, and she retained enough sense to pull back at the thought. Xavier didn’t protest, but his hands were still cradling her head, and he rested his forehead against hers. They were both breathing hard.

“I was mistaken,” Alina said when she’d gathered her breath. Her voice was uneven. “It turns out you really can improve on your performance. That was…quite something.”

Xavier froze under her grip, his muscles suddenly tight and still even as his chest rose and fell more rapidly.

“What?”

His voice was thick and throaty. It set her senses tingling again, but she was master of herself now. She was able to manage a smile as she took in his stunned, blank expression.

“I know I shouldn’t encourage this kind of thing,” she told him with a self-deprecating grimace. “But I wanted to know just once what it feels like.” She gave a low, unsteady chuckle. “I can certainly understand why your attention is so popular.”

Xavier said nothing. He just stared at her, something under his blank shock that Alina didn’t want to examine. She stepped back, his cloak falling limply back into place as his hands dropped to his sides.

“You should go back inside,” she told him. He was still staring at her, apparently unable to find his voice. She bobbed a little curtsy that felt absurdly out of place. But she didn’t know what else to do. “Goodnight, Xavier.”

She turned and hurried away from him. This time he neither called out to her nor followed. She was alone as she made her way through the streets. It wasn’t so long after dark, but she encountered no one. News of Benji’s abduction had probably spread, she realized with a pang. Everyone was being cautious.

Except her. She wasn’t being cautious to roam the streets alone, but she didn’t want to be cautious. She wanted to be conspicuous. Much more concerning was the very foolish thing she’d just done, in allowing—almost demanding—that Xavier fulfill all his flirtation and kiss her. Talk about not being cautious. She’d been so determined at the start not to fall victim to his charm.

She was half-ashamed of the small voice that whispered in her mind that it was worth it for those stolen moments of bliss.

It wasn’t until she reached the closed-up dressmaker’s shop that she realized she wasn’t supposed to be going home. She was supposed to be wandering around, using magic carelessly. But was there any point? Surely the kidnappers were occupied with the victim they’d already snatched that night, and wouldn’t be on the lookout for more.

She was still hesitating on the porch of the shop when it hit her. Silent but potent, an enchantment that robbed her of her voice and made another of her senses feel suddenly dead. She spun around, sensing the Dust caused by her movements, but unable to harness it.

The men were on her before she could think, pinning her arms to her side and yanking her off her feet. She thought there were two, but she didn’t see much before something went over her eyes.

Still silenced, she struggled wildly. At first it was instinct, then her frantic mind remembered this was what she’d wanted, and she stilled. A moment later, she was attempting once again to thrash, realizing it would be suspicious if she didn’t resist.

She could hardly comprehend the swiftness of it all as her hands and feet were tied, and she felt herself dumped into a cart. They were in motion at once, trundling through the quiet town. Alina tried to gather her wits enough to guess their direction, but it was impossible. She still had something over her head, and from the feel of it, she was also lying under a heavy canvas. They hadn’t knocked her unconscious, though, like they’d done to the other almost-victim.

The first clue she had was the indefinable changing of the air that said they were entering the forest. Or its outskirts, judging by how brief a time they’d been traveling. It wasn’t what Alina had expected, and she held herself tense, awaiting events. A short time later, she was thrown across the back of the cart so roughly, she felt sure they’d left the road and plunged into the tree line. There must have been some kind of track, for the cart to be able to fit. But judging by the continued jostling, it wasn’t a very well-maintained one.

They came to a stop, and she felt the canvas lift. A moment later, the covering was yanked from her head, and she found herself staring up into a face that had no place in this nightmare.

Aunt Diana?

She couldn’t say the name aloud, the silencing charm still keeping her tongue captive. She could only stare in total confusion at the hard lines of the other woman’s familiar countenance.

“Yes,” Aunt Diana said curtly. “That’s her.” She tossed a bag to one of the two men sitting in the front of the cart, the jingling of metal accompanying the motion. “Remember what I told you. Now get going. You shouldn’t linger.”

She made as if to throw the canvas back over Alina, but Alina struggled to a sitting position before she could, her eyes bulging.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Aunt Diana said tersely. “This is on your head, not mine. You’re the one who betrayed the family by siding with the prince.”

What? Alina’s mouth formed the silent word, and she knew her aunt understood. She must be able to read the total shock on Alina’s face. Surely none of this could be real. Her aunt couldn’t possibly be so offended that the crown didn’t help Alina’s father financially that she would turn to…whatever this was.

“Your father would be ashamed if he’d seen the way you’ve been behaving,” her aunt told her.

She strode up and down once along the small stretch of forest, then came to a stop in front of Alina.

“But of course, you don’t know what happened, do you?” she said, her voice tight and angry. “You should. You should know exactly what side you’ve chosen. The king was behind everything that happened to us. Your father was a brilliant businessman, and he was punished for his success. He had vision our king doesn’t have. He knew that the ban on trading with the continent was short-sighted. He made our family prosperous by going around it. And it was only the beginning. He discovered plenty of opportunities with his contacts on the continent. We would have had wealth to rival the crown’s, given time.”