Page 52 of Ties of Deception

“I saw Flavia returning to the palace alone, and thought I would see what you were up to. Spying apparently.”

I returned my eyes to the prince, but my whole body relaxed from Ethen’s touch. “I wonder how many goddesses he’s doing this to.”

His warm breath was no longer on my ear but the crook of my neck as Ethen wedged himself directly between me and the low trunk of one of the laurels. “The man’s a fool when he has somebody like you before him.”

I huffed a breathless laugh at the sharp annoyance in his tone. “He’s not committed to any of us.” I gave him a sideways look. “So you're angry with him when he pays me attention, and angry with him when he doesn’t? The poor man can’t win.”

I turned to face Ethen, trying not to disturb the bush, but the god was frowning at the couple who were still kissing. “No, he can’t. And there’s nothing poor about him. Either way, my anger is justified.”

“Do you know why he’s doing this? Is it purely to abuse his power so he can take advantage of young, vulnerable Graces?”

Ethen grimaced, still glaring at the prince. “It could be. He wouldn’t be the first man who couldn’t control his taste for pretty women. Though…I’ve seen him spar and run and swim. He is very strong and fast. I know he has some Amazone blood from his mother’s side, but still, he’s stronger and has more stamina than I would expect from a man who’s mostly mortal. I’ve wondered if he spends as much time as close to Graces as possible to try to get their Blessings and vitality. I’ve not heard of proximity to Graces making somebody obviously stronger before, but if he is kissing many, he is probably a unique example.” He shrugged, his distaste clear.

While his attention was elsewhere, I studied Ethen’s features. The harsh lines of his frown and the strength in his broad face and neck. The softness of his lips and the intensity of his dark eyes. The way his hair fell, arching over his forehead, shining even in the low light as if inviting me to touch it. A strange sense of peace and familiarity settled over my chest. And something more. Excitement. Expectation. Relief?

I lay my hands on his chest, and his attention immediately snapped from the prince to me. His lips parted as he exhaled. I had meant the gesture to distract him from the prince and be teasing, but I hadn’t expected the sudden dip in my stomach, as if I had stepped off a cliff and was now in freefall. Now that I was facing him, we were very, very close. His hand on my waist moved to spread long fingers across my back. His eyes didn’t leave mine, flicking minutely between them as if trying to read something deep inside.

I swallowed, trying to moisten my mouth enough to speak. “You do remember he’s not your competition, don’t you? I have no intention of ending up in a relationship with Sebastian.”

His lips tried to smile but failed. He was looking at me so earnestly that I struggled to breathe. We had never stood this close, and I could see he felt it even stronger than I did. How had he spent so much time with the woman he loved and barely touched her? And now, here we were, breathing each other's air—finally able to be close without fearing death.

“Kiss me,” I whispered. And suddenly, I wanted him to do that more than anything.

His face moved an inch toward mine and then stopped. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and tried hard not to pout. “Why not?” I kept my eyes rigidly on his, refusing to look at his lips again or imagine them pressed to mine and how that would feel.

He leaned back and grinned. “We need to be subtle, remember. The prince isn’t far away. If I kiss you, I suspect your powers will flare. This whole bush might burst into flower or something equally obvious. Or I could lose control and kill half the garden. Maybe the prince too, though that would be less of a shame.” He slowed down his words to give them more weight. “And you being caught with me would be far, far worse than the prince being seen kissing another Grace.”

He was right—frustratingly so. Right now, I didn’t care about Prince Sebastian. I didn’t want to care about anything but what the Aidis and I had once meant to each other. But Ethen wasn’t just here for me. We needed to stop souls from being stolen from the Unseen Lands. We were part of something bigger than us.

I removed my hands from the cool, black leather over his chest. My palms tingled, as if instantly missing the contact. I looked down and tried to hide my disappointment.

Ethen hooked a finger under my chin and tilted it back up. “Hey, if I can wait, so can you. Not right now doesn’t mean we can’t kiss later in true privacy.” His voice became more cautious. “But I want you to think it through first. You might want to…wait until you’ve regained more of your memories, so you remember more of who I am—what we went through. I don’t want you to feel taken advantage of.”

My cheeks warmed as I imagined us kissing back in my rooms, with nobody knowing he was there. Surely regaining my memories wouldn’t make me want to delay kissing him? I didn’t know how much I would ever remember anyway. I looked away before I embarrassed myself. “I should go. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t wait up for me tonight—I have a state dinner.” I looked back at him, and he grimaced to show he would rather be with me. “Ben will be watching over your rooms from outside. If there is an emergency, you can call for him. My men will follow your orders and protect you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I looked at him in question, but he pressed his lips against the back of my hand and walked off, weaving between the branches.

I looked back at Prince Sebastian, walking away hand in hand with the goddess. Again, I wondered why he was doing this. Was it to gain strength and vitality as Ethen suspected? Or was he simply making the most of being surrounded by beautiful women while he was young and unmarried? Or was he in some way trying to bend us all to his whims?

I shook my head as he disappeared. Whatever the reason, I would be wary of him.

Chapter

Twenty

As I finished breakfast, I was presented with two scrolls tied with silk ribbons. The first was from Sebastian, who requested that I join him for breakfast the day after tomorrow in the inner courtyard—a place reserved for the royal family where others could only come by invitation. I handed the scroll to Flavia so she could plan my outfit and make any other arrangements needed.

The second was from Constance, inviting me to join her, Hope, and Patience for lunch. After missing them yesterday, this was a promising sign. I would have something to do rather than wandering the gardens and hoping I stumbled across something important. And the more they let me into their circle, the more information they might spill. I should feel more enthusiastic about spending time with them, but I would have much preferred being with Ethen and getting to know his Aida friends better.

I dressed simply, not wanting to appear like I was trying to compete with Constance just yet. My thoughts kept drifting to Ethen and our almost kiss in the bushes yesterday. He’d said that he would see me today, but I assumed that meant this evening after dark, and the anticipation was almost too much. I could feel his absence like a constant nagging that something wasn’t right—which seemed ridiculous since we had spent so little time together. But compared to seeing him again, nothing else could truly take my focus.

I shook my head. I was playing a dangerous game. I couldn’t afford for him to take over my thoughts like this. One wrong word to the wrong person, and I would be out of the palace. Maybe even retired. Destroyed forever. I shivered.

Lunch was hosted in the small olive grove that nestled against the left side of the palace. The trees were ancient, their pale grey trunks gnarled and twisted in unique shapes. Tables were set up under the shade of the overhanging roof, supported by marble statues of men and women looking up and straining under the weight. I could imagine countless generations coming to sit and converse and admire the beauty of the ancient trees—trees that would have perished years ago if not for the constant presence of the Graces.

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