I inhaled the sultry fragrance of roses and damp earth and moonlight, which I swear, tonight had an aroma. The night air even had a taste... sweet, like sugar and syrup. Every sense was awakened, alive buzzing and throbbing with anticipation. I waited, watching my staggered breath fog in front of my face in the cool night air.
The door clicked shut and I spun around, startled at not having heard it open. Ethan strode toward me, his lips curled into the victorious grin of a wolf who'd captured his prey.
I walked toward him, pulled by an invisible force that moved us of its own accord, like magnets with a gravity and- sanity-defying attraction, forcing us into each other's arms. The heat built as his hands rested on my hips. I felt it burst around us as if flames were licking at my skin. Searching his eyes for answers, and trying to get my head out of the past, I asked, “What are we doing?” It came out breathy and weak.
He leaned in, his mouth kissing the side of my neck. My head rolled back, and I let out a sound, something between a gasp and a sigh. He kissed me again and again, planting a sizzling trail up the side of my neck, along my jaw, until his mouth found mine. Oh, god. This was what I'd wanted since the first time I saw him. My whole body melted into his. His hard arms circled me, pulling me impossibly closer. By the time we pulled apart, we were both panting hard.
Ethan reached for me again, hungry to pull my lips back to his—when suddenly, next to us, the rose bush ignited into flames.
CHAPTER 16
I pulled away from him, heart pounding in my chest. Ethan looked as bewildered as I felt. I searched his face, but then turned my gaze back to the burning bush. We watched in silence as it consumed itself, until seconds later nothing remained but smoldering ash. This was becoming way too prevalent a theme lately. I wasn’t one for superstitions, but holy hell, there was simply no way to deny how ominous it was. Whatever the message, it wasn’t good.
As the last embers petered out, we found each other locked in one another’s gaze, tethered by some invisible pull.
Clearing my throat, I broke the silence first. “I think I should get back,” I said, and I didn’t wait for him to agree or disagree, before I hurried to the doors and rushed back inside. Had I been a little calmer, I might not have slammed into someone.
“Oouff! What the hell…”
I looked up into the irate face of the blonde…the Comtesse DeMarquise.
“Oh, god, I’m so sorry.” The words sputtered out.
I glanced behind me to see Ethan slowly opening the door.
The Comtesse’s scathing glare immediately softened as she spotted him. “Of course you are,” she said with liquid cold. Then she breezed past me toward Ethan.
Whatever. I hurried back to the ballroom, hoping that neither Princess Charlie, nor the queen had noticed my absence.
Fortunately, the party was in even greater swing. With alcohol and food flowing ceaselessly, the country’s elite nobility had let their hair down, set aside their formal stuffy behavior for less constrained abandon.
Ethan rejoined the group with the Comtesse clinging to his arm. I did my best to avoid them, pretending not to notice the way his gaze followed me around the room. I focused on Princess Charlotte, keeping her in my sights. It was as if this entire party had been given in her honor as far as she was concerned, and she was going to enjoy every last drop of it. Five-year old’s knew how to live life with abandon. Watching her and her little friend made me miss Lincoln. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with him, dig deeper to see if there was any more to his special talents than I first thought. He, too, was a very enchanting child.
Finally, the alarm on my watch vibrated, signaling little Charlie’s bedtime. I hated having to drag her away from the time of her life she was having, but there’d be hell to pay for letting her eat so many sweets as it was. No point subjecting all of us to the wrath of a missed bedtime, too.
I wove through the crowd to where she and her friend were playing hide-and-seek behind the floor-length, gold silk drapes.
“Five-minute warning, Princess Charlotte,” I said to the shiny, black patent leather shoes, peeking out from the bottom of the curtains. The collective groan of a game spoiled was my only reply.
I turned to look for Queen Zara, but instead found Ethan and the Comtesse in my direct line of sight. Perfect. So much for not wanting to notice them. But this time, it was different. Or rather, what I noticed about her was different. There was a shimmering sort of light around her, it almost glowed, moving as if it were alive as she was. I’d grown more accustomed to seeing energy, auras as they were described in one of the books I’d read, but until this moment, I’d never noticed one move and shift the way hers did. I watched as she curled her talons over his forearm and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
A lavender curl of smoke left her lips as she pressed them to his ear. I watched it curl around his lobe, then slide deep into his ear canal. What the hell was she doing?
Oh my god, a love spell. Of course. The little witch was trying to seduce him using magik. Clearly the Comtesse wasn’t what she appeared. It shouldn’t have surprised me. I mean, if I had latent magik in my blood, it made sense someone else on the planet did also. Too bad it was her and not someone I could actually talk to about it. She’d turn me in to the queen in a blink... I could tell just by the way the energy around her darkened when she looked in my direction. I took a bite of a pumpkin muffin as I watched her... it was impossible not to stare…like passing a tragic car crash on the side of the road. You don’t want to see it, and yet it’s impossible to look away.
I wish I could explain what drove me to do what I did next, but without hesitation, I found myself walking over to them. I put my hand on Ethan’s back, just briefly...a massive no-no especially in public. I felt his heat flow into my fingertips before he turned his crystal gaze to mine. Whatever it was that simmered between us was powerful, but I had no idea how to undo whatever it was she’d done. If she’d done anything at all. Don’t second guess yourself, Kat. You know what you saw. Suddenly, I felt my own energy slip from me to mingle with his as it grew and enveloped us both.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Your Grace.” I stepped back, offering them each a small curtsy. “But your sister wants to say goodnight before she heads up to bed.”
“Are you taking her up?” He was doing a poor job of not letting his gaze roam over me, and the Comtesse noticed it, too.
“I am.”
“Fine. Tell her I’ll be there shortly. Just finishing my conversation with the Comtesse here.”
She gave me a false smirk, then flipped her long, straw-curls over her shoulder.
What exactly was she planning? To magik him into making her his future Queen? God help this country if it had to survive another self-absorbed monarch. At least the current king and queen gave the impression of having the country’s best interests at heart. The darkness swirling around her was toxic.
I gave another bow, even as bile singed my throat. This one was trouble. Anyone could tell. Honestly, I didn’t know how I hadn’t seen it sooner, but it was as if the longer I was there, the more I saw. Magic was oozing throughout the Capital of Westingham, and it nearly seeped from the walls of their very court, yet no one seemed to notice.
I left, and found Charlie sitting on the bottom stair in the grand hall with her stuffed rabbit by her side. “Coco isn’t tired,” she whined when she saw me coming.
“I know. Coco never is.” I patted the rabbit’s head. “But, sleep is important, and there’s someone coming up to say goodnight to her, and you, so you better get her all tucked in before they get there.”
“Coco’s not a girl.” She laughed, shaking her little rabbit in front of my face. “He’s a boy. My baby brother, remember?”
“Ah. Right.” Something tightened in my gut, the way it always did when she mentioned her baby brother. Her, dead baby brother. I straightened Coco’s ears, bent at an odd angle that somehow seemed more disturbing with the new persona she’d given him.
“Okay, Charlie, Coco, time to go.” I scooped them both up off the steps and then set her back down on her feet on the first one. She giggled racing up a few steps. Then she turned back to look at me, her little face lined with fear.
“Not Mummy, is it?”
“What?” I paused behind her.
“You said someone was coming.” She frowned. “I don’t want Mum coming to my room.”
I felt a twinge of sadness, that this sweet girl didn’t want a goodnight kiss from her own mother. Then again, I couldn’t picture Zara kissing anyone goodnight but her own reflection. Probably for the best, she’d instilled enough nightmares in me, and I was a grown woman who’d only been living here a month. Charlie was little enough that a scary mother was like having a monster living everywhere in your house, not just under your bed.
“Nope, guess again,” I said injecting a playful tone into my voice. “Come on, let’s scoot. He’s coming soon.”
“Is it Father?” she squealed with glee.
We played this game every night. Her father was away from court most evenings. I was told he was off somewhere on business, accompanied by whichever mistress he desired that night. I swallowed, once again, thankful that I’d avoided that fate. “Not Father. No more clues ‘til you’re in your bed.”
She laughed and scampered up the rest of the steps, then rounded the corner to her suite and raced down the hall. I gathered my skirt in one hand and tried to run after her. No easy feat in three-inch heels. I paused to slip them off my feet. “Charlie, slow down, wait for me.”
Suddenly a cold chill came over me. The lighting in the hall flickered, then dimmed, filling it with odd shadows and an eerie hum. “Charlie.” I ran faster but managed to trip over my skirt and pitch forward, turning over my heel. Damn it. The lights flickered again, then went out, leaving us temporarily blinded. Then they came back on. I heard a small screech.
Oh, god. “Charlie!” I hollered her name as I sprinted, ignoring the throbbing in my ankle. I skidded to a halt outside her room, the door wide open, and the little princess standing directly in the entrance. Her hands were covering her face, but then she lowered them, and turned around to give me a small scowl. “No fair. You cheated.”
“I…wait. What?”
Then she whirled back around and pointed a blaming finger. I followed her direction and watched Ethan step out of the shadows.
“Oh, god. You scared me to death,” I said, pressing a hand to my still-racing heart.
“Sorry. I came up the back way,” he said, coming over to scoop his little sister into his arms.
She laughed, her sullen pout suddenly lifted. He had that effect on people... I could vouch for that myself. Ethan made people…smile.
“Did I scare you, too, bug?” He tickled her.
She kicked her little legs and squeaked with laughter. “Stop it, you’re squishing Coco.”
He lowered her to the floor, then patted the bunny’s head. “Sorry, little guy.”
He’d gotten the bunny’s gender right. Best big brother ever.
“Come on, squirt. Into bed. If you want that goodnight hug, it’s now or never. I’ve got a party to get back to.”
“You hate Mummy’s parties.”
“I do,” he whispered, his eyes flicking to mine briefly, “but tonight there’s someone I’m anxious to speak more with. Someone I really like.”
Oh, god. My chest tightened. It was a love spell. The Comtessa had hexed him, and now he was falling for her. Not that she needed magik. I mean, just looking at her, seeing them together, hearing what they’d been like…how he’d made her—
I turned away. “I’ll go find the nanny,” I said, hurrying toward the door. I didn’t want to encroach on their special moment together.
“No, Kat,” Charlie called out. “Coco wants you to stay.”
“He does?” I arched a brow, then turned back toward her, resting a hand on one of the four posts surrounding her bed. The billowing sheer pink fabric draping her bed looked like puffs of cotton candy. Perfect for a little princess.
“Come sit by me,” she insisted, and so I did, nestling in next to her on the opposite side of Ethan. His gaze was on me the entire time and I could feel my body temperature climbing.
“Tell me a story,” she urged.
“Okay.” I sighed, “but just a quick one.” I’d had enough overwhelming and conflicting emotions for one night. All I wanted to do now was go back to my room, change out of this ridiculous gown, tip my hair up into a pony, and crawl into bed.
“Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was the most magikal in the land. Then another little girl came along and tried to steal everything the little girl loved. Her magik and her boy—I mean, her toys.”
Charlie sucked in a small indignant gasp. “Rude.”
“I know, right?” I nodded. “But, she didn’t get the chance because—"
“A strong handsome prince came along and put that other little girl in her place,” Ethan interrupted. “The prince returned all the princess’s boys and toys to where they belonged…with the little girl.”
I stared at him. Trying to decode his ending to my coded story.
Charlie had snuggled down deeper into the blankets, Coco held tightly in her arms.
“Say goodnight to Coco,” she drowsily urged, as I stood up. “Good night, Coco.” My voice was just above a whisper, then I kissed Charlie’s forehead. “Goodnight, your royal sweetness.”
She giggled, but it was weak and full of sleepiness.
“Nite, my best girl. Sleep tight. Don’t let those nasty bed bugs bite.” Ethan blew her a kiss.
He followed me to the door and leaned to press his hand against it. “Wait. So, that story…” He leaned in closer.
I stepped back, one, then another step until I was pressed against the door behind me.
“Totally fiction.” I bobbed my head. Then swallowed at the way he was hovering over me. His eyes sparked with amusement.
“You’re good.”
“Thank you.” I licked my lower lip and his gaze followed.
“You know, there’s something I’ve been wanting to do again.” He said quietly.
“Really?” I could barely even speak, no air in my lungs, no moisture in my mouth. My lips parted. And he leaned his head. His mouth grazed mine and then…
Bam.
The door slammed into my back, jolting us forward.
Ethan caught me, his hands firmly planted on my hips as the door opened fully.
“Oh, my word, did I hitcha, love?” Ingrid, the princessa’s nanny, scurried in.
“No, my fault for standing too close. Was bound to get hurt,” I said, then I quickly bowed to Ethan. “Well, good night. I should get back.” My cheeks burned as I hurried out into the hall.
I expected Ethan to stay and chat, or at least allow a little time between our departures for the sake of appearances, but instead, he said, “I’ll walk you there. There’s something weird happening with the electricity tonight.”
I heard his words, but my feet were already in motion, hurrying down the hall. I paused, hopping on one foot and then the other, as I slipped off my heels.
“Kat, wait.” Ethan jogged to catch up.
“I really have to get back.” My shoes dangled from my fingers as my stocking feet silently padded down the carpeting.
“I know, so do I, remember?”
My pace slowed, and, in a breath, he was next to me. He rested his hand on my arm. “Just stop. Please.”
I couldn’t help but do what he asked. It was like his touch had some sort of power over me.
“What is it, Ethan?” I asked, then remembered myself and looked around us. “I mean, Your Highness.”
“You know how much I hate that.” He bristled, clearly not giving a damn who might be nearby. In truth, we were far enough removed from the party and the princess’s chambers that it was unlikely anyone would overhear us. But there was a lot riding on this job, and part of holding on to it meant
at least pretending to follow all the Royal Rules.
“I just want to talk.”
“I don’t think we should.”
“No?”
I shook my head but stayed exactly where I was. Move. Just keep walking. I willed my feet to respond, but they were still obeying Ethan’s request, not mine.
“Here.” His hold on my arm tightened as he pulled me down a small corridor to our left. There were no doors to be seen. And it was relatively dark with only a dim wall sconce at each end. It was narrower than most of the main halls, which meant that the distance between us had suddenly become oppressively small.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?” I asked, and while I was attempting to sound confident and formal, it came out breathy and distracted. Which obviously, I was. I mean, the last time we were alone, together, in the dark… a wave of heat rushed over me, he’d kissed me, and we’d set fire to a rosebush. I pushed the thought aside.
“You don’t like me.”
“What? Are we in grade school now?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“You didn’t ask one.”
His mouth quirked at the corner. “Fair enough. Do you like me, Kat?”
Oh, god, why was he doing this to me. Who could not like him? He was impossible not to like, and that was the biggest problem I had with being here in this place. “Of course I like you. You’re very…” I paused, searching for just the right adjective, “likable.” Honestly, it sounded like I was talking to a complete stranger. Instead of someone who’d had his tongue in my mouth just hours before.
“Okay.” He gave me a puzzled frown, then cocked his head. “So why are you icing me out?”
“I’m not icing.”
“You’ve been ghosting me ever since the unfortunate event with the Ambassador. After I kissed you. Is that it? Do you regret it?”
“Yes.”
His eyes darkened. “You do?”
“I mean, no. I mean, not that I regret it, but it’s just, I need this job and kissing you…even being here alone with you, could end all of that.”
Of Royal Blood: Part One (Courting Magik Series Book 1) Page 14
