“This is the perfect distraction.” She nudged my foot with hers. “I want every last juicy detail about how the dreaded Prince of Vytrus was not as you . . . expected.” She winked. “And I may need a demonstration of exactly how.”
“Well, there may not be time for that,” I said with a nervous hitch to my voice. “There’s more. The Prince requested— and I use the word ‘requested’ in the barest sense possible— that I keep him company during his time at Archwood.”
She blinked once, then twice. “Seriously?”
“Unfortunately.” I gripped the edge of the settee.
She stared at me for what felt like a full minute. “Okay, I don’t believe nothing much happened last night. What are these things that you willingly did that must’ve impressed him enough to request such a thing?”
“Trust me, he wasn’t impressed.” Clearly he wasn’t all that impressed, since he didn’t believe I was as experienced as I’d tried and failed to present myself as. “I think he . . . You know, I honestly don’t know why. It makes little sense to me.”
Coming to the settee, she sat beside me. “It’s obvious you’re not thrilled about this. Did you not . . . enjoy your time with him?”
“It’s not that.” I brushed a strand of hair back from my face. “I did enjoy it.”
“But?”
“He didn’t really ask, Naomi. It was more like pretending to ask. He made it clear that he wouldn’t be happy with a no for an answer.”
“I’m surprised he even pretended, to be honest— and I know that’s not the point,” she added when I opened my mouth. “I’ve just never really heard of the Hyhborn actually asking for permission for anything.”
Neither had I. “I don’t like that he thinks he can just make such a demand, and I don’t care if he’s a prince or not. That shouldn’t matter.”
“No, it shouldn’t,” she agreed. “And it would piss me off too.” She glanced over at me. “Did you agree to it?”
“Not really.” I sighed.
“And what did Claude say about this?” Naomi asked, then snorted. “Then again, what could he truly say? A Hyhborn is denied nothing.”
“Exactly,” I muttered. “But here’s the strange thing. Claude has always behaved as if he feared that being around Hyhborn could lead to them accusing me of using bone magic. And I never really believed that to be the sole reason. I think he was also worried another would, I don’t know, coax me away . . . but he was actually relieved by the Prince’s request.”
“I . . .” Naomi’s nose scrunched. “That is strange.”
“Yeah.”
She was quiet for a couple of moments. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” I leaned back against the cushion, folding my arms. My thoughts raced. I knew it wouldn’t be wise to deny a prince, so I had to proceed with caution. “But if he thinks that I’m just going to submit and make this easy for him? He has another think coming.”
A knock came shortly after Naomi had left. I hadn’t wanted her caught in the middle when Prince Thorne came for me. I had no idea what I was going to do, let alone how the Prince would respond.
Except it wasn’t him at the door.
Lord Bastian stood in the hall, his mouth curved in a half grin. “Good evening,” he said, bowing slightly. My eyes were drawn to the dagger strapped to his chest. “I’m to escort you to Prince Thorne.”
My back stiffened as I clasped the side of the door, and I wasn’t sure why, but Prince Thorne sending another to escort me hit every nerve in my body the wrong way. “He was unable to come himself?”
“Unfortunately no.” He clasped his hands behind his back. “He is running a bit behind and asked that I go in his stead.”
“I apologize for wasting your time.” I spoke carefully, having no idea how this Hyhborn lord would respond. “But I have no intentions of joining Prince Thorne this evening.”
Dark brows lifted. “You do not?”
“No. I’m not feeling all that well,” I said. “He will need to find some other way to occupy his time.”
The nearby buttery light of a wall sconce glanced off the smooth, dark skin above his neatly trimmed beard. “Is there something that I could get for you then?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re feeling unwell.” The green of his eyes brightened to the point where I couldn’t see the other colors. “Is there something I can retrieve for you?”