Page 62 of The Curse of a Kingdom
“Stay still,” the seamstress growled. She wrapped a strap of a hideous, shiny yellow fabric around her waist and pinned it down. The needle went through the fabric and straight into Nava’s flesh once again.
She pulled away with a hiss, narrowing her eyes at the smiling face of the fae. “If you poke me again, believe me, you won’t be smiling by the end of the day.”
Her smile faltered; maybe it was the slight shake in Nava’s body, the glow under her skin, or the bees that crawled the walls of the shop.
“I said I was sorry,” the woman said, though it was the first time Nava had heard those words.
She had never been one to care about dresses, parties, or makeup and such. She shouldn't care that these were cheap materials set aside for just humans when fae got something else. It bothered her that the gown being pinned together looked like a badly formed cake, decorated by toddlers.
Her skin itched, as if ants crawled over her, biting every inch of exposed flesh. And with the sound of the scissors cutting the fabric, Nava’s chin rose higher. She shouldn’t care, but she was woman enough to admit it bothered her. However, she would make the most of it.
Fuck the king, his curse, and this woman straight to hell.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
NAVA
By the time Marni was done measuring her for what was to be the most hideous dress the whole kingdom would ever see, Nava was ready to leave and never see her again. The air was cool against her skin when the door of the shop slammed behind her.
Her steps faltered when, instead of Fael and Leela waiting for her, Arkimedes met her eyes from across the sidewalk. He leaned against the carriage, one of his hands resting on his hip, while the other bounced off his leg as he spoke with Devon, whose back was facing her. She saw the footman feeding the orrus, ignoring everything around him.
“Well, this is a surprise,” she said, trying to sound casual, but the shake in her vocal cords gave her away.
“You two have been complaining a lot, so I thought we could see the city.” Arkimedes pushed off the carriage. Was this a trap of sorts? It sounded too good to be true. Had Devon spoken lies to Arkimedes and this was when they dropped her in the woods to fend for herself?
Devon tilted his face toward her. “Lighten up, kitten.”
Nava swallowed and took tentative steps toward her soulmate, searching his face for anything that signaled trouble.
Arkimedes opened the door of the carriage and made space for her to jump in. “Have you ever visited the Copper City before?” he asked when she stood by his side, the scent of leather wrapping around her.
“No, I have only been to the suburbs of the Iron City and the Grey Island,” she admitted and looked back at Devon, who buried both hands inside his pockets. “Is this a trap?”
Arkimedes's surprised laughter was a welcomed melody, and his eyes crinkled with amusement. “A trap?”
“Well, yes. Yesterday you weren’t happy . . .” She looked back at Devon before raising her chin up in the air. “I don’t trust you two all buddy-buddy like this.”
“For once, I will agree with Devon and say you need to relax.” Arkimedes shook his head, and a caress of his amusement crossed the bond, creating butterflies in her stomach. “It’s nothing bad, I promise.”
Nava pursed her lips, hesitating just a moment before hoisting herself inside the carriage of hell and waiting by the farthest corner. Devon came in next and sat in front of her with a rogue, elegant pose that required a lot of practice. “What did you tell him while alone with him?”
“Me?” His brows lowered over his eyes, clear confusion tinting his pale features. “What could you possibly mean?”
What she meant was she didn’t trust him one bit, and the nervous churning in her stomach was driving her insane. Had Arkimedes asked Devon about their fake engagement, and had Devon told him the truth? “I don’t trust you—that is what I mean.”
Devon stared at Nava with an unreadable expression before shrugging a shoulder. “I have been working on our combined task. What haveyoubeen doing? Other than panicking in public and letting the whole castle know he would drop anything to take you away.”
Nava’s stomach churned at the memory of that morning when she’d realized she had no memories left of her father. The hole that festered in her chest ached with her loss. “I didn’t mean to lose my mind that morning. The king already knows who I am; I don’t believe for a second they are believing our story. They kidnapped him, and they saw me while doing it.” Nava’s hands turned to fists, and she hated the guilt creeping inside her. It wasn’t like she had full control of what had happened to her that morning. The trigger to her panic attack had not been expected.
Devon looked past the open door. Arkimedes talked to the footman, giving directions perhaps? She didn’t know. “The king and his close guards kidnapped him. The rest of the population, I'm sure, thinks he showed up to claim what’s rightfully his. Now the whole castle whispers that the prince has it for his brother’s fiancée. A human. What a scandal.”
“You are enjoying this.”
“Enjoying this mess?” Devon's false politeness melted as his brows met in the middle. “I’m tied to protect you two without having a say in the matter. I have hated you both for a year. Don’t get things twisted, cat.”
“You don’t hate him. So stop trying to make me think otherwise.” Nava checked on Arkimedes once again. He was still chatting away and pointing in the distance, possibly hearing their conversation. “What did you tell him?”
“The truth.”
