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I raised my arm and interlocked it with hers. Her face got close to mine as we locked eyes, and I saw those beautiful brown and gold galaxies shine from her face again. My heart thumped in my chest as we sipped our wine slowly.
She pulled her arm back and looked around the room. Her face fell once more.
“Hey,” I say, nudging her slightly. “I told you, I’m going to do everything I can.”
“Why?” she asked suspiciously.
That’s a good question. Why am I feeling a need to guard her against harm? I ponder what to say, avoiding the true answer. I think you’re fascinating.
“Well,” I take a sip of my wine, looking into the fire, “the king has stringent rules and regulations. What he says goes, and who am I to protest his wishes?”
I noticed a disappointment in her eyes as she looked at her glass, swirling it slightly. A lock of her hair fell over her face, and she brushed it back with a deep exhale. She looked at me and cocks her head to the side.
“Is that the real reason?” she asked confidently.
SEVEN
LANA
He stared at me in silence, his mouth slightly open. I smirk as I wonder if my question stumped him. I do want to know why he is protecting me. He could have protested against the king more, and he seemed almost too willing to give up unless he is that afraid of the king.
“I,” he paused, staring blankly at his wine.
He takes a sip and meets my gaze once more. He stares at my lips briefly, and I feel a shockwave surge in my chest. My mind blanks, and I am about to lean in to kiss him.
“I'm just following orders, Lana,” he said, turning his attention to the fireplace.
My heart sinks, and I swirl my wine in the glass, taking a sip and nodding my head.
“Yeah,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “I was just curious, that’s all.”
He places his glass on the coffee table in front of us. “So,” he begins, rubbing his hands together, “we need a strategy.”
“For what?” I ask, chuckling.
“To keep you,” he points at me and whispers the rest of the sentence, “from getting killed.”
“I thought the plan was for you to keep me safe,” I comment.
“It is, for the most part,” he sighs. “But navigating demonic politics is incredibly tricky, and everyone here knows you’re not up to speed on it. Until you get the wisdom you need to make your own choices about who to trust, we need to make this room,” he motions to the luxurious chamber, “more secure.”
He paused and looked deeply into my eyes with concern written across his face. “You must take this seriously,” he said firmly as he grabbed my arm.
My heart stutters at his warm touch. I glance at his hand, then meet his gaze.
“There will be demons who will make you grand promises, manipulate you with charm and wit, give you the best reasoning you have ever heard as to why you should make them your allies,” he pauses. “And without knowing their background, you could easily fall into a terrible trap.”
“Okay,” I say calmly. “Well,” I pause, swirling my wine, “as far as security goes, what do you have in mind?”
He balanced his head on his hand and stared blankly into space before his eyes lit up. “We could put a protective spell on your door.”
I shake my head. “Guards would sniff that out in a second.”
His face falls at my response. I’m beginning to realize his ego is quite fragile when it comes to me having a better understanding of the demonic world than he does.
“Okay,” he continues slowly. “You have any bright ideas?”
I pause and gaze into the fire, watching the flames rise and fall from blue to yellow. “What about,” I turn to him, “a deal with the king?”
