Page 73 of Enchanted Kingdom
“Also still a horrible liar,” he fired right back.
Just before we got to the entrance of the grand staircase into the ballroom, he grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“Where did you get this?”
There were three small scratches on my hand that were barely there. I must have gotten them when I was making my watching hole in the hedge. I hadn’t even felt them at the time. For that matter, I hadn’t noticed them until this morning.
“I must have done it when I left the jerky for the wolf yesterday,” I told him.
He squinted at me. “Talk to me.”
I moved my hand out of his grip, lest anyone see us actually touching. “I am.”
He shook his head. “No, you’re not. You’re shutting me out.”
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for another boring evening. “Have a good night, Owen.”
I didn’t find Rinaldi right away, but I did see Keir talking to Delaney not far away from me. As I hit the bottom few steps, he locked his eyes onto mine and reached for his cuff.
I lifted up my turquoise skirt and didn’t bother to reach for my bracelet. In all my thinking, I was becoming more and more worried about Keir. More and more worried that his brother could be conspiring against him.
I decided on a glass of champagne to help settle my nerves. Just one. Because I was going to have to look a murderer in the eyes and not vomit on my elegant dress. I was tired of all these court games. And of all these women being here for only two men. A man had died yesterday, and everyone just carried on with glitz and glamour and life as usual.
I looked out my spot at my favorite window and searched for the wolf. I needed him to distract me right now because I had a meal and a socializing session to make it through. I didn’t know how to make it through the next hour, let alone the entire night.
But from this high up and this angle, there was no forest in sight. Just lights. Lights of probably hundreds of rooms.
I felt my champagne glass lifted out of my hand.
I jumped, only to find Keir there.
“Sorry if I scared you,” he said softly.
I put my hand over my pounding heart. “That’s fine.” I had no idea why I said that because it wasn’t fine. You didn’t just startle a woman like that the day after she had witnessed a murder.
“Are you alright?” he asked. “You look... I don’t know. Anxious? Tired?”
I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes. “All of the above. Just be careful, Keir. Please be careful.”
Though I had half expected him to disappear while my eyes were closed, he was still there, looking into my eyes when I opened them back up.
I reached for my drink, needing something cool to distract me from the tears that were sure to burst through at any given moment.
He moved the glass away, out of my reach.
“Hey,” I said confused. “That’s mine.”
“I’m aware.”
“So give it back,” I demanded.
He shook his head and gave me a slight smile. “I am afraid I cannot do that.”
I looked up at the ceiling. “Why?”
He just kept looking at me. “Owen is worried about you.”
I groaned. “How is it when it comes to tattling on me, his communication is flawless?”
