Page 70 of On Silver Winds
Adeline covered her face with her hands, groaning. The fresh heat of her skin pooled in her face in a shamed flush. Goddess above, she’d actuallygaspedat his touch. She may as well have moaned out loud.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Ofcoursehe hadn’t meant to kiss her. He could barely look her in the eye half the time. He wasfamouslyin love with her long-dead ancestor. What in the fuck had got into her?
Kai pried one of her hands away from her eyes, still laughing.
“What can I say? You taught me well.”
She couldn’t look at him.
“I didn’t teach you to use my tricks against me,” she said.
His grin softened, and his laughter slowed. He brushed away the hair that had whipped across her face in the tussle. His hand was gentle, fingers lingering on her too-hot cheek.
“You’re blushing,” he said quietly. “Really blushing.”
“Of course I am, you absolute arse!” Adeline propped herself up and tried again to shove him away, but this time he caught her hand at his chest. She looked up at him, warily. His face was blank save for a slight pull between his brows, but she swore his eyes flickered from hers to her lips. Almost hesitantly, he laced their fingers together.
And the door creaked open at that precise moment, because of course it did.
Of course it bloody would.
Kai bolted to his feet, yanking Adeline up along with him. A mousey boy with a thin face was peering meekly around the door frame.
“Oh! I didn’t mean to interrupt your, er… session. I apologise, Your Majesty – Your Highness.”
“No need, Simon,” Kai said shortly. “You didn’t interrupt anything.”
Adeline’s eyebrows twitched, almost arching at his words, but she schooled her features into a demure look. A look she imagined might belong to someone who hadn’t been sharing breath with their sparring partner only moments ago.
Her mind was reeling. He had been about to kiss her.Hadhe been about to kiss her? She was almost certain he–
“It’s just that you have a visitor, Your Majesty.”
This was enough to cut through the muddle of her thoughts.
“A visitor?” Adeline said. She couldn’t help but perk up with interest. She’d never known Kai to entertain guests at the palace. He’d led a quiet life these past few weeks. He went to Council meetings and training, toured the public exhibitions and library archives, and generally kept to himself. From what she heard at least; it wasn’t as though she’d taken much notice of his comings and goings. “One of your Merrow subjects perhaps?”
“Perhaps.”
Kai’s voice was suddenly tight. He cleared his throat and turned to her abruptly – his face was ashen. Gone was the pink flush and the soft smile. If it had ever really been there to begin with.
“Princess, if you’ll excuse me, I’m afraid I must cut our session short today. Please accept my apologies.”
Adeline gave a silent nod, not trusting her voice at this particular dazed and uncomfortable moment.
He bowed stiffly and strode from the room without another word, Simon scurrying after him.
???
Although they hadn’t used a single weapon, Adeline took her time tidying up the training room, drawing it out as long as she could. She put out the fire and swept up little crumbs of burnt firewood from the hearth. She lined up their glasses beside the half empty jug of water. She stacked the reference books they’d been using in a neat row on the windowsill.
It took her about ten minutes total. Surely that was enough of a head start?
She’d planned to call a carriage home after their morning session, but Kai had made it quite plain that he did not intend to introduce his mysterious visitor, so the last thing she wanted was to stumble upon them on her way out.
Surely by now, Kai would have met his guest and led them away to somewhere more private. Adeline dawdled as much as she could on the way down, and even took a longer route, winding across the palace and back. When she reached the entry hall, her chest swelled with relief; not a soul in sight but the silent sentries either side of the door.
