I met his stare. “I’m not foolish enough to not feel fear when I know that any of you could kill me before I even have a chance to take my last breath. But fearing what you’re capable of doesn’t mean I fear you.”
Casteel leaned in, his voice in my ear. “Still so incredibly brave,” he murmured, and that inexplicable warming returned to my chest.
“I like her,” Alastir said to Casteel after a heartbeat, and I thought he might actually mean that. Then, I did what Kieran had suggested. I used my abilities once more. My senses stretched out, connecting to Alastir. I didn’t sense anger from him, but there was the tanginess I often associated with sadness. I wasn’t sure what could’ve evoked that response, but I thought he was being honest.
“But back to how you and the Prince met at this…unique establishment. How was that possible?” Alastir’s fingers tapped idly on the table, and I swore there was a collective sigh of relief that the topic had moved on. “With the Ascensions being tied to you, I was under the impression that you were well guarded and kept…” He trailed off as if he searched for the right word to use.
“Sheltered?” I suggested. “Caged? I was. For the most part,” I added. “I wasn’t permitted to travel freely, only allowed to leave my room with one of my guards or my companion, and that was only to attend classes with the Priestess or to walk the castle grounds during certain times.”
Emil stopped, his cup halfway to his mouth, his brows knitting together. His eyes were a vibrant gold. “And the rest of the time, you were expected to remain in your room? Even for meals?”
I nodded.
The Atlantian looked stunned, and someone murmured under their breath.
“But you found a way to sneak out. I imagine that’s extremely risky behavior. Someone could’ve taken you at any time during those explorations,” Alastir pointed out.
What I felt from him was…more guarded than a few moments before, but I still didn’t detect the acidic burn of anger or hatred. If anything, he was more reserved then the last time we’d spoken, as was I.
“Someone did take her. Obviously,” Casteel spoke up then, his thumb now tracing a distractingly slow, steady circle.
“Ah, yes, you did take her.” Alastir inclined his chin. “But do you really intend to keep her?”
Chapter 12
“I wouldn’t be marrying her if I didn’t plan on keeping her.”
My hearing had to be faulty. Keep me? As if I were some sort of pet? Placing my hand over his as I fixed a smile on my face, I dug my nails into his flesh.
Casteel’s thumb didn’t miss a single sweep along my inner hip. “I can’t help myself.” His lips brushed my cheek, and it took everything in me not to elbow him in the throat. “Penellaphe intrigued me from the first moment I spoke to her.”
Intrigued. That word again.
“I can see why.” Alastir tilted his head. “She’s utterly unique, and most likely not what one would expect from the Maiden.”
“She is unique and brave, intelligent and beautiful,” Casteel agreed, apparently no longer content to drive me out of my mind with just his thumb. His fingers were involved now, sliding out from his palm and then gliding back. “And completely unexpected. But she is not the Maiden, Alastir.” His chin grazed my shoulder as he turned his head to the wolven. “And if you refer to her as the Maiden one more time, we are going to have a problem. Understand?”
This time, when my muscles tensed, it was in response to his words.
“Understood,” Alastir murmured.
“Good.” Casteel’s chin drifted over the curve of my jaw as he sat back.
Alastir was quiet for a moment, and then he addressed the men. “Make sure the horses are ready for when we check the roads.”
Everyone at the table rose—everyone but Delano and Naill. Those two remained even after Alastir flicked a pointed look in their direction.
“If I called those men back, they would heed my summons,” Casteel began, his fingers still sliding along my waist and hip. “And those who remain will only leave this table once I command it.”
Alastir faced Casteel. “I know this.”
“Glad to hear that, because for a moment there, I thought you might have forgotten who commands whom here.”
A shiver tiptoed down my spine, a reminder of whose lap I sat in. This was not Hawke. He was the Prince of a kingdom, and he would not be disobeyed.
“I haven’t, Casteel. You know me better than that. Which is why I must speak openly.”