Page 24 of Tower of Tempest
Driscoll and Leoni stayed on the other side of the road, both of them chatting, the wind blowing away their words.
I frisked my arms, despite wearing a wool-lined white coat with thick brown pants, a hooded cloak, socks, and boots, all paid for by the prince. It was kind, and I was beyond grateful for it. I’d be far colder in my typical linen dress.
“So why can’t you use your wings?” He gestured to the black wings that poked from my back.
“My gran never taught me,” I said simply, not feeling like getting into all the complicated reasons she always gave for not teaching me.
“Your gran sounds... interesting,” Prince Lochlan said, and it didn’t sound like a compliment.
I snorted. That was a funny way of putting it. “She was many things.” I kicked a stray pebble and it skittered over the edge of the mountain. “Smart, stubborn, strong, harsh, at times, but she was also caring and loyal.”
The prince gazed straight ahead as we walked, and in the distance, the gold bridge that led to Feathered glinted under the sun. “Why did your gran keep you locked away like that?”
“To protect me. Us.” I picked at my nails, not knowing how much I wanted to tell him. He was still a stranger, and after years spent locked away, hearing nothing but the dangers of the world, I couldn’t help but be wary. “From her past. From those who might do her, and me by association, harm.”
His sharp gaze snapped to me. “Who is your gran . . . exactly?”
It was a good question, one I’d asked myself many times over the years. “I wish I knew. She never talked much about her past, said the less I knew about the threat against her, the better. She told me stories, of course, but innocuous ones, like her favorite foods and hobbies and adventures. Nothing that could incriminate me should her enemies find me.”
Theprince’s brows furrowed as he mulled over my words. “I can think of so many better ways to protect someone than to trap them. Why not run away?” he asked.
“It’s not easy to run away when you have nowhere to go,” I snapped. “Besides, Gran needed me. She was old and frail and forgetful. Couldn’t even remember where she’d put her boots.”
I’d had to lay them out by her bed every morning.
I sighed, and the fight bled from my voice. “Gran did so much for me. She was tough and closed off, but she also brought me books because she knew I loved to read. She brought me paints and canvases so I could create art. She taught me so much about the world, about how to survive. She made me laugh.”
Prince Lochlan snorted. “You’re telling me this woman had a sense of humor?”
I laughed at the disbelief in his tone, remembering all the times Gran and I had laughed so hard we cried. “One time,” I began, “Gran told me a story about how when she was a little girl, she liked to play pranks on her lady’s maid. Her maid had a fear of rodents, so one time, Gran hid in the kitchens, waiting for the maid to appear. When the maid came through the door, Gran jumped out at her and screamed ‘mouse’ but didn’t realize the maid was carrying eggs in her apron. The maid jumped, the eggs flying everywhere, raining down and cracking, the yolks spilling out across the floor. The maid was so frazzled, she slipped in the yolk, and when Gran tried to help her up, she slipped as well, both of them covered in sticky yolk and eggshells.”
I remembered the impression Gran had done of the entire event, how I’d laughed so hard my sides had hurt.
Prince Lochlan grinned. “I like that story.”
“Me too,” I said, sadness once again overtaking me at the thought that I might never see Gran again. I’d do everything I could to find her, but what if it wasn’t enough?
Prince Lochlan nudged me, and a wicked grin crossed his face. “So tell me, weren’t you just a little curious in that tower?”
The question jolted me from my thoughts. “Curious about what?”
He leaned closer. “What it might be like to kiss me?”
I raised my chin. “Try and kiss me again, and you’ll get your answer to that question.”
“Is that a challenge?” He cocked a brow. “Because I’m up for it.”
I shoved him, unable to help the laugh that bubbled out of me. “Do you ever stop flirting?”
He was laughing too. “Why stop something I’m so good at?”
I tore my gaze from his and looked out over the cliff. “You’re insufferable.”
“You like it. Just admit it.” He paused, his voice growing serious. “I could teach you, you know.”
I wrinkled my nose. “How to kiss?”
He choked. “How to use your magic.” He gestured to my wings. “If you wanted to learn.”
