Page 56 of Ties of Deception

He tucked my hair back behind my ear as if he couldn’t help but touch me again. “I control my powers. I suppress them constantly unless I intend for something to die. However”—he grinned and inclined his head to the plant—“clearly, I lose some of that control around you.” He shook his head, his amusement fading. “Before you became a Grace, I had to be extremely careful to stay completely in control. And from your life here, you know how exhausting that is. I worried about you all the time. But now…it feels so good to not have to care about the risk of each touch. To finally not feel like I’m just something that’s killing you.”

The pain in his face made me wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in the dip beneath his shoulder. “You weren’t killing me. I am alive, aren’t I?”

His arms wrapped around me and one of his hands tangled itself in my hair, pushing me more tightly into him. His breath warmed my scalp as he pressed his lips to the crown of my head. “Yes. You are alive, and I am so grateful for that. But you suffered, Purity. You died because of me. I don’t want to cause you pain again. And I never want to have to see your lifeless body again. I don’t intend to smother you, but I’m here. And I always will be in whatever capacity you choose. Whatever you see or feel out there, believe in me.”

I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time you do your deadly death god glare. Though”—I didn’t meet his eyes as my cheeks warmed—“I do also appreciate the helpful reminder.”

He let out a breathy laugh. “I’ll do my best. But I must admit, although I want to kiss you—very much in fact—I still feel guilty doing it when I remember everything, and you still can’t remember what you went through. It feels unfair.”

I frowned. I didn’t like that he was experiencing a negative emotion when everything I’d felt had been wonderful. “I wanted you to kiss me, Ethen. Even if the only context I have is my life as a Grace.”

His lips curled up in a small smile. “I know.” He visibly gathered himself. “Now you have something in your bag.”

I frowned and looked down at the small cloth bag filled with figs and honey. I opened it and saw another cloth bag inside, this one sewn shut around the edges. I fished it out. “I didn’t put this here.”

He took it and smelled it. “No, Charity did. I was watching your exchange. She slipped it in when she was talking to you.”

I narrowed my eyes at it. “It looks like a large scent pouch.”

He nodded and grinned as he kneaded the cloth a little. “Talesheart. A scent meant to cloud judgement and attract men. All you have to do is crush the contents between your fingers at an opportune moment to disperse it.”

I frowned. “Why would she plant that on me? Does she want to cloud my judgement? Or make it look like I’m trying too hard to woo the prince and make Constance my enemy when it’s conveniently found?”

He huffed a laugh. “Either way, it’s probably best if this is not in your possession. Then hopefully we’ll have dismantled whatever plot she had to disrupt your breakfast date with the prince.” He slipped the pouch up his sleeve.

Thank goodness he’d seen it. I needed to be more careful and keep some distance between me and Charity the next time I saw her or Liberty or any of her servants. “Do you know what happened to Patience last night?”

He tilted his head. “It was easy to watch undetected from the shadows, since there was little moonlight. Her dress fell half off, and she ran away in embarrassment.”

I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. “It fell half off? You mean…”

The corner of his lip tilted up. “Well, she was wearing some sort of shift beneath. She grabbed the bodice and managed to cover most of herself. I think it was some clever tampering with the brooches that gathered it over the shoulders. Just the smallest amount of pressure and they gave. Catching the hem with her foot when she stood up from her seat was enough to pull them free. And the hem was certainly too long.”

I looked down, thinking about my own dress. “That means Charity must have had control over Patience’s servants.”

He pursed his lips. “One of them, anyway. But if you just let Flavia arrange your dress, you should be safe. Be sure to double-check every part of it before breakfast.”

I nodded. “I’ll stay alert. And you’ll be nearby, won’t you?”

He grinned. “I’ll be out of sight but watching. Besides, I wish to knowexactlywhat goes on at these meetings.”

He chuckled, but my reaction was serious. “You still don’t mind me spending time with the prince, do you? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

He cupped the side of my head, ruffling my hair slightly. “I know it’s an act—just as mine is. And moments like this make it worth it.” He raised his eyebrows in an earnest expression. “I trust you.”

I couldn’t help my broad smile. “Thank you.”

He dropped his hand. “Now we should probably both be on our way before anyone spots your absence. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He checked to see if the way was clear, and I stepped from behind the heavy curtain back into the corridor. Ethen seemed to melt away into the gauzy curtains billowing in the breeze from the largely open wall on the other side. I walked back to my rooms, trying to hide my smile. Why had I been letting this place get to me?

I turned the corner and stopped in surprise to see an Amazone and Prince Sebastian waiting outside my door. The prince was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He pushed himself forward when he saw me, smiling but clearly uncomfortable.

“I’m so sorry about this, Purity, but where have you been?”

I straightened, trying to imagine what Charity might have accused me of. “I went to visit Patience but only got half way before learning she’s left the palace. I had hoped we could be friends.”

He nodded, though the unease in his expression deepened. “Do you mind if I check your bag? You’ve not got any pockets, have you?”

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