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“I’m going again. I’m gonna do this. And you,” he pointed at me, “are coming to my party.”
“We will see about that,” I said to an empty room. He was moving quicker now. It felt more like a challenge, the atmosphere of it becoming more intense. This time the apple fell and a noticeable piece was gone.
By the Mother, there was no way this was working.
The air next to me grew hazy and Dace smiled at me as he leaned against my pillow, with his head propped as I had been before. In his hand, he held an actual thick slice, not just a tiny sliver.
“Mmm,” he hummed. “Looks like you better pick out one of those gowns to take with you.”
“Have you been able to do that this whole time and you're just trying to trick me into coming with you?”
The bed shook as he chuckled. “I wish, but no. I told you, I just need a little motivation.”
“I could use a little motivation to get out of bed today.” I pulled the blanket up over my shoulder and peeked at Dace between the material that I gathered near my face.
“I can see that,” he drawled and ate the apple slice.
I wanted that.
“I know. I have to get up and get ready anyway. I told Daethian I would meet him for dinner tonight and if I back out of this again, he will probably kill me.”
“You guys have spent a lot of time together here, haven't you?” Dace looked at the back of his hand, curling his fingers into his palm and opening them back up again. It looked mildly threatening, especially when he looked at me from the side and flashed his teeth in a quick smile.
“Yes, he’s my best friend,” I admitted.
Daethian had been the only thing that kept me going most days under King Ganglin’s rule. We were lucky to have each other. Without him, I would have lost my sanity or gotten myself killed, I was sure.
“You should spend some time with him. You’d probably like him once you got to know each other. He is actually pretty goofy.” I smiled, thinking about the abundance of jokes he’s told me or played on me, or the way he pissed off the keepers when he made a joke at their expense.
“Ah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Dace muttered. “Every time he looks at me, I swear he's thinking about murder.”
“He’s just nervous,” I lied, as if I knew what was going on in Daethian’s head. He had been rather odd lately, but there had also been so much change so quickly. Some people didn’t react well to change. Maybe Daethian was one of those people.
“Nervous? Ha. The only thing he is nervous about is that I’m gonna come in here and steal his girl.”
I swatted his arm. “It’s not like that.” But wasn’t it? Daethian wanted to have dinner with me as a date. Daethian still gave me that look, the one he used to give me all the time when we were enslaved. It was a look that said he wanted to keep me all for himself. It had always scared me.
“Are you sure?” Dace hummed, placing both hands under his head.
“Areyou trying to steal me? I thought this was an alliance thing.” My lips felt dry as I ran my tongue over them. An annoying blush heated my cheeks. I was playing dumb, a game I often chose to play. Dace’s obsession with making me fawn over him like every other girl did had always been clear. But to me, it had always been just that. Once he finally got me to fall, he would leave.
“I mean, I’m not tryingnot to.”
His smile became contagious. He rolled to his side and I followed suit. The softest hint of pink darkened his skin as we looked at each other. The air was thick with something I couldn’t name. He was near enough I could see the starburst veins of silver in his gaze and could smell the piney musk of winter on him.
The soft pads of Dace’s fingers found the curve of my jaw. His eyes lowered to linger on my lips. My breathing was a shallow nervous effort as I stilled. One finger traced my lower lip, making his grin crooked.
“So,” I sat up abruptly, “I better get packing for our trip.”
He eased himself up on his elbows first cocking his head to the side. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you in that red number again.” After a moment, his boots thudded against the ground after he swung his legs off the bed. The noise was enough to help clear my head a bit as I watched him head toward the door.
“I haven't agreed to go,” I pointed out.
“Yet,” he sang as he strolled out of my room.
And that was all it was. A moment of training. Some harmless flirting. And the sinking feeling that I would ask him to do it all over again if I could. This wasn’t right, logically.But it felt right.
My hands scrubbed at my face trying to brush off my thoughts. The smell of him still lingered on my bedding. If I had to make a choice, whether to stay or to go, I would have to talk to Daethian about it at some point. Might as well get myself dressed and ready for dinner.
