“Thank you,” I murmured.
She flashed a brilliant smile, and tossing her gold braid over her shoulder, shot past me. I followed, and we fell into a light jog. An easy silence fell between us, and we completed another lap. Our audience had grown, and Cassie blew Alex a kiss as we passed by him and Ryker. Alex waved, while Ryker remained motionless, watching us. With another blink, they disappeared as we padded deeper into the garden.
“Kaleah.” Cassie slowed her pace to a walk. A rosy hue filled her cheeks, the morning sun glowing off her golden skin. “Do you love Ryker?”
My stomach churned, and I stopped walking, pretending to catch my breath. Cassie stopped as well, her eyes searching mine.
“I don’t even know what love is.” I shrugged, not wanting to think about what I did or didn’t feel for him. Even if I’d wanted to answer her question, I wouldn’t have been able to. Because I didn’t know.
“Well, the fact that you lied to the empress to keep him safe, and that you don’t hate him or want him dead anymore says a lot.” Cassie arched her eyebrows.
I laughed as I resumed walking. “Just because I don’t want someone dead doesn’t mean I love them.”
She chuckled too, following after me. “Okay, well, let me put it a different way. In another life, if you could leave all of this behind”—she gestured around her with her arms—“would you want Ryker to still be in your life?”
My gaze shifted back the way we’d come, and even though he was out of view, I couldn’t keep the warmth from rising to my face. “Cassie, it’s not that simple. I barely know him, and I only see what he wants me to see. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to him, but whether that’s love, lust, or something in between, I have no clue.”
“So that’s a yes?” Cassie pressed, nudging me with her shoulder.
My lips pulled into a half smile. “I guess if I had to choose in this hypothetical other life of yours, it would be nice to meet Ryker where I’m not a princess and he’s not an assassin forced to be with me. To get to know him as a friend, and maybe later something more, instead of already having that choice made for us.”
“That’s what I thought.” She strutted off further down the garden path.
“Why do you even care?” I jogged to catch up with her.
Her blue eyes turned serious. “I want you to be happy, Kaleah. You deserve to be as happy as Alex and I are, and I want to know there’s a chance that in the right circumstances, you could find that with Ryker.”
“If only it were that simple.” But it didn’t matter if I was happy with Ryker or not. I wouldn’t be alive long enough for it to make a difference.
We completed another lap, and my pace slowed as Ariadne swept through the beaded curtain of the back door and into the gardens. She was elegant as ever in a flowing teal gown, with a line of servants trailing in her wake. She came to a stop and clapped her hands together. “Good morning, dear children.”
“Mother?” Alex rose to greet her, brushing the dark bangs from his eyes. “It’s still early. What are you doing here?”
Ari pursed her lips, inspecting her son with a click of her tongue before a light smile graced her fair features. “The cleanse and sweep of the palace was finished last night, and we were given the all clear—there are no assassins, nor unwanted among us and a ward has been set up around the palace to prevent the use of further portal runes.”
Her words washed over me like a wave against a rock—I couldn’t even feel relieved.
“That’s wonderful!” Alex crossed the garden to wrap a yawning Cassie into a hug. “But couldn’t it have waited until later?”
“The Ascension is in two weeks, not to mention the princesses seventeenth birthday and your bondings. Thanks to the lock down that was over the palace, I have limited time to plan and prepare for all of them. We don’t have a minute to waste!”
My heart dropped as my nails bit into the palms of my hands. Two weeks. Two weeks, and I would be seventeen. Two weeks, and I’d be bonded to Ryker. Two weeks, and I’d be dead. I couldn't keep my hands from shaking.
“Thank goodness almost none of that involves me.” Alex laughed as he scooped Cassie up and carried her back to the shaded bench.
She squealed, kicking her feet playfully before settling into his lap. “Aw, aren’t you going to help me pick out a new dress for the occasion?” she asked, playing with Alex’s hair.
“Girls and their clothes,” Alex teased, leaning down to kiss her.
I averted my eyes, absentmindedly finding Ryker still sitting by the oak tree, his golden eyes surveying me. I quickly looked away again.
“Speaking of dress, it’s time you get cleaned up and ready for the day,” Ari instructed, snapping her fingers at two of the servant girls and pointing at me. “You first, Kaleah. You have an audience with the royal seamstress in less than an hour, and I can smell you from here.”
My eyes narrowed; I still had yet to forgive her for her agreement with my mother’s desires.
Ari flinched, pursing her lips. “Kaleah.” Her eyes raked over me, a sudden sadness filling them, and she rushed forward, embracing me in a tight hug. “You know I love you, right?”
“Of course I do, Ari.” I sighed, returning her hug. “I just don’t understand you sometimes.”