Page 53 of Joined By Magic

He laughed. “I’ll notice. And self-pity doesn’t suit you. The servants will be along to dress you at four.”

Defeated, I nodded.

“Don’t try to get out of it.”

I gave a low bow. “Of course, Your Highness.”

An eyebrow rose. “I rather like that coming from you. I’d like it better if you were on your knees, but that’ll have to wait. Goodbye.”

He vanished, leaving me with a smile on my lips.

The servants dressed me in a classic Ataran style—a long, colorful dress and flat shoes. I’d grown to like the outfits, though the length drowned my slight frame.

As the two ladies added waves and pins to my hair, my misgivings about the evening grew. The king and nobles viewed me as disposable. A foolish infatuation of their strange new foreign prince, soon to be discarded in favor of their Collection and a sensible marriage. It stung.

Hair and makeup complete, the ladies excused themselves, leaving me alone. I helped myself to a glass of wine, but it didn’t soothe my nerves. The king scared me. It shamed me to admit it, but it was true. Even if I hadn’t known what he was capable of, there was something about him that made my skin crawl.

A knock at the door made me jump. I squinted through the peephole and saw Damien grinning at me. I opened the door. “Leo’s been held up. He sent me to fetch you.”

I forced a smile. “Thanks . . . Wait, he’s not expecting me to go to this thing by myself, is he? He’s still coming?”

Damien shrugged. “How should I know? He was in a rush, you know what he’s like.”

Even better. I trailed after Damien on lead feet.

I lost my bearings as we moved through the twisty corridors. Damien didn’t talk. One of the best things about the tall, solid man was his ability to make silence feel companionable. He brought me to a set of double doors. “Here we are. You head on in.”

I took a deep breath. The doors looked like the entrance to a tomb. I imagined stepping inside to be greeted by mockery and derision. I missed Leo’s hand on my arm, his powerful presence. After taking a moment to brace myself, I pushed through.

The cool of a desert evening hit me, along with a wave of confusion, as I stepped out onto a rooftop. I glanced up, struck by the beauty of the sky as the sun sank below the horizon, colors in shades of burnt orange as far as my eyes could see. The sandstone beneath my feet still held the warmth of the day just gone.

“I wasn’t sure he’d get you through the door.”

I jumped and whirled around to see Leo, dressed in his familiar suit and red shirt rather than his royal clothes. He held out his hand and smiled. “Come here.”

I scanned the empty space with a frown. “What’s going on? Aren’t we going to dinner?”

His smile widened. “I’ve got something else in mind.”

Thoughts tumbling, I took his hand. He led me to the edge of the roof, a low wall which only reached my calf. My stomach dipped as I peered over the edge to the drop beyond, a view of the palace grounds melting into desert. The place held a harsh beauty—scorched orange and brown compared with Dexia’s lush green shades.

Leo cleared his throat, and I turned to face him. He’d grown serious. He glanced at the floor, then back at me, uncharacteristically nervous. Gathering both my hands into his, he took a deep breath before speaking. “Liv. I’ve made you kneel plenty of times, but now it’s my turn.”

My breath caught as he sank to the floor, his gaze never leaving my face. Warmth spread through me, and a smile tugged at my lips as the meaning of the gesture slid home.

In the cadence of a rehearsed speech, he said, “I know how hard this life is for you. I see how people treat you, as though you’re inconsequential. I hate it. People don’t believe I should view you as an equal, and I don’t.”

He squeezed my hands tighter.

“You’re not my equal. You’re better than me. You’re brave even though you’re vulnerable; kind even though you’ve faced so much unkindness. You’ve given up so much for me, and you’ve had so little in return. I’m only going to ask you for one more thing. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy . . . all I ask is that you say yes. Will you marry me, Liv?”

He looked at me with eyes that shone in the waning light. I took a moment to register the enormity of this, what it meant for him. Not just bending Ataran law but smashing it. Making a statement to the world that he valued me more than tradition. That he put me first. My smile spread wide as joy suffused me like sunshine.

“Yes. Of course I will.”

Relief crossed his face, followed by delight. He jumped to his feet and carried me with him, swinging me round perilously close to the edge of the roof. I yelped as I laughed and clung on tight. “The edge! Don’t fall.”

He set me down but didn’t let go. His hand tangled in my hair, and he leaned in, bringing his lips to mine in a soft kiss. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment, feeling everything: the cooling night air, the scent of Leo’s spicy cologne, the strength of his arms around me. One perfect minute we could be together, safe from all that tore at us day to day.

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