Page 21 of Tower of Tempest
“Excuse me.” I pushed my way through the woman as they scoffed and shot me dirty looks. Some of them refused to move, and I had to use a little more force, elbowing and shoving them aside until I finally stood in front of the prince.
Those blue eyes of his widened.
I jabbed him in the chest. “How dare you!”
The crowd quieted at that, my voice ringing through the courtyard.
His gaze shifted from side to side. “I—uh, what?”
“Oh, don’t act like you have no idea what I’m talking about.” I raised my brows, hoping he’d get the hint to play along.
“Erm...” He scratched his head through that mass of short curls.
“You lied to me!”
At that, a few gasps sounded behind me.
He cocked a brow. “I did?”
“You said you’re Prince Lochlan, and I’ll admit, you look a lot like him. But you’re clearly not him. Your nose is slightly off center.”
He touched his nose, forehead wrinkling.
“Your hair doesn’t have the same shine.”
He scoffed while murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“And the real reason I know you’re not him? You’re a terrible kisser.”
His lips twitched, amusement now dancing in his eyes.
“Besides, I just got word that Prince Lochlan is home in the water court, not all the way up here in some random village.” I spun. “Sorryladies. He’s not the real deal. Trust me: it was the worst kiss of my life. I still taste the onion.”
“I knew it was too good to be true,” one of the women mumbled as she turned to go.
Prince Lochlan’s brows drew together. “Er... you caught me. Sorry, ladies.”
The women around us grumbled, the crowd slowly dissipating.
One woman stayed behind. She trailed a finger down the prince’s arm. “You may not be Prince Lochlan, but I’ll still take you for a ride if you want.”
It was my turn for my mouth to drop open. Had she just... propositioned him?
The prince coughed into his fist, then pounded his chest. “Uh, thank you for that kind offer, but I have enough to deal with right now.” He gestured to me.
The woman shrugged and flapped her wings, flying off into the evening sky.
Prince Lochlan rounded on me. “Onion?” he said. “Really? You couldn’t think of any other way to convince them than to say my breath smells like onion?”
I crossed my arms. “It worked, didn’t it?”
“That was masterful,” Driscoll said as he approached.
Leoni did a slow clap. “Well done.”
“Thank you,” the prince grumbled. “I guess.”
I gestured to a nearby bench that sat in front of the statue. “Can we talk?”
