Page 52 of Façade

Something was definitely happening between us, and whatever it was couldn’t be good.

After remaining in this position for far too long, I finally came to my senses enough to yank myself as far away as the limited space allowed…but it wasn’t enough. His closeness seemed to enfold me like a second blanket; pulling away any more would expose me to the cool night, something Ryland unfortunately noticed.

“You’ll be cold if you go any farther. Scoot back more towards the middle.”

“I’m trying to moveawayfrom you,” I hissed.

“I know, I’ll be the one to scoot away.” He did just that, rolling over so his back faced me. Despite the sweetness of the gesture I found myself glaring at him, a black outline in the darkness. Now was not the time for the prince to suddenly become a gentleman. It only made everything more confusing…and sleeping so near him was confusing enough.

I forced myself to push all thoughts of Ryland as far from my mind as I could. With the gesture my exhaustion returned, along with the desires to fall sleep before him, both to escape the awkwardness filling the limited space between us and because I was truly afraid his snoring would keep me up all night with my confusing feelings. I rolled over so my back also faced him—finding some security in the thought we couldn’t see one another in the darkness should either of us steal a glance—and closed my eyes, willing sleep to come.

But despite my earnest wishes, it took me far longer than it ought to fall asleep, my thoughts annoyingly still too attuned to the man sleeping beside me. What had seemed terrifying before now felt rather…comforting. Part of me regretted having waited so long to experience a night beside him…and that this would be one of only two such experiences we shared together before the separation I was growing to dread.

CHAPTER17

Awarm, tingling sensation prickling my skin slowly lured me from sleep, patient in its coaxing until I fully surfaced. Night greeted me, unusually bright with the glistening stars pinpricking the sky and the moonlight a silver shimmer across the halo of trees, their branches a dark silhouette against the velvety night. Despite the hard ground and the dark autumn chill, I found myself surprisingly comfortable.

I brushed against a warm body as I stirred…and immediately stiffened. The soothing heat enveloped me, causing the lingering cobwebs of exhaustion to fade away enough for my position to register. I distinctly remembered falling asleep with my back facing Ryland, but that wasn’t the position in which I now found myself.

Not only had I turned towards him, but whatever small amount of space had existed between us before had vanished as if claimed by the curse afflicting Brimoire. What was more, I found myself curled against my husband’s side with my head resting against his shoulder and my hand on his chest, a position that was far more comfortable than it had any right to be.

Being so close to him immersed me in not only his warmth but his rather intoxicating masculine scent, the soothing sound of each breath, and the patter of his heart beating gently against my palm. His shirt was open at the collar, exposing the smooth skin of his rather muscular chest that for a moment captured my full gawking attention before I could force myself to look away. I carefully listened to each of his breaths, measuring each slow inhale and exhale to assure myself he was indeed asleep.

I relaxed, but not completely, considering the awkward situation. How had I ended up in such a position? My first instinct was to blame Ryland as I was prone to do, but considering it wasmecurled against his side with my other arm—I realized with escalating mortification—hooked around his, I’d undoubtedly been the one to scoot closer.

I squeezed my eyes shut as if the gesture could block out my humiliation. Thankfully he appeared not to have awoken in the night to discover my mortifying position else I was certain he’d have pushed me away. No one need know what foolish sleeping Evelyn was responsible for.

Careful to keep my movements subtle enough so as not to rouse him, I carefully unwound myself from his body, stilling to hold a nervous breath when he gave a distinct grunt that made me fear he was waking. After some rustled movements and several rather adorable sleepy sounds he became still. I released a quiet sigh of relief.

This problem of Ryland momentarily dealt with, I returned to what had awakened me. At first I wondered whether the inexplicable sensations I’d felt had merely been the result of sleeping so close to Ryland, but these heated tingles spreading across my skin were far different than the pleasant ones coming from my husband’s proximity.

When I’d first awoken, my sleepy, delirious state had made it difficult to discern the source, but now I was awake enough to pinpoint their location. I lifted my hands. I could barely make out their outline in the faint light, but from what I could see they appeared entirely ordinary. Yet power hummed against my skin even as the pressure that often accompanied it pulsed against my temples…but was it truly magic?

My studies had taught me the early signs that would accompany my emerging powers, all of which matched those of the past week, giving me reason to hope that the magic I’d been awaiting my entire life was finally beginning to emerge. Yet this only invited more questions about the source of such power when my understanding was that only Estorian royals possessed magic…or so I’d been told, another aspect of my life that had proved a lie.

Eager to investigate further, I carefully scooted from bed, keeping my movements careful so as not to wake Ryland. The cool night air swept across my skin in icy goosebumps the moment I slipped free from the comforting cocoon of blankets. After informing the attending guard of my destination, I carefully made my way through the forest’s undergrowth and settled on the bank of the stream flowing not too far from where we’d set up camp.

The moonlight was thinner here, falling through the leafy canopy like shards of broken glass, granting just enough light for me to reexamine my hands, tingling more than they had when I’d first awoken. The trees served as a shield from the others, allowing me to explore this secret with only the night as my companion.

Magic seemed to caress my surroundings, as if my powers were extending from me. Stars peeked through the branches of the trees surrounding me like black sentries, a mysterious contrast to the beauty of the silvery light dancing across the stream, its rushing water mingled with the cheerful symphony of crickets.

The only thing missing from the enchanting scene were fireflies, which was part of many happy childhood memories of exploring the outdoors at night with my family. My heart gave an aching twinge to think of my former parents, the memories we’d shared tainted by their lie…yet enough color remained for me to smile at the recollection.

One particular evening, we’d passed half the night trying to capture the glowing insects. I could still see the glistening lights creating dancing golden patterns against the velvety sky, see my parents’ bright smiles and their loving looks as they watched my joy. Beyond the delight of the moment, I remembered feeling cherished, an emotion I desperately yearned to reclaim but which I doubted I’d ever experience again.

My heartache swelled, tinging the memory in gloomy grey hues, as if painted by the shades of a storm. I still didn’t understand how the king and queen could have treasured me if they’d been planning on tossing me aside, viewing me solely as a surrogate for the love they had for their real, hidden-away daughter. Yet the love I’d felt for them had been real; I wanted nothing more than to recapture a portion of that feeling, however fleeting, like one might catch fireflies waltzing against the stage of night.

At the whimsical thought, my hands gave another, much more intense tingle, as if whatever was trapped within longed to escape. Once more I lifted my hands to study them front to back; the feeling beneath my skin only grew. Curious, I experimented with some of the technique I’d learned during my magical studies as a princess by focusing on pushing this pulsating power to the forefront of my thoughts. I lifted my hand and concentrated on the dancing starlight, imagining I was reaching into the sky to pluck a star in order to wish for the return of all that had been stolen from me.

To my astonishment, power glowed from my hand, extending towards the sky to bring back a star to my waiting grasp. I stared open-mouthed as I cradled it before enclosing my fingers around it to encircle my budding magic in a protective cocoon. When I unclasped my fingers it’d transformed into a firefly, glittering and otherworldly. It lifted into the night, leaving a trail of silver against the velvety darkness.

“This must be a dream.” But if it was, I wanted to live within it for as long as possible. With the firefly’s flight I felt transported to the joyful memories of my childhood, a place I never wanted to leave.

In an instant the illusion shattered. At the sound of a snapping twig, I startled and my fragile hold on my magic slipped away along with the firefly I’d created from a star, erasing it as if it’d never been there at all.

I swiveled around just as Ryland emerged from the trees shrouded with worry—not the expression I’d expect from someone who’d seen my experiments with…whatever it was I’d been doing.

Magic.

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