Page 22 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

Why do I feel safe around these men? I’ve spent my whole life distrusting people, especially men, and suddenly I’m not only talking to them, buttrustingthem with my safety.

You’re a fool,my inner voice chimes in, and doubt starts to creep into my mind. Can I trust the son of my captor? “I’d have to check with Grayson first though.”

“Yes. The high mage.” Jacob’s face shuts down at the mention of Grayson, and I wonder what the prince’s problemwith the magicians is. At first, I had thought he just disliked Wilson, but the distaste in his voice as he mentions the high magician is obvious. Those two are the closest thing I have to friends, can I trust a man who doesn’t like them? Questions and doubts swirl through my mind and I take a small step backwards to put some space between the prince and I.

I can feel his eyes on me, calculating and boring into my soul. Opening my mouth to excuse myself, he beats me to it, holding his hand out for me to accept.

“Will you dance with me?” My eyes jump up from his hand to his face, holding his intense gaze for a second before I look back down at his hand. Anxiety swirls through me and I feel my fingers start to tremble.

All noble ladies know how to dance. He’ll know you’re a fraud,my inner voice taunts as I stare at the offered hand.

“Clarissa?” The prince’s voice softens, concern lining his words. “You’re shaking, have I offended you?” He takes a step closer, stopping when I hold up my hand. I need a moment to compose myself and I can’t think when he’s close to me.

Breathe, stay calm. Not knowing how to dance is not a crime, just be truthful,I say to myself, using it as a mantra. Taking a deep breath, I clench my hands into fists, stopping the tremble, and meet the prince’s gaze.

“I don’t know how to dance.”

He’s silent for a moment, surprise lining his features. Tilting his head to one side, he considers me before nodding, that half smile twitching on his lips. “I’ll teach you,” he offers, holding his hand out to me once more. “I won’t let you fall, I promise.”

Hesitating, I go through my options. I could say no, I don’t think he would do anything, but he’d be offended and I don’t want a pissed off royal on top of my other problems. Also, part of mewantsto say yes. The part of me that loves being in this beautiful dress and having men look at me like I’m worthy ofsomething. The little girl inside of me that never gave up on the fantasy of someone rescuing her. Decision made, I nod my head and place my hand in his.

As he leads me out onto the dance floor a hush falls over the crowd, like the whole room is holding its breath. I can feel the gaze of everyone’s eyes on my back, but I push it out of my mind and focus on the prince—on Jacob. Extending his arm, he leads me around in a circle before pulling me into his embrace, guiding one of my hands to his shoulder, and the other he clasps in his own hand. Pausing, he waits for the music to swell before leading me into a simple set of steps. Biting my lip, I look down at the floor as I mouth his whispered instructions, wishing I could see my still bare feet. Instead, I just have to trust that he’s leading me into the right steps, and in reality, I’m surprised at how simple it is.

“See,” he comments, pulling my gaze from the floor. “You’re dancing. If you have a proficient dance partner, then you don’t need to know the steps.”

My footing feels clumsy, but after a while I relax and find I don’t need to keep staring down. Raising my head, I see that the prince’s intense gaze is locked on me, and after a moment I have to glance away, choosing to stare just over his left shoulder. We spend the next few songs just dancing in silence, the beautiful music and simple, swirling steps lulling me into a sense of comfort in the prince’s arms. At this moment, I don’t feel like 625, I feel like Lady Clarissa, a young noblewoman who’s being treated like a princess. I know it’s not real, but for this moment, I’m going to enjoy it.

“You don’t talk much,” Jacob comments, as we move into the next dance. I’ve noticed that people around us have been changing partners after each song ends, but Jacob simply keeps dancing with no signs that he’ll stop anytime soon.

“I’m sorry, Your High—I mean, Jacob.” I stumble over his name and his lips twitch in amusement, letting out a short laugh at my apology.

“Don’t apologise for that, it’s refreshing.” Lifting his arm, he guides me under it, pulling slightly at my waist so I’m spinning under his arm. The move makes my dress spin and glitter under the lighting and a small surprised laugh escapes me before he pulls me back into his arms. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Exhilarated from the spin, my mouth pulls up into a small smile as I watch him watching me. “I’m thinking you’re not what I expected.”

“No? What were you expecting?” Lips twitching once again, he fights a laugh at my comment, intrigue glimmering in his eyes. I fall silent as I consider his question. I’m obviously not going to tell him my initial impressions, but he has surprised me. He’s very guarded, unlike his brother who is lounging on his throne and throwing away smiles and compliments to any pretty woman who comes close. With Jacob, I feel like I have to earn his smiles, and when he does, it ignites something within him. There’s something different about him, something I want to explore, but I get the feeling he doesn’t let anyone in.

“I’m not sure, I can’t get much of a read on you,” I muse out loud. He pauses at my comment, his eyes shuttering. Frowning, I open my mouth to say something when a look of determination enters his eyes and he pulls me closer, staring down at me as the other dancers move around us.

He lowers his head, and whispers in my ear, “Well, we will have to rectify that, won’t we?”

“Good evening, Your Highness.” Grayson’s deep voice comes from behind me, startling me so much I jump back from the prince guiltily. I glance between the two of them. Thankfully, Jacob doesn’t seem to mind as he squares off with the high magician. The dancers around us stop and back away, retreatingto the alcoves and, as I glance around, I can see everyone is huddled into little groups, watching us and whispering to each other. Wilson suddenly appears at my side, startling me as he puts a gentle hand on my arm and leads me away a few steps. The atmosphere between the two men is tense as they stare at each other, and I’m suddenly really aware of how powerful both of these men are. Grayson has his magic, but Jacob has something about him that screamsdangerous.

“Grayson, I’m surprised to see you here, shouldn’t you be on the front lines, protecting us as is your Goddess given duty?” Jacob challenges, his voice low and threatening. Grayson merely smiles at him, but it’s not a nice smile, it’s the kind that promises violence.

“The Mother has given me the role of guarding and assisting Lady Clarissa. I wasn’t sure why, but since she received the mark at the blessing, I see the reasoning now.” I stiffen as he mentions me, but he doesn’t turn from his staring match.

“Yes, she is special, isn’t she?” Jacob counters, his face twisting into a smile of his own before he turns to face me. “Lady Clarissa, it was a pleasure being your first dance partner.” His eyes flicker to Grayson, and I know this was said as a jab at him. Stepping towards me, Jacob takes my hand and kisses the back of it, his eyes locked on mine. “I look forward to spending more time getting to know you.” Without another word or look at Grayson, Jacob spins and strides away to the dais where his brother is sitting.

“What were you talking about?” Grayson’s demand has me frowning, and I turn to face him with a raised eyebrow.

“Hello, Grayson, nice to see you too.” I’m still not sure where this attitude has come from, but he just nods, rubbing his face with his hands as if he can scrub away the stress that is lining his face.

“Sorry, he just—You need to be careful around the royals.” I don’t bother to say anything to this, merely nodding in agreement. He’s right, the royals are dangerous. If they ever found out who I really am, they wouldn’t be so eager to get to know me, the king particularly. Our king is not a kind one, I’ve witnessed that firsthand.

“Now that that’s over, Clarissa, will you honour me with a dance?” Wilson cuts through the awkward tension between Grayson and me, dramatically bowing and offering his hand up to me. I can’t stop the smile at seeing him act this way as I place my hand in his.

“How could I say no?” I say lightly with a small grin, as he leads me farther onto the dance floor, a stunned Grayson watching us with an emotion I can’t name. But, as I glance back at him, I can’t help feeling that he’s disappointed. Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, I turn my attention to Wilson. “Although I’ll warn you, I’m still new at this whole dancing thing.”

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