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Chapter Twenty-Five
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For a second, I couldn’t breathe.
Mostly because I didn’t know whether to keep sobbing or not.
In a knot of twisted-up tension, hands now bunched into fists between my knees, I listened to the hugest explosion from the crowd so far. Damn accurate description. If a stranger entered the Palais right now, they’d think the night was ending in a full-on rock concert.
Complete with the pyrotechnics.
Voilà. The enigma of the location shift to the lawn was made clear, in the bursts of lush color consuming the sky over the sea. It took me a second to realize the fireworks were synched to a soundtrack—the alt-rock song Change, by Moon Taxi, was one of the best choices I could imagine—and the uplifting strains of the song helped me at least struggle to my feet again.
For a few seconds, I let the magic of the scene bring a smile back to my lips. And yeah, it was magical. No snark this time. Just inwardly joining a few ooohs and aahhhs of my own to those of the crowd, thankful for the realizations of the last tumultuous minute.
Arcadia wasn’t just going to have a new princess. They were going have a baby—a new life. Because of the latter, maybe I’d get lucky and not have to hear the former come to pass. Maybe Shiraz had dragged Ambyr off to a secluded shadow, choosing to start their story with a moment of private romance. She wouldn’t be completely happy about that but still had a few hours to make up for it, flashing the engagement rock to everyone at the party.
Shit I didn’t have to witness.
Which left taking care of Jayd then getting the hell out of this wing.
Then tomorrow, with the air strip functional again, I could finally get the hell off this island too.
I watched as more rockets shot into the sky. The crowd gasped and clapped, totally entranced. If Jayd was smart, and I knew she was, she’d use the distraction to scoot her hiney up here for the wardrobe repair. I could be done with the gown and gone before the show even—
“Lucina.”
—ended.
I spun around. On a rush of wild breath, blurted, “Shit.”
Before saying goodbye to the air in my body again.
Perhaps for good.
Dear, holy hell. He looked even more incredible from just ten feet away, with his presence altering the air, his height more magnificent and majestic. From here, I could also see the fine blue threads worked into the black brocade of his doublet. The shade was perfect, as brilliant as the fireworks bursting against the stars, but as rich as the new intensity of his gaze.
Way more intense than it had been from the distance of the stage.
What a difference twenty yards made.
Shit, shit, shit.
“Tupul—”
I stopped him with a slash of a hand. Not that, goddammit. Anything but that. “Wh-where’s Jayd?”
“Lucina—”
“I’m waiting for her. She’ll be here any second, Shiraz. She had a problem with her gown. Ambyr’s using her seamstress, so she called me.” Though my snark was still on vacation, seemed the inner Chatty Cathy was still ready to rock. “Ambyr,” I stressed, as that oh-so-special revelation took hold. “Where’s Ambyr?”
Shiraz stepped toward one end of the couch. “I have no idea.”
I rushed toward the other end. “Why don’t you know? And why aren’t you with her right now? Proposing with Half Dome in your hand?”
He shook his head. Let out a combination of laugh and sigh. Fuck. That soft, sultry sound, on the rolling hills of his incredible lips…I was so close to letting it undo me. And dammit if that didn’t look like he intended exactly that.
No. No.
