Page 40 of Blooms of Darkness

I took three paces back, confidently twirling my body before I threw him a wink over my shoulder. Then, I strutted up the stairs to get as far away from Kade Blackthorn as possible before I did something stupid.

Something like lingering in the dark corridor to see more of his damn sexy grin on his face as I left.

Chapter 12

My head jerked back with a firm tug.

“I swear your hair had animals burrowing in them.” Kalliah sighed. “What did you do?”

She yanked the brush as I watched her attacking my normally straight, fine hair. I grinned at how her face contorted as she stared down a knot I hadn’t been able to get out myself.

“Who’s overreacting now?” I teased, wincing as Kalliah grew aggressive with the brush.

When she finally got the tangle free, she refused to let me do anything else to my own hair, slapping my hands away any time I moved them close to my head. I laughed because I knew this would annoy her and she knew I was doing it on purpose to make her mad.

“So, thoughts after the other night?” Kalliah asked, as she braided my hair with a small plait on each side, leaving the remainder down, meeting in a ponytail.

I sighed, looking at her through the mirror. “Well, I was surprised to find Hale come forward. It’s been a year since I’ve seen him last. Perhaps at the celestial ball?”

“Ah, yes, the infamous celestial ball. He almost fell onto his face, tripping over himself after Andras caught the two of you making out in the rose gardens.” Kalliah giggled.

“Do youhaveto remind me?” My cheeks heated, and I pouted, worse than a petulant child. “We were just getting started, too. Andras ruins all my fun.”

Kalliah laughed a bit more. “Andras is a weasel, and a monster, but not the topic ofthisconversation. Hale wouldn’t be too bad. Not great by any means, but not terrible. Who else?”

“Lord West is only interested in my chest, and Lord Thatcher seems overly attentive there, too. Those two need to go.” Kalliah appeared as if she were ready to burst. I stared at her even harder. “What is that face for?”

“Frederich!” She snorted and cackled so much, the green ribbon she attempted to tie into my braids fell to the floor. “How is henotthe first person we’re talking about? Hismustache!I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I thought if I didn’t bring it up, perhaps it wouldn’t be real? Awful doesn't even begin to describe it!” I tossed my hands in the air.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind tempering the dreaded Frederich with Ryland Lockbane.” Kalliah arched an eyebrow and made a low humming noise. “I witnessed him duel in the King’s Challenge swordfight a few years ago,” she said. “He was delicious then and seems to be even more so now.”

I snorted. I’d overlooked Ryland while overwhelmed with some of the other things happening around me at the ball. However, I certainly did remember those piercing blue eyes now. “I didn’t believe you thoughtanyonewas delicious,” I teased. “He is exceptionally beautiful to look at, I guess. He doesn’t seem too bad.”

“See,” she said, squeezing my shoulder.

I swallowed a lump forming in my throat. “This is what my life is boiling down to? A battle of arrogant and boring bastards, a horrific mustache, and the boy I made out with randomly at balls to pass the time?”

“You have forgotten one in particular, haven’t you?” Kalliah picked up the ribbon off the floor, and slowly lowered her head next to my own. “Kade?”

“What about Kade?” I tried to say as nonchalantly as possible.

“What do you mean ‘what about Kade’?”she said mockingly. “That dance, wow.” She shook her head, staring at me, wide-eyed. “I have never seen two people move together like that. You could practically feel the room buzzing with energy. He’s already aware of your extracurricular activities and likely wouldn't stop you in the future. Clearly, he is the front-runner, right?”

“Oh, you would have the winner be a man who has no care for me at all? Because it’s what he told me. He is here for his ‘own reasons’ and said he would look good in a crown,” I said. “Besides, we don’t know if he’d let my extracurricular activities continue. We don’t know anything about him.”

Kalliah glared at me even harder.

“What do you want me to say? Is he handsome? Yes. Is he cocky as hell? Yes. Did some sort of crazy sensation overtake me and make lust rule over logic and reason for a moment? Also, yes.”

Kalliah finally finished lacing the ribbon around my hair. “He may be a contender if you get to know him beyond what you have witnessed from the Hidden Henchman.”

“Kade didn’t mince his words. He is only here for the crown. Seems as if he would be the last person to be a real contender. A man who already has so much power, only seeking more, is a danger to me and our kingdom.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, don’t forget Ian is with you. He wouldn’t be the worst choice.”

“I willnotsubject him to this nonsense,” I snapped.

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