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“Ah, well my dear, for one, you have no interest in what’s between my legs—despite its magnificence.” She snorted. I pretended to be offended and reached for my door. “And B—”
“Two.”
“What?”
“You said one, so the next is two—”
I swung the door open, revealing the striking outline of Arin standing at my window—and slammed the door closed again, sealing him inside and us outside.
“And two…?” Ellyn prompted, slurring.
“What?”
Arin was in my room. Again. But without his guards this time. When without his guards, he didn’t seem as inclined to have them beat me senseless. Was this a replay of the pool then, or was he here to deliver a second slap to my face?
“You said there was another reason you haven’t, you know…” Ellyn made an alarming grasping motion with her hands.
“Well, if that’s how you think it’s done then I made the right decision not to seduce you.” I slipped an arm around her shoulder and scooted her along the corridor, away from my room. “I haven’t propositioned you because I know there’s a woman you’re fond of and I do not wish to complicate our friendship.” I gave her a small shove in the general direction of the servants’ quarters. “Good evening, now. Off to bed, you go. Do not blame me for the headache you will surely get…”
She threw a wave over her shoulder and swaggered out of sight. Which left me in the corridor, and Arin in my room. I’d swallowed a great deal of wine. Speaking with Arin now was a terrible idea. Perhaps I could sleep in the gardens? No. I had under three days remaining. I couldn’t afford to squander this opportunity.
I opened the door, strode in, and peered into the prince’s cool blue eyes. “We really must stop meeting like this or there will be rumors.”
“Is that a threat?” Goodness, his smooth voice was delicious.
An ill-timed urge to laugh twitched my lips. So severe, this prince. Did he ever jest? Perhaps I should poke his nose and see.
“Are you… laughing?” he asked, golden brows digging into his smooth forehead.
“Not yet, but give me a moment… I’m rather drunk. And you’ll find my tongue and a great many other parts of me exceptionally unrestrained while intoxicated—more unrestrained than usual.” I circled my hand in the air. “Shall we just assume you’re here to threaten me behind a veil of thin insults, after which we can both retire for the night?” I slumped to the edge of my bed and sighed with my whole body.
He hadn’t moved. Still stood by the window, peering down his nose.
If I looked up, would I find him amused or furious? When I was gone, I’d miss our little games, despite not knowing the rules he played by.
He stepped closer, stopping directly in front of me. I stared at his buttoned middle, his jacket pinched over his hips, and his crotch, which was far less interested in me than the last time I’d seen it, although not without a noticeable presence behind the white fabric. If he tipped my chin up, I might do something foolish, like kiss him.
“This is rather perfect,” he said, then strode for the door. “Follow me, Lark.” He tossed a devilish smirk over his shoulder, the kind of suggestive smile I’d be a fool to follow. “You seem the sort to live without regrets. And you’ll regret missing this.”
The prince was likely responsible for several deaths, possibly even his mother’s and my predecessor’s. Yet, even sober, after that look he’d flung at me, I’d have gone with him. I supposed that did make me a fool.
CHAPTER8
Arin lifted his hood and strode along the palace corridors, through archways, leading me on a merry chase through the palace after midnight. He didn’t slow, didn’t glance behind to see if I followed, just kept on moving.
When we came to the palace library’s huge oak door, he pushed through, swept down dark aisles, and stopped at a bookcase tucked away in an unlit corner. I caught up, breathing fast, and spun, wondering why on earth he’d dragged me into a corner of the library. Perhaps I was about to sample that delightful cock of his. Hm, him on his knees, or me on mine? Although, he wasn’t paying attention to me, preferring instead to be staring at the books.
He pulled one from among the others, and the shelf clicked, jolting outward on hidden hinges. Another secret. The palace was full of them. Arin caught my eye, smiled, and slipped behind the bookcase, disappearing in a swirl of white cloak.
To show me such secrets, he surely trusted me. This was good.
Or was it a trap?
Damn, I couldn’t think.
In too deep and too curious to turn back, I followed him into a cool, dark tunnel, its sides hewn from rock. The prince’s steps echoed ahead, guiding me through the heavy gloom. A downward slope tilted underfoot, and the tunnel corkscrewed back on itself, spiraling down. Then a rumbling began, like that of a sleeping dragon.
In all likelihood, I followed a dangerous man into the dark. A man who appeared to be one thing in one moment, and quite the opposite in the next. Excitement, and the thrill of the unknown, set my veins ablaze.
