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It would be tight, but still doable.
I bowed. “As you see fit, Your Highness.”
He grabbed my wrist. “We both need to travel to the capital. Once my father hears the news, he’ll want his sons and Blade nearby.” I sensed the slightest hint of exasperation in the prince’s tone, but it was gone in an instant.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said, his voice suddenly a low rasp. I lowered my head again, expecting that was all we would say in goodbye, but Killian held on to my hand. In a swift tug he pulled me closer to him, just a single step, and leaned in.
My breath caught in surprise as I watched his face lean into mine. I closed my eyes, unable to move away from the prince, and waited for the brush of his lips I knew was coming.
But his lips didn’t meet mine. Instead, they pressed against the thin skin of my neck. My pulse fluttered under his touch. He’d bid me farewell like I was a lady at court.
It was strictly forbidden for a man to do so with a Halfling. Not that anyone in the room knew me to be one, but Killian certainly did. And he had done it anyway.
Killian didn’t say anything else. He pulled away from my neck, eyes tracing the lines of my mask before settling into my gaze. His skin was flushed, and his hair fell in front of his eyes, but he didn’t move it out of the way. He just looked at me, soaking in the length of my dress and the silver of my eyes. Then he turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
IWAITED FIVE MINUTESbefore rushing back up the stairs myself. I needed to find Riven.
The prince and I had danced for one song and talked for longer than that. Riven had said he was only going to return the key to Nikolai. Had something happened to him? To them?
I didn’t fetch my cloak. Instead, I marched directly outside, looking for the black coach Nikolai had hired. I found him lounging, half asleep, on the front bench. Riven was nowhere in sight.
“Where is he?” I asked, shoving Nikolai so hard he had to grab the carriage to keep from falling to the ground.
“Who?” he asked, picking up his hat.
“Who do you think, Nik?” I shot back, waving an arm in the air.
Nikolai rubbed his eyes. His mouth hung open when he saw my dress. “You’re full of surprises,” he said with a smirk.
“Not the time,” I said through my teeth. “Where. Is. Riven?”
Nikolai scanned across the courtyard. “What happened? Did you get the key? Did Curringham spot you? Are you hurt?” Nik’s voice was higher than normal as he launched his fury of questions. His eyes raked over my face, wide and worried.
“You haven’t seen him?” I asked, moving to the other side of the carriage. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching us. My eyes scanned the roof, all the perches I knew so well. No sign of any Shades. No sign of anyone.
I hid in the shadow of the coach with my back pressed against the door. Nikolai was smart enough to face forward in his seat and lower his tone.
“No,” he answered. “Not since you left.”
My stomach churned as I twisted my fingers into knots. It wasn’t like Riven to disappear. “He has the key. He said he was bringing it out to you, but he never came back.”
“How long?” Nikolai asked.
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Maybe he saw something that piqued his interest,” Nikolai said, leaning against the carriage bench. “He may just be spying.”
This wasn’t a time for assumptions. Why would Riven disappear minutes after we snatched the pendant? What could possibly be more urgent than securing the key?
“That’s not all,” I whispered, barely moving my lips. My leg shook against the carriage door. I wasn’t used to working with anyone. I only ever had to take care of myself. Worry about myself. My chest tightened as I tugged at my hair.
Nikolai turned his head. “What else?”
I closed my eyes, wishing everything that had happened since that kiss was a dream. “The prince is here,” I said in a heavy breath.
Nikolai swore, pulling on the reins enough that the horses jerked. He lowered them back on the rail before speaking again. “Which one? I thought you said both Princes were accounted for.” He glanced down the drive as if the prince would materialize out of nowhere. My cheeks heated at his words. Ihadtold them the princes were accounted for. Damien had been ordered to stay in the capital and Killian was meant to return to Volcar. I’d have to discover why he changed his mind after we survived the night.Ifwe survived.
“Killian, thank the gods,” I said. Nikolai’s shoulders relaxed. I tilted my head, wondering if he knew about Damien’s cruel nature, when a figure moved behind me.
