Page 55 of Alchemy of Souls

I drop my hand immediately. “Seriously?” I bluster.

“What?” he says with a grin. “All I’m saying is that I’m not opposed.”

Maggie grunts. “’Course yer not. You’d kiss a goat if it’d stand still long enough.”

Adrien laughs. “I’ll have you know, I think Eloise is far prettier than a goat.”

“Okay, yeah, great, um,” I stumble, my cheeks now flaming. “A goat—Shit. I mean a ring. I’ll take a ring.”

They both laugh and after a second, I laugh, too. Because it is funny.

Adrien pulls up his sleeve. He casts a spell, yanking a small amount of silver from his watch into the air and twisting it into a thin band with a flower. It’s a difficult spell considering the detail work, one I’d struggle over for months and still might not master.

He reaches out for my hand and lifts it, sliding it onto my finger before I can object. “Now please,” he says. “Go easy on me next round. You’re basically card sharks.”

Maggie rolls her eyes. “You clearly didn’t grow up confined by curfew with nothing else to do but play board games. I don’t feel bad for ye one bit.”

I stare at the beautiful flower ring on my finger. “Agreed. I’d totally trade my card skills for the freedom you got.”

“All I’m saying is that there’s a prize I’m after, so please take a small break from steamrolling me,” he says, and by the way he looks at me I’m worried it might actually be that kiss. While I’m flattered, I alsojustasked Grayson to fake date me and the timing could not be worse.

Thankfully, Maggie changes the subject. “Speaking of steamrolling people, what the holy hell kind of spell is on yer door, Eloise? I came to check on you after yer punishment and nearly singed me beautiful eyebrows off.”

I shuffle the cards. “Grayson is what happened.”

“Well, that doesn’t work for me one little bit. He needs to change it,” she says with no room for disagreement.

“I’ve told him,” I say. “But he flat-out refused.”

Adrien grunts like he’s not at all surprised.

Maggie leans forward. “You tell the prince that I’ll give him a pass just this once for helping ye last night, but that if I show up again and can’t get in, he and I are going to have words.”

“Will do,” I say, even though I know Grayson is going to be impossible about it.

Adrien shakes his head. “Grayson wasn’t helping Eloise last night. He was helping himself. He needed out of that room as badly as she did.”

“Wrong again,” Maggie says. “He was terrified of what I might do to him if she got hurt. You don’t give me nearly enough credit for being menacing, and quite frankly, I resent that.”

“You’re both wrong,” I say, knowing that if I don’t say something now, I’m going to get myself into an awkward situation with one or the both of them. “Grayson helps me a lot, actually. Not because he has to, because he’s secretly a good person. And well, we’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

And I’m doing this. Or at least I’m trying to. Grayson would be better at it.

They glance at each other, wearing matching expressions of surprise.

“I’m sorry, are ye admitting that youlikeGrayson Stone? Because there’s a distinct lack of flying swine and I just need to be sure,” Maggie says, and Adrien frowns.

“Don’t mistake tactics for kindness, Eloise,” Adrien says, and I shift my weight on the couch.

“I know when someone’s manipulating me,” I say. “AndGrayson’s not. He’s ridiculous and infuriating, but he’s also kind and funny. I was wrong about him. And yeah, I guess… I do like him.” Did I actually say that out loud? And even more confusing, I think I meant it.

Maggie’s gaze hones in on me like a sharpshooter. “Holy feck, Eloise, I know I was slagging ya about his six-pack, but that was just good fun. Are ye kissing the prince?”

“Um,” I say, not able to lie.

Adrien frowns again.

Maggie glances from Adrien to me, thankfully attributing my discomfort to him being here, and letting the kissing thing go—for now.