When the time came for each female to be whisked away by their date, I was more than a little tipsy after enjoying three flutes of champagne.
“Are you going to be able to walk for what I have planned tonight, or shall I carry you?” the prince whispered into my ear when he pulled my chair back.
I frowned, a fuzzy part of my mind telling me that there’d been another time when I’d had too much to drink around him, and perhaps less-than-desirable acts had taken place. Or had that been a dream?
“I can walk.” I stood from my chair, and even though the damned floor swayed, I didn’t fall.
He chuckled. “If you say so.”
The other three females all cast envious glances toward the crown prince as he guided me away. Georgyanna was on a date with Michas Crimsonale, Beatrice with Nuwin, and Meegana with a male I hadn’t met yet. It was crazy to think that this stupid Trial required me to date all of the males here.
I made a sound of disgust as the prince opened the balcony door for me, then my heart jumped into my throat when I remembered my sister had been hiding out here.
But she wasn’t there when we stepped outside.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
Flustered, I ran a hand through my hair and tried to calm my breathing. “Yes, I was just, um, thinking about this Trial and all of the males I have to date.”
His shoulders tensed.
I eyed him, and maybe it was the champagne making me tipsy or the fresh air that breezed over my cheeks when he led me outside, but I found myself saying, “Do you really want to own me that badly? That you don’t want any other male to have the chance to touch your things? But don’t you already own me, my prince? Surely, that’s enough.”
His wings flared as a fierce light grew in his eyes. “I don’t own you. Trust me, if you were mine, you would know.”
His? My jaw slackened, and a memory slammed into my mind when I recalled that he’d claimed just that to Drachu and Vorl. The fierceness then and the fierceness now took my breath away all over again. I gulped in another lungful of air when Cailis’s sudden hand on mine drew me up short.
“Cailis?” I yelped as my sister stepped to my side from the shadows. She was dressed in a woven top, pants, and a thick cape. Draped over her arm was my cloak.
“This is for you.” She slung it over my shoulders, and the thick garment instantly warmed me in the chilled air.
“I don’t understand,” I said dumbly, then gave her a look as though to say what are you doing revealing yourself?
My sister cast a wary glance toward the prince. “Neither do I,” she replied, “but apparently, for your date tonight, instead of the crown prince taking you somewhere alone, he’s decided to take you and me elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere?” I raised my eyebrows at him, entirely confused why Cailis had been invited but thankful that it gave her an excuse to be on the balcony.
Prince Norivun’s expression gave away nothing as he said, “I know you’ve given up a lot, and I know that I took you from your home when you least expected it, so I thought tonight that perhaps I would take you home. I’ve arranged for your sister, along with your village friends, to join us. I thought—” He paused, and I could have sworn that a flash of nervousness was upon his face. “I thought perhaps it would make you happy.”
“Home?” My heart began to race as blood sped through my veins. Home. Home. Home. Mervalee Territory. My village. The humble abode my sister and I had grown up in. My garden. My kitchen. My life.
I’d dreamed of home since the prince had forced me from my village’s barn weeks ago. Had dreamed of the moment I could once again lay my head on my own pillow, caress the tender stalks of my garden, hear the tinkling sound of Birnee’s laughter while Finnley roared in happiness.
“Do you mean that?” I whispered. “Are you really taking me home for our date?”
“I am, if it’s what you want?” His expression was still guarded. The usual suave look he wore had disappeared entirely.
It took everything in me not to fling my arms around him. Grinning, I replied, “Yes, I would like that very much.”
CHAPTER 11
I hadn’t known what to expect from my only official date with the crown prince of the Winter Court.
I certainly hadn’t pictured it being the two of us sitting in the tiny living room of my family home while my sister, Birnee, and Finnley surrounded us and regaled us with funny stories and anecdotes from our childhood while we all drank too much leminai and laughed so hard that my ribs ached.
But the night was beyond memorable, the warmth endless, and some tiny part of my heart cracked open at the sheer thoughtfulness and generosity of the prince’s gift.
Prince Norivun lounged in a chair near the door, leaving the area by the fire for me, my sister, and my friends. He watched me the entire night, content to listen rather than partake, the smile on his face growing broader every time I laughed or showed delight.
When the evening finally came to a close, Birnee and Finnley flew back to their homes, and the prince clasped ahold of both me and my sister. In a twist of mistphasing magic, he whisked us back to the castle, and we landed just outside of the eastern wing.
Cailis took one look at the prince and me, a slight frown marring her features, and I knew her wheels were turning.
“Thank you,” she said, a hesitant tone to her voice. “For letting me come along tonight.”
The prince inclined his head. “It was my pleasure.”
That assessing look didn’t leave her features, and if anything, her expression morphed into confusion.
“Walk with me?” the prince asked me.
“Of course,” I replied, still reeling from the leminai and feeling of contentment that only home could bring. “See you, Cailis.”
My sister squeezed my hand, and in that grip, I felt it—her warning, her unspoken words not to fall under the prince’s spell.
I squeezed her in return, some of my head clearing.
Cailis reluctantly turned back to the castle, her guard opening the door for her.
The stars winked down on us, and a cold breeze swam through the night air. The prince tugged me along until we were strolling through the ice gardens.
“Our date continues?” I joked awkwardly.
“Until you tell me it’s over.”
My breath stuttered. I knew this was my one and only date with the prince. Since the Trial demanded weekly dates over the course of three months, it only left enough time for one private date with each male. One date in which each female was given the chance to learn what she could of the male. One night in which secrets could be laid bare and personality traits learned.
Just one.
I gulped when that realization hit me. Instead of using our one night to keep me to himself, the prince had instead given me a gift. He’d given me a chance to return home. He’d chosen something that would make me happy, not him.
I stopped in my tracks and faced him. “Thank you for letting me go home.”
His eyes softened. “You seemed to enjoy it.”
“I did. Immensely.”
He gestured toward a bench near a frozen pond. “Shall we sit?”
Heart pounding, I wrapped my cape around me and sat on the frozen slats. Within seconds, shivers were striking me.