“By the way, I’m not yours,” I told him. “I don’t belong to anyone but myself. Nothing changes that.”
“What if I just wanted a piece of you?” He shifted the reins to his other hand. “A tiny piece that belonged to me? I can think of a few I would love to have, Princess.”
My cheeks warmed. “I bet you can.”
His laugh was rough and deep. “Tell me what piece of you I can have. It can be any piece of your choosing. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.” His chin grazed my cheek. “It will be my most prized possession.”
I didn’t offer Casteel a piece of me as we rode forward, joining the others. There was no reason to because what he didn’t know was that he already held too many of them.
Chapter 20
“You’ve been entirely too quiet today,” Casteel pointed out again, several hours into the ride to Spessa’s End.
“Have I?” I asked, knowing full well there was no point denying it. The back of my neck tightened. Conversation had hummed all around me. Jokes had been shared. Playful insults were often traded, and while Casteel was their Prince, his status didn’t give him immunity. Few questions and comments had been directed at me, mostly about my training and how I was able to keep it hidden. Other than explaining how I trained with Vikter, I remained silent.
There was less opportunity for me to mess up that way.
“You have,” he said.
Aware of how close Delano and Naill were, riding only a few paces behind us, I said, “I’ve been…caught up in the scenery.”
“The scenery?” he repeated. “You’ve been engrossed in staring at…trees?”
My brow creased as I nodded. Tall pines crowded the road to Spessa’s End, growing so close to one another, their branches stretched from tree to tree. Very little could be seen beyond them.
“I had no idea you were so invested in the common evergreen.”
The corners of my lips turned down as I stiffened, pulling away from where I’d been leaning into Casteel. “I would think you’d be grateful that I’m quiet.”
“Why in the world would you think I’d be grateful for that?”
I sent him an arched brow over my shoulder. “Really?” I drawled in a low voice.
His eyes narrowed, and as I returned to staring at the snow-tipped pines, he nudged Setti forward. The large horse responded at once, drawing ahead of the group. “What’s really going on with you?” he asked, his voice low.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I lifted my head at the flutter of wings. A bird, larger than I’d ever seen, took flight from the top of one of the pines, soaring gracefully into the sky. The wingspan was enormous, at least several feet. “Good gods, what kind of bird is that?”
“I do believe it’s a silver hawk. They’re known to snatch small animals and even children if they’re hungry enough.”
My eyes widened. “I’d heard stories about birds that could pick up children, but I thought they were just tales.”
“I’m sure many things in these woods are the subject of such tales, but there is only one tale I’m interested in hearing.” Using his arm around my waist to tug me back against him, his voice was just above my ear as he added, “And that is why you’re suddenly as quiet as a ghost.”
“Do you need to hold me this tightly to ask that question?” I snapped.
He chuckled. “There she is—my Princess.”
“I’ve been here this whole time, and I’m not your Princess.”
“Technically, you are my Princess, and no, you haven’t been here the whole time,” he replied. “The Poppy I know isn’t quiet and meek. At least not the one without the veil.”
I stared ahead mutinously as his observation struck too close to home for comfort.
“And this Poppy, the one who says nothing, only showed up this morning,” he went on. “You say it’s not because you chose to be the one who ended that bastard Ascended’s life. I know you well enough to believe that.”
“I don’t know why you think you know me so well,” I retorted, even though he did know more about me than anyone, including Vikter, Tawny, and my brother.
“I know that you did what you felt was right and that is the end of that. You’re not one to wallow in your choices,” he said, and he was right. Ugh. “You said it wasn’t because of last night, and I’m inclined to believe that to be the truth.”