Page 74 of Enchanted Heir
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to him. “I’m so sorry for what he said back there.”
“Donotmake me do that again,” he said, his voice more pleading than angry as he threw open the veranda doors.
I nodded, feeling my eyes sting. “How can I help?”
His magic ignited in his veins traveling up his arms and spreading at his shoulders everywhere all at once. He rolled his neck to the side and looked toward me only to say, “You can’t.”
And then he was gone, jumping off the edge of the veranda while I stood there with wide eyes.
I jerked when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll go check on him,” Owen offered. “It’s not you. It’s his father.”
I gave him a nod, knowing that if Krew needed to use his magic, I wasn’t the one of us he needed right now.
“I’ve got our guy,” Owen said with a tight smile. “Easton will be outside if you need him.”
I changed and crawled into bed, waiting for Krew to return. I truly thought we had done the right thing tonight in telling the king about my blood and getting him to think we were playing nice. But I hadn’t really considered what that would do to Krew.
He had every right to be mad. After the things his father had said, I would have probably tried to strangle him. But Krew had just stood there and took it. For me.
I fell asleep with my hand on his pillow, hoping that at least I’d wake up when he finally fell into bed next to me.
CHAPTER19
Champagne was the color for Krew’s women that night. My dress was both light tan and white, weaved into a texture on the gown that made it look like it was made of sparkling flowers. The champagne-colored flowers were velvety smooth and made me want to rub my hands on my thighs to feel the soft friction against my hands.
“You still look tired,” Silvia muttered as she shook out the waves of my hair.
I smirked. “But not as tired now that you have me all gussied up.”
She squinted. “You are to be in bed tonight as soon as possible.”
I sighed. “Fine.” I would have had a lot more sleep if I had not stayed up waiting for Krew to return. And when he had, he apparently slept on the couch for only a few hours.
“Everything all right, dear?” Silvia asked.
Silvia was one of the few people in this castle I would trust to tell everything, but I knew I couldn’t really tell her what was going on. What we had done to try to dupe the king the previous night. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I knew for a fact the king paid attention to whom I was friends with. “Just some more king interference,” I bit out, trying to at least stick to part of the truth.
She rolled her eyes and then lowered her voice to a whisper. “Legally, he has to stay out of the Assemblage business. It says so in the Assemblage decree. He cannot kick any of you out. The princes must be the ones to do it.”
“Huh.” I thought on that a moment. That must have meant that Keir willingly sent Aiyana home after her father made another move on me. And I didn’t know if that made me respect him just a little more, or if I even cared at all if it was the king or Keir, just as long as she was gone.
“So Krew must be the one to kick you out. And I don’t see him doing so any time soon,” she said with a smile.
I sighed. How deep this ruse ran. It was true I wasn’t going anywhere for a little while. Owen had told me this morning during our training session that another woman was gone. This time only one from Krew’s Assemblage in an effort to keep the numbers even with Aiyana out. Elizabeth, a woman I had barely known or cared to get to know since switching Assemblages, was gone from Krew’s Assemblage. We were down to seven each.
“It’s supposed to snow soon,” Silvia said, changing the subject as if sensing my melancholy mood. “The rain shower this morning brought the cold front in. It should be raining or snowing for the next few days, actually.”
“What?!” I exclaimed. It had been colder than usual for training this morning, but we had avoided the rain shower narrowly.
Silva nodded. “It has been a mild fall, really. Usually, we’ve seen snow two or three times by now.”
Now that was something to look forward to. I had seen snow numerous times before, but I wanted to see the forest blanketed in it. I didn’t know what that would do to my growth in the forest, if it would freeze the spots or what, but I was still excited to see it.
Silvia did her finishing touches and then picked up her things to go.
“Thanks Silvia,” I smiled. “I have no idea how you do this, and I apologize I am not very fun to be around today.”
Silvia gave me a nod. “I am sure you have your reasons, dear. This is far from an easy or fun process. I just see the way Prince Krewan watches you, and I think you have nothing to fret over.”
