Page 105 of The Mage and His Stolen Prince
I couldn’t remember how I’d answered, or if I’d answered at all. In the end, I’d left him, and I still didn’t know why.
On the bedroom side of the suite was a large wardrobe. I idly opened both doors, not really planning to rifle through his things, just going through the motions. The clothes inside looked like they belonged to adozen different people. Several pieces formed an unrelenting black wall to the right, while the middle was filled with a random assortment: wizard’s robes, modest commoner clothes, staff uniforms. To the left were women’s clothes, mostly blouses and skirts, but also a few evening dresses.
A muscle ticked in my jaw when I saw them, thinking of how often Fitz slipped and called Wilde ‘Willow’ instead. I had another brief flash of seeing a young blond woman standing in the middle of Fitz’s sitting room while he got down on one knee.
I scowled at the dresses.What was Wilde doing when he wasn’t with me?
On the inside of the wardrobe doors was a full-length mirror. Standing naked before it, I examined the full extent of Wilde’s artwork. Long, red scratches covered my arms and most of my back. They’d scabbed over quickly but I wouldn’t be surprised if my blood had stained his sheets.
Another hazy memory came to the surface of me doing a similar examination. Back then, they’d been toothsome love bites rather than scratches, and my whole lower half ached. What had it felt like to have Wilde inside me? Suddenly I was jealous of the me who’d experienced that.
Am I ever going to fully remember?I thought of Wilde stumbling upon the command phrase. Had he said those words to the me now, or the me from before? It mattered, I realized, because I couldn’t understand my own feelings until I knew.
I closed the wardrobe door without grabbing any clothes. We’d have to return to the others before our quest could continue, and I preferred wearing my own clothes rather than one of his costumes.
I went to the kitchen and filled a bowl with water, grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and headed back to Wilde.
He’d slept soundly, blissfully unaware of someone invading his privacy. I was about to invade it more, but at least he wasn’t awake for the embarrassment. “Sorry,” I murmured before I carefully began cleaning him up.
I didn’t go back to sleep. I probably should have since we were supposed to fight an evil mage today. Since last time, apparently, we’d lost. But I wantedto return to the others before sunrise, which meant I had to keep an eye on the windows. As soon as the sky lightened with predawn, I woke Wilde.
His eyes opened slowly, and he stared at me for a long moment, like he thought I might disappear if he blinked. When I stayed put, he pushed himself off the bed. Expecting him to be unsteady on his feet, I reached out a hand to catch him, but he stood straight and unbothered, like I hadn’t fucked him until his legs went weak. If we’d had any time left, I would have taken that as a challenge.
He dressed quietly and promptly, not saying a single word to me. Was he shy? Embarrassed? Angry that I’d taken the lead?
When he finally spoke, it wasn’t what I expected. “I’ll return you to the others, and then I’m leaving. You have to let me go.” He stared at me and when I didn’t respond in time said, “Please, trust me. There’s something I need to do without you.”
“Will you come back when we have to face the Lord of Grimnight?”
His expression shuttered, closing me out. “No.”
Because you’re his apprentice?I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know. I had to trust that when we saw each other again, it wouldn’t be as enemies. “Kiss me one more time before you go.”
His eyes softened and he stepped toward me, wrapping an arm around my waist, and lifting his face toward mine. I leaned down the last few inches, pressing my lips to his. Savoring the taste of him, hoping it wouldn’t be our last kiss.
By the time I opened my eyes again, we were back in the rundown house. Angelica shouted in shock at our sudden appearance, but I ignored her, refusing to look away from Wilde. “Give me something to hold onto, so I know you’ll come back.”
He gave me a strange, sad look. “What could I give you? You are everything.”
Before I could ask what he meant, he disappeared.
“You missed your shift, jerk,” Angelica complained, smacking me in the shoulder. “Youwere the one who demanded we set up a watch, then you ran off in the middle of the night! And Delilah showed no sympathy whatsoever when she woke me ahead of schedule, claiming it was my problem now. Look at these.” She pointed to her puffy eyes. “It’s the day of our big fight, and I look ridiculous!”
“Why does it matter? Is there someone you want to impress?”
She clamped her lips shut and looked away from me, sticking her nose in the air. “None of your business.”
I arched an eyebrow at her.I’ll take that as a yes.I stopped teasing her though, worried that if I asked too many questions, she’d start asking her own. Like where Wilde and I had gone.
I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to tell her we’d been in the Lord of Grimnight’s lair.
Chapter Thirty-Six: Wilde
Almost Showtime
The Lord of Grimnight’s Evil Lair
Final Preparations
