Page 100 of Twin Crowns

“What is it?” she said softly.

But Tor couldn’t find the words. He reached for her and she went to him.

And then they were kissing again.

This time, they didn’t stop.

34

Rose

Rose held her head high as she marched toward the ballroom. She paused for a brief moment at the door, gathering her courage. Then she swept inside, and barreled straight into King Alarik.

While Rose had not yet met the fierce Gevran king, she recognized the crown on his head and his pale blue eyes—they were Ansel’s eyes, but somehow the king’s gaze seemed sharper. Crueler. She dropped into a curtsy to avoid it.

“King Alarik,” she said demurely. “Pardon me, I didn’t see you.”

The king placed a cool finger beneath her chin and tilted her head up. “You should be apologizing for your absence of decorum,” he said, in a dangerously low voice. “First, for stamping on my foot and then for disappearing in the middle of our dance.”

Rose blinked.

At the very least her sister could have warned her she’d been dancing with the Gevran king, and that she’d already managed to gravely offend him!

“You must forgive me. I wasn’t feeling myself,” Rose simpered. “Mycorset was too tight, but I’ve taken some fresh air and I’m feelingmuchbetter now. Truly.”

“Well, in that case, we have a dance to finish.” Alarik curled his arm around her waist and dragged her on to the dance floor, where she nearly tripped over a snow tiger lounging at the feet of a female Gevran soldier. Rose swallowed her scream.

She was so distracted by the roomful of beasts that she nearly lost her footing when Alarik spun her much too fast. But the princess was a seasoned dancer, and she refused to be twirled like a spinning top in her own ballroom. She dug her fingers into his shoulder and curled her other hand tight around his to anchor herself. Alarik flashed his canines as he spun her again.

Stay calm, she told herself.Stay focused. One dance to smooth things over, and then they would discuss the wedding. Wren may have been defter at stealth and spells, but if Rose knew about anything, it was diplomacy. She schooled her features into a pleasant smile as she picked up her footwork and pretended that being hauled across the dance floor like a rag doll by a surly Gevran king was exactly her idea of a perfect evening.

When they reached the middle of the ballroom, the minstrels broke into a traditional Eana waltz. To Rose’s relief, Alarik relaxed his pace, and they fell into step with one another. She felt increasingly aware of their onlookers but was mindful to keep her gaze on the king. She suspected he would not like to share her attention.

Alarik frowned at her. “Why is your countenance so changed? And your steps. You now know how to dance?”

“As I said...” Rose gracefully spun out of his arms and then backin, keeping her shoulders firm and her neck elongated as the dance required. “It was simply a matter of loosening my corset.”

“I see.” Alarik eyed her waist as he twirled her again, gentler this time.

Now that Rose was in the king’s arms, she found herself lost in a sea of Gevran soldiers, their beasts stalking ever closer. She spotted Celeste by the dessert table, relief flowing through her at the sight of her best friend. She couldn’t wait to tell her everything. But who was that woman making her laugh so much? Rose saw with some surprise that it was Princess Anika, her cascading red hair and voluptuous figure setting her apart as the famed beauty of Gevra.

Alarik followed her gaze. “Do not think because my sister runs as wild as her beasts that all women in Gevra are permitted to do the same,” he said darkly. “Our courtly women may be strong-willed, but they obey their masters.”

Rose understood with sudden clarity how Wren had not lasted long in the king’s company without stamping on him.

Alarik lifted a finger to trace her jaw. “A delicate name for a delicate face. We’ll see if a rose so fair can survive the Gevran winter.”

Rose sensed the opportune moment and reached for it with both hands. “That reminds me, there is something I wanted to speak to you about.”

“Oh?” Alarik sounded amused.

She steeled her nerves. “I fear we may have ventured into this arrangement too hastily. Your brother is the most wonderful man, truly—a prince of princes. But I fear we haven’t yet spent enough time together to fully test our compatibility, and so I wondered if it might bebetter if we waited untilaftermy coronation to finalize our union....” Rose trailed off at the sight of Alarik’s expression. He looked as if he was going to open his mouth and rip her head off.

He stopped dancing. “You wish to postpone the wedding?”

Rose quailed. “Well... yes.”

The silence that followed was torturous, Rose wound so tightly she almost forgot to breathe.

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