“Where is the prince?” He had been with Arabis.
Cylea shrugged. “I hope he’s all right. He… didn’t come back with her.”
The Seelie Prince was missing?! If that was the case, why didn’t she look concerned?
“He knows how to take care of himself,” she said when she noticed my surprise. “I wouldn’t worry about him.” She patted my shoulder and walked toward the bed.
Kryn took his green gaze away from Arabis for a moment to look at me.
“Thank you,” he said. He was sincere and his attitude toward me was, for once, kind of nice.
“I’m glad she’s all right,” I said. “I’ll go back to my room. If you need me again, just come get me.”
CHAPTER 15
DespitehowtiredIwas, I woke up early the next morning. It was barely the break of dawn, but my mind was already reeling, thinking about Arabis, the prince, Valeriana… everyone except myself.
It was a common problem: relegating my needs in favor of everyone else’s.
The girl had crept closer to me in her sleep and was still out like a light. I slowly got out of bed, making sure not to disturb her, and went into the closet. I changed out of the long garment and donned the most practical clothes I could find: a red velvet tunic with embroidered edges, a pair of tan leggings, and knee-high brown leather boots. It was way fancier than I would’ve liked—especially when I tied a carved belt around my waist—but the Fae didn’t favor jeans and T-shirts, so I had no other choice. I ran stiff fingers through my hair and went to put my hair up, but my ponytail holder broke.Great!I’d have to improvise something later.
I left the room, closed the door quietly behind me, then made my way back to the large dining room in search of something strong to drink. I foolishly wished for coffee, though I knew tea was my closest option.
A lock of hair fell in front of my face. I pushed it back. The palace was quiet and seemed empty, and I took my time going downstairs, walking slowly, lost in my own thoughts. When I arrived, food was already laid out on one end of the large table, sun spilling over it through a tall set of doors that led to what appeared to be a balcony. I thought I was the first one there until I noticed someone standing past the doors.
The set of the wide shoulders and the glint of raven blue hair were unmistakable. Prince Kalyll was standing with his hands on the railing, looking down on the city.
The harsh words he said to me yesterday echoed inside my mind, and I took a step back, determined to leave and come back later, except, just as I was about to turn away, he glanced over his shoulder and spotted me.
The brilliant sun bathed his features, making his intense blue eyes shine. Stubble lined his jaw, something I hadn’t seen before. There were also large circles under his eyes and the undeniable tinge of bone-deep fatigue shaping his expression. He had always seemed so perfectly put together that seeing him like this made him feel more real and less like a male from myth and adventure.
He turned away from the brilliant morning and walked inside, his heavy boots tapping on the stone floor as he approached me.
He stopped a few feet away, his gaze roving over my face, seeming to take in my unbound hair as it flowed over my shoulders. A shiver ran down my spine as he scrutinized me, and I hated my reaction. It was incomprehensible and completely out of place.
Kalyll inclined his head. “I hope you slept well, Ms. Sunder.”
I clenched my teeth together and raised my chin, anger building in my chest. “We’re back to good manners, are we? Don’t waste your breath.”
I turned to leave, but he grabbed my elbow and stopped me. That stupid lock of hair fell in front of my face again.
“I wish to apologize for my behavior yesterday,” he said. “For the impolite things I said to you.”
Blinking up at him through the lock of hair, I resisted the urge to blow it out of the way. His hand abandoned my elbow, and he gently pushed the strand behind my ear. A shiver tiptoed down my spine. Somehow, I found the strength to pull away from him, breaking contact and despising the way my attention focused on the warm sensation his touch left behind.
He apologized, Dani. Focus on that.
So… his apology had sounded sincere enough, but I didn’t want to deal with that either. Something was way off, and I wanted answers, but he wasn’t going to tell me anything until we left Imbermore. I was tired of his reticence and half-explanation, so I just nodded.
“Sure thing,” I said, turning away again. “Apology accepted.”
“Please, don’t go,” he said, and there was so much yearning in his voice that my feet came to a halt of their own accord.
Slowly, I faced him and took him in for a second time. On closer inspection, I could sense his fatigue and exhaustion went deeper than only the physical. He was also emotionally drained, weighed down by his responsibility, perhaps. Or maybe by the haze of secrecy that seemed to surround everything about him.
“Eat breakfast with me?” He gestured toward the table and pulled a chair out.
I sat and started to pick up some food, but he brushed my hand away from the tongs I’d been about to grab. I tucked my hand under the table, rubbing the fingers he’d grazed.