Page 5 of Untamed

A pearl necklace winked at me over dark blue fabric. I had never owned such an expensive piece before, though I’d spent plenty of time organizing the queen’s collection. My mouth opened to speak, but tears spilled down my cheeks.

“Is that a yes?”

I nodded my head while taking a quivering breath.Come on, Laude, try to speak.

“Can I clip this around your neck?” Jaime pinched the clasp with his fingers, letting the necklace dangle in the sunlight in all its iridescent glory.

I gathered my braided curls to one shoulder, and he fumbled to clasp the pearls around my neck. More watery trails made their way to my chin, dripping like rain off my jawbone. The cool pearls touched my skin, and I looked over my shoulder at him.

“Please tell me these are happy tears?” Jaime leaned closer, concern etched between his eyebrows.

“Yes, I am so happy that I can barely keep myself from bursting.” I hugged his torso, pressing my head to his chest.

His sturdy arms wrapped around my back, and I wanted to rock onto the balls of my feet to kiss his cheek, but I contained myself, mostly because the tears drained through my nose. This was nothing like the proposal I had imagined. I gazed up at him and laughed.

He chuckled in return. “Now, do I need to speak to the king to request your hand?”

My laughter subsided with the sobering reality that I had no parents to give me away or to present a dowry. The Giddelian palace had been my home since birth, and the lady’s maid had smacked my hands when I misbehaved. The queen had coddled me as a child. My origins had never bothered me before. So why, in my happiest moment, did it cast a deep shadow?

Jaime lifted my chin with his finger. “We’ll go to the king and queen now?”

“Yes, I can’t think of who else’s blessing we should beseech.” Sadness dripped into my tone, so I attempted to recover the jubilance. “And we should tell them when we plan to wed and oh! Where will we live?”

“That’s another question we’ve never settled.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “Would you be willing to live in Himzo? We could visit through the portal any time you like.”

It was as if my stomach became a boulder, but he wasn’t asking for anything unexpected, so I should consider his question. He had an occupation with Prince Zichri and lived comfortably. I, on the other hand, lived a dream in many regards. Queen Cottia always provided for every one of my needs, and as of late, my only task had been to keep Princess Beatriz company.

I met Jaime’s gaze and smoothed a loose strand of his hair back. He had always been kind and generous.

“Could I visit Himzo before making my decision?” I chomped down on my bottom lip, letting my front teeth run over my skin.

His expression broke into a warm smile. “Yes, we can visit first. And you can have all the time you want. I will always wait for you.”

Tingles swam in my chest, easing the weight in my stomach. “But Señor Jaime, I don’t think I could resist your charm for too long. Even if we must be vagabonds—wait—maybe we should be vagabonds instead, so we wouldn’t have to worry about all these kingdom problems.”

He tipped his head back. “Now, señorita, you tempt a man to ignore his duties.”

“So, we really could run away and get married and live in a faraway village where Giddel and Himzo affairs don’t exist? Of course, we would have a portal made to visit friends whenever we miss them.” I bounced on my toes and flashed my teeth.

“Then, will you be all right with us being wed after my next mission?” His arms stiffened their hold as if he held his breath.

“How long is your next mission? I mean, will we have enough time to visit Himzo? Or maybe it’s a long mission like all the months Prince Zichri has yet to return with a treaty? I should let you speak.”

“Well…”

His slow response was more than I could handle. “I think I might burst. Do we have a week or a year?”

He lifted the basket full of flowers and slipped his hand into mine. “The mission should take a month or two. Prince Zichri wants me to accompany him on a quest to find the Black Knight.” He tugged me along as we walked toward the path leading to the Giddelian palace.

“The Black Knight? Who is that? I certainly have never heard of such a person before.”

Our boots hit the gravel path, and Jaime’s handsome profile sobered. “He’s the leader of the New Alliance forming around the Agata Sea. We have our suspicions of his identity, but we’re not certain.”

“Couldn’t we leave the mysterious leader to Prince Zichri, Milo, Gonzalo, and Blas to uncover? Your friends have a good handle on political maneuvers.” I squeezed my fingers tighter around his. “Does that mean we’ll have to postpone our trip to Himzo?”

He shifted his jaw. “What if I took you tomorrow?”

I stopped mid-stride. “You’re going to take me through the portal? The one in Cosme’s room? The one your friend keeps opening and closing?”

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