Page 50 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
He was beautiful.
And I probably looked a lovely shade of green.
Elaina probably didn’t get seasick. Elaina probably looked stunning, with the sea air blowing through her thick hair. The extra sun probably brought out some cute freckles or highlights in her hair. Truthfully, though, Elaina would probably look stunning doing the most unglamorous of tasks.
Gods, this jealousy was going to eat me alive.
“We were engaged when I was barely over eight years old,” Clay explained. “I’ve known her since I was a boy. She’s been a friend to methrough the years, but nothing more. She has never been anything more than that to me and I have never been anything more than that to her.”
His words came out in a rush, as if he were desperate to convince me of their truth. And maybe it was the truth. Maybe they had never been romantic with one another.
But they would be.
They had to be.
That’s why she was staying in his room. There was no need to keep them apart. There was no need for chaperones when they were expected to create an heir.
“And what have I been to you?” I whispered.
Anger, hurt, and desperation leaked into my voice like weights dragging me under. Shoulders that had just relaxed under his touch were now impossibly tight with tension once more. Clay stepped closer and tentatively lifted a hand to caress my cheek. His eyes were wild with passion and an emotion I wasn’t brave enough to name, but was wise enough to recognize.
“You have been everything to me, Thea, and you very well know that.”
I chewed on my lip as I stared up at the ceiling of the chamber, desperate to avoid those eyes. “And what would you have me be next?”
Clay froze. His mouth opened as if to say something before closing once more, just as I knew it would.
Until this moment, I might have been his everything, but in the future, he was hers. She was his future in a way I could never be.
“Thea, I—”
“Don’t!” I held up my hand sharply, stopping him from saying the words that I knew in my bones he was about to utter. I couldn’t hear those words, not when my eyes were already misty and my heart felt like it was being squeezed to death. Those words were nothing more than empty promises now, and anger was an emotion more easily dealt withthan heartbreak. So I allowed myself to lose myself in that furious rush of frustration. “Don’t you dare.”
We stood frozen, both visibly upset and unsure of what move to make next.
“What I know, Clayton, is that there is nothing here for either of us. The longer we continue this dance, the worse it will hurt in the end. ”
He looked away, running a hand over his jaw. When he finally turned back to meet my gaze, the longing in his eyes was enough to spur my tears to roll down my face.
“Just because I’m aware of the situation—of our roles in court—doesn’t mean I won’t spend every minute of the rest of my life wishing you were the woman who got to stand by my side.”
That, at least, was a sentiment we could both share.
The boat rocked suddenly, but my stomach stayed steady. I brushed the back of my hands across my cheeks, wiping away my tears and pulling back on the mask of indifference I’d grown accustomed to wearing. Then I watched as he did the same.
And in just a moment’s time, it wasn’t Clay and Thea in this small room – it was the Crown Prince and the Hyraxian Council Member.
Two people who shared nothing more than a connected duty to their kingdom.
“If you’ll excuse me, Your Grace.” I cleared my throat, brushing my hands on my skirts to clear away the clamminess that had suddenly overtaken me. “I should probably go pick a gown to wear when we arrive. A woman should look impressive when she meets her future husband.”
Each step away from him felt heavier than the last.
But he didn’t ask me to stay, and I didn’t want him to.
Ihad never seen anything as beautiful as a shoreline after days spent staring at the endless expanse of the open ocean.
As we approached Tenebris, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the foreign world unfolding before me. Even as the crew busied themselves docking the ship, I remained rooted at the railing, captivated.
