For a beat that stretched on far too long, I couldn’t tear my gaze from him, nor he from mine, and the silence turned awkward. I looked at Eleanor to find her glancing between us with a knowing, I-told-you-so smirk.
Taran, for possibly the first time in his near-immortal life, didn’t take the bait. Instead, he clapped a hand on my back. “Some of the younger cousins are hosting a dinner tonight. You should join us.”
Eleanor nodded eagerly. “Yes, you must come.”
I cringed. “I don’t know, I might have had enough public humiliation for one day.”
“This is family,” Taran said. “We may want to kill each other sometimes—”
“Frequently,” Luther mumbled.
“—but we’re still family. We take care of each other.”
“But I’m not family. Not really.”
“All the more reason you should come,” Eleanor said. “The sooner everyone starts seeing you as a Corbois, the better.”
I looked back to Luther. “What do you think?”
“Are you asking me to advise you?” he asked, mischief in his tone.
I swatted at him. “Forget I asked.”
He caught my hand and held onto it, tucking it into his. “Come to the dinner. I can’t promise it will be pleasant, but it would be good for them to get to know you. This group is young and social. They could be some of your best ambassadors to the other Houses.”
I had a hard time focusing past the feeling of his fingers wrapped around mine. “I, um… I’ll think about it.”
Taran and Eleanor headed back for the door, arguing about some bet they couldn’t agree who had won, while Luther lingered at my side.
“I’m sorry about today. I should have made sure your father wasn’t there.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“It’s my duty to protect you from these things.”
“Is it?” I asked softly, tilting my head.
A shadow flashed across his face, but it vanished in an instant, his lips curving up as he fought a losing battle with a smile. “You said I have yet to earn your favor. I’m giving it my best shot.”
I tried to fake a scowl but the amusement on his face was too infectious, too refreshingly real.
Whispering caught my attention. Near the door, Eleanor and Taran watched us with pursed lips and raised brows.
I retreated quickly, then clasped my hands behind my back and cleared my throat. “In that case, I think you owe Eleanor an apology.”
“I do?” he asked.
“He does?” she repeated.
I nodded. “I recall you being quite rude to her earlier about a certain choice of dress color, and yet here you are begging my forgiveness.”
Luther’s eyes narrowed menacingly.
“Go on then.” I jerked my head toward Eleanor and flashed him a wicked grin. “Earn my favor, Prince.”
A grumble rolled around in his throat, his smile flattening to a thin line. With a deep breath and a brief lift of his eyes to the ceiling, he crossed the room to his cousin.
“Eleanor, please accept my—”
I scoffed. “Oh no, that won’t do at all. You nearly made my dear friend cry. That calls for some serious groveling.” I dipped my head. “Down there. On your knees.”
He shot me a dark look. “With all due respect to my lovely cousin, the only person I’m getting down on my knees for is you, my Queen.”
Taran cackled loudly. “Queenie, you hear that? Lu wants to get on his kn—”
Luther flicked his wrist, and a burst of shadow flew from his palm and smacked against Taran’s face, sealing like a gag across his mouth. Taran yelped and tugged at the dark patch as he let loose a string of muffled curses.
I crossed my arms, tapping one foot. “Eleanor and I are waiting, Prince.”
Luther growled and sank to one knee. He cut me a sharp look before reaching up and taking Eleanor’s hand. “Eleanor, cousin, I—”
“Use my title, please,” she corrected haughtily. “Advisor to the Crown.”
Giddiness exploded across my face. I flashed Eleanor a thumb’s up.
Taran finally ripped the shadow away from his mouth and grinned. “I never, ever want to forget this moment.”
“You three are enjoying this far too much,” Luther muttered.
“Keep going,” I prodded.
“Eleanor, cousin, Advisor to the Crown, I’m very sorry for my earlier rudeness. I have learned my lesson, and I am quite humbled. Forgive me?”
Eleanor tapped a finger against her chin and frowned. “Hmm. Diem, what do you think? Should I forgive him?”
I shrugged. “You could make him beg a little.”
“This is the greatest day of my life,” Taran breathed.
“You have five seconds before I walk out of this room,” Luther warned.
“Alright, alright,” I laughed. “Forgive him!”
Eleanor clasped her other hand over Luther’s. “Fine then. Diem says—oh, sorry, Taran and I know her as Diem, I think you only know her as Her Majesty—”
“Two seconds.”
“Diem says I should forgive you, and I cannot deny my Queen.” She leaned down and planted a kiss on his forehead. “All is forgiven, cousin.”
Luther rose to his feet. “I’ve changed my mind. Don’t come to the dinner. You getting to know any more cousins is not going to end well for me.”
“You’re only convincing her more,” Eleanor crooned, and my grin confirmed it.
Taran looped his arm through Eleanor’s, and they turned to leave. Luther shot me a brief, loaded smile before moving to join them.
“Wait—” I rushed over and grabbed his arm to pull him back. His cousins disappeared into the hallway, leaving us alone once more.
I threw caution to the wind and leaned up on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek, just above his jawline, letting my lips linger on the rough skin of his scar for longer than I should have. I heard his sharp breath in my ear and felt his hand press again to the bare skin low on my back.
I pulled back slightly and offered him a glimpse of my happiness, free of all guile, just as he had done for me. “Thank you for bringing my father. And for being a good sport. My favor is well on its way to being earned.” I dragged my teeth over my bottom lip. “And now when you claim I kissed you, you’ll finally be telling the truth.”
He shook his head, eyes glittering, the words in them clear—I was always telling the truth, and you know it.
For once, he didn’t call me on my bullshit. Instead, he dragged the hand on my back slowly up my spine and curved high on my nape. His fingers twined in my hair as his mouth slid into a half smile, his face so ruggedly handsome I could barely breathe.
His hand curled into a fist, tugging at my hair—gently, but enough to pull a gasp from my lips and an arch from my back. He leaned into my ear. “If a kiss is the reward, my Queen, I’ll get on my knees for you whenever you want.”
He released me and gave me a wink before slipping into the hallway and closing the door behind him.
I waited until I heard his footsteps fade away, then turned my back to the door and slumped to the ground, a warm pulse between my legs and a single thought dominating my mind.