Page 28 of The Midnight Blizzard

My stepmother continued to clatter her numerous powders and creams around on the table, and with each noise, my breathing grew lighter and more rapid. In contrast, Jack didn’t seem to be breathing at all. Mages were still human; they had to breathe, even if they weren’t allowed to get married to non-mages.

My stomach jolted and my eyes shot open. The stark realization of the indecency of our situation hit me with the force of an avalanche. Mages were still banned from courting non-mages; it wasillegal.If we were discovered in such a compromising situation, it would mean the end ofJack’s career, and I would be responsible. Why had I endangered his job in such a careless manner? And the prince would certainly not care to hear that one of the women he was seeing was wrapped around his advisor. I would be thrown out of the competition and sent away from the castle, unable to discover if my stepmother had truly stolen my inheritance and unable to plead my school’s case to the king.

Even with all of the reasons we shouldn’t be together, and with all of the reasons I should be horrified by our current situation, the forbidden nature of being with Jack only served to make him even more desirable. Blood pounded in my ears as my breathing mingled with his.

My right leg went numb from being in an awkward position for so long, but I dared not move a muscle. If Valencia discovered us…

Jack dropped his head slightly closer, the tip of his nose brushing against mine, but we mustn’t kiss. We mustn’t. Any unusual sound would alert my stepmother to our hiding spot, and kisses often made noise. Was it worth it to attempt a silent kiss?

A mental image of my stepmother wrenching open the closet doors to discover us locked in a passionate embrace was motivation enough to hold me back, but only barely. It wasn’t just our embarrassment at stake. Both of our futures would be in jeopardy if we were found. Would the prince and his parents have Jack imprisoned, or would his years as an advisor be enough to keep him out of a cell?

There was a screech as my stepmother pushed the stool back to stand, finally done with fixing her face to hide her years. There were a few additional clattering noises as she adjusted her makeup brushes, then the sound of her voice nearly made me jump out of my skin.

“You’re too kind, Your Majesty. I think our children will get along splendidly. How fortunate that they found each other.” Her simpering tone elicited an instant image of her cooing at her reflection, batting her overly long eyelashes and twirling a coil of her eternally perfect curls.

Jack raised his eyebrows at me, listening as my stepmother continued in a fawning voice, “Oh, either of my girls would be the perfect choice for Prince Stephen. He’s such a handsome young man.”

She hummed to herself as she picked up her bag. My legs had long since gone to sleep, and when Jack took advantage of the sounds of my stepmother’s footsteps to adjust his position slightly, one of the coats fell off its hanger and to the floor. The noise was faint, but there. Jack and I stared at each other, horrified, and my heart forgot to beat.

Valencia’s footsteps halted. From the crack between the door and its frame, I could barely make out my stepmother’s profile as she stared around the room, listening for any additional sounds. Each second felt like an eternity.

Finally, Valencia gave a slight shrug, hoisted her handbag a little higher on her shoulder, and moved beyond the narrow range of my vision. A few seconds later, I heard the door open and close, followed by a key scraping in the lock. Retreating footsteps clicked away down the distant hall.

Jack let out a long stream of air that swirled around my neck, wafting his sweet peppermint scent over me. “That was close,” he whispered. “She’s gone now. We can get out.”

I made no effort to move. “She might come back. And my legs are numb.”

“Mine are too.” Jack didn’t move either.

“We’ll get that sharp-needle, prickly feeling once we move again.” I couldn’t let go of Jack, I just couldn’t. Now that my stepmother was gone, it was much too tempting to stay put with Jack, far closer than we would be allowed in public. Was it so wrong to find a few excuses to stay where I could forget the world and be happy for just a few moments?

I tilted my chin upward, inviting Jack to do what I knew we were both thinking about. The danger had passed now that my stepmother had left. If there were a few slight noises, no one would be around to hear it. Jack didn’t lean forward, but I saw the yearning in his eyes. Could I be bold enough for the both of us?

Examining his face, I decided I could be. Inhaling deeply, I began to close the last tantalizing inch hovering between our faces, but Jack pulled back.

“We can’t,” he breathed.

“No one would know.”

“But it can’t last. I don’t want a taste of something I’ll never be able to keep.” His voice was thick and husky, and the injustice of our situation beat against my heart once more, battering it so effectively that it felt bruised.

Suddenly angry at the world, I stumbled out of the closet, avoiding Jack’s eye. While I hadn’t been able to stop staring at him while closeted together, the keen sense of loss and letdown I now felt wouldn’t allow me to look his way. Jack’s reasons were good, but selfishly, I wanted a kiss to remember him by. Even more selfishly, I wanted to ensure that he would never forget me. The phantom pinpricks began as blood flow returned to my extremities and I focused on the sensation, gritting my teeth against the uncomfortable feeling.

“It goes away faster if you walk it off,” Jack told me.

“I know.” I strode around the room, trying to think of something to say, but came up with nothing. Our search of my stepmother’s room had yielded no results, just as the search of the records room and library had been in vain. I bit my tongue as I focused on distracting myself. Nothing would ever come of falling for Jack, either. Was I always going to throw my efforts into things that were for naught? I glared at one of the beds, where a thick downy quilt and six pillows all stuffed with goose feathers were lying on the mattress.

“I managed to get you a room so you have your own space,” Jack told me, clearly trying to fill the awkward silence. “I’ll get you the key by tonight so you don’t feel like you kicked me out of my bed.”

“Thank you.” I couldn’t look at him. I ought to feel glad that neither of us would have to sleep in the dog barn again, but the only thing I managed to think of was that now I would be even farther away from Jack.

“It wasn’t a lack of desire, you know,” Jack said hesitantly. “Back there.”

“I know that, too.” The tingling sensation was beginning to fade. “It just isn’t fair!” I burst out. “The king and queen have done so much for you, but you still aren’t allowed…”

“It isn’t up to them,” Jack reminded me. “The ten lords need to propose a law before the royal family signs?—”

“I know, I know.” I sighed. “I just wish there were an easier way.”

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