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I let out a yelp of victory as I jumped in through the door, which immediately was cut off as I found Bennett already waiting there.
My jaw hit the floor and I gasped at the sight of him cockily leaning against the curved stone wall.
“There’s no way,” I said in disbelief. I narrowed my eyes at him. “You used your craft.”
“You just can’t admit defeat, can you?”
There was simply no way Bennett beat me here. I knew the fastest way to get here after spending so much time in the tower over the years. He wasn’t even close to me the entire race. He must have Lanued through the walls.
I crossed my arms. “Not when it’s a loss because you cheated.”
He slowly stepped forward to meet me in the middle of the tower. He looked up at the open ceiling above us and said, “Rhia, I swear on the stars that I did not cheat in this race.”
Damn. It was pretty bold to swear on the stars, especially so out in the open to them. I had to believe him after that declaration, and I cursed my competitive side for being so stupid and placing that ridiculous bet. In all honesty, I hated losing more than I enjoyed winning, and as I realized I now owed Bennett a favor, it was hard to swallow that bitter loss.
“I’ll let you know when I decide to cash in my reward.” Bennett’s tone made him sound like he was the perkiest person in the world, making me even more annoyed. I took a deep breath, trying to let the competitiveness in me burn out and go back to enjoying my night.
“Fine,” I said sourly, walking straight past him to look out one of the many openings in the circular tower made of stone. I swayed a bit when I got to the window, having to keep my balance by placing my hand out on the stone. I mean, I had a lot to drink, but not enough to not be in control of my movements. I was actually planning on having more later tonight, but I guess the drinks they were giving out tonight were stronger than what I was used to.
I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog from my brain.
Bennett joined my side. “Are you okay?”
I giggled, giving him a side eye. “Are you worried about me?”
“Always, Rhia”
Not sure how to respond to the declaration, I turned to face the city, admiring the view of Veladis. The kingdom was full of life and color. Multiple celebrations could be seen from the tower, and fireworks filled the sky, providing a few seconds of warm light and a boom that I could practically feel in my bones.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” I asked, turning to find Bennett gazing at me.
“Soul-crushingly beautiful.”
My heart squeezed. “But you’re not even watching the fireworks.”
He simply smirked and shrugged.
My cheeks flushed. “Well, don’t look at me, watch the fireworks! You’re missing it.”
“No, I want to watch you. I love watching you.”
If he was insistent on watching me, I was going to make it worth his while. “Well, if you’re gonna watch me, I might as well put on a show.” I backed away from the window and into the center of the room, holding his gaze as amusement flared in his eyes.
He crossed his arms, leaning against the stone wall and giving his full attention to me. “Let’s see what you got, darling.”
The idea sounded good in my head, but now that I was actually standing here in front of Bennett, it dawned on me that I had no clue what to do. I closed my eyes, and my body swayed a little. I decided it was probably best to say to hell with it and put my full trust in the alcohol, praying to the stars that I wouldn’t regret this in the morning. I listened to the music filling the streets below and danced to the rhythm of the beat. I twirled and curved my body in a way that would have made the High Healer scream with disgrace, but I felt completely fine in the moment. Bennett laughed as he watched me dance around the room, his eyes never leaving me. The more I danced the dizzier I became.
“Dance with me,” I said, running up to him and dragging him by the arms to the center of the tower.
He smirked, indulging in the request. “Anything for you.”
His hands wrapped around my waist in a gentle yet possessive way. He pulled me close to his body and kissed me deeply. I groaned against him as the kiss made me even more light-headed. Fireworks exploded in my mind in time to the ones lighting the sky behind us. We danced to the rhythm of the songs below, making up our own steps as we went. Bennett had to catch me every now and then as my feet slipped out from under me.
I prayed the stars were watching so they would bless me in this moment and I could stay in it forever.
Nerves suddenly pulled my peace away as I began to realize Pater’s rules he gave me as his royal assassin and how I was clearly breaking one of them.
I put my hand on his chest and pulled away from the kiss. “What will your father think?”
