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“Wait—“ she whispered. “Stop—”
They slithered across the marble and straight under Lucinda’s prancing feet. Only Hawthorn stood any chance of stabilising her, and he didn’t.
He let her fall.
She crashed to the ground in a flurry of petticoats, like a cream pie, the music falling away.
Juliana laughed.
Lucinda struggled upright, wheeling around to face her, her expression livid. “You!“ she seethed. “You tripped me up!”
“Thevinestripped you,“ Juliana said swiftly, as they shrank back into place. “And as I am neither faerie or royalty, surely even you know I don’t command them?”
“Filthy, lying, mortal!” she hissed, scrambling to her feet. “You used mortal magic on them, or—“
“Orwhat?”Juliana said flatly. “I’ve no desire to see your petticoats. What have I to gain from such a display?”
“You meant to humiliate me!” She stamped her foot. “You’ve hated me ever since—“
“Since you tried to manipulate my—“ Juliana stopped herself. What was she going to say? “Since you tried to manipulate my prince? Yes. Don’t hate me when your actions were the hateful ones.”
Lucinda’s eyes burned like actual fire. Her skirts started to ripple around her, tugged by an invisible wind. The air turned stony, the vines shrank.
“How dare you,” she said, her voice dark and monstrous, “you will pay—“
A loud clatter sounded behind her; Hawthorn had toppled over a chair. He laughed loudly, every eye in the room suddenly on him. “Do you know, I may be rather drunk? Oh dear. I suppose Jules better get me upstairs before I make a complete fool of myself.”
Juliana’s expression turned as sour as Lucinda’s, but the faerie girl’s wind died away. “Of course, My Prince,” she said, dropping into a bow. “I’d be happy to escort you myself—“
“No need, I’m in no state for company tonight, it would appear.”
“Another night then.”
“Mayhap.” He clambered upright with Juliana’s assistance, and let her tug him from the room without another word, not even speaking as they reached his room and he started to undress, which he was suddenly capable of doing without any assistance at all.
He sat on the bed wearing nothing but a black robe, thin as spider’s silk and dusted with gold-leaf shoulders. It parted at the waist, showing perfectly sculpted muscles turned bronze in the firelight.
Juliana’s traitorous mouth turned dry. He looked like a creature carved from marble, warm and smooth as satin and ember. She bet he tasted like firelight.
Don’t,she told herself.Don’t go there.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said instead.
“Do what?”
“You know what. I don’t need anyone to fight my battles for me.”I don’t need anyone at all.
“Maybe it was my battle I was fighting.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just because I cannot lie, does not mean I can easily explain things.”
Juliana sighed, turning to leave the room. His hand reached out and fastened around hers, dragging her back to the bed. She was too shocked to resist when he yanked her a little more and toppled backwards with her in his arms, sprawled against the pillows, holding onto her tightly.
“What are you doing?” she asked, baffled.
“It’s a hug, Juliana. I believe you know what those are.”
