Page 46 of Disillusioned
Then, he methodically pulled a second flask from his pocket, brought it to his mouth and gulped. She looked away, knowing by the small sounds of satisfaction he made that it wasn’t alcohol he was drinking.
Even in the semi-darkness of the curtained carriage, she could feel his intensified gaze shift onto her, then away again. Each time, a buzz of anticipation coursed through her, only to feel deflated when he made no move toward her.
Lilac slumped against the seat, crossing her arms and bouncing her foot until her gaze fell upon Lorietta’s bread basket beneath Garin’s bench. Suddenly remembering her hunger, she dove for it, and Garin started back with a grunt, as if witnessing her bending to reach between his legs had caught him off guard. She greedily pulled the basket onto her lap and found a bread end. A small sound of satisfaction escaped the back of her throat; they were stillverywarm. The basket was enchanted.
He watched as she dipped the tip of the knife into the small bowl of butter and brought it to the bread. It was as if he’d never seen a girl butter bread. Maybe it was the wedding dress she still wore. She was wrong—this was the best glamor she could have hoped for.Serves the asshole right, she thought, silently thanking Adelaide’s tonic. She looked up through her lashes, meeting his gaze and smirking.
It might as well be his first and last time seeing her in one.
His eyes narrowed. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Eating.” She frowned under his glare. “I’m starving.”
“Why are you breaking your glamor before we find the market?”
She waved the blunt knife in his direction. “Who knows how long it will be until we find it? Besides, you’ve eaten,” she said, looking pointedly at his pocket.
Garin leaned in. “I don’t believe being in a confined space with a hungry vampire is something you want to experience.”
“I've done it before.” She paused, the loaf halfway to her mouth. “Maybe I enjoy it.”
“And how do you expect to proceed once you’re recognizable again?”
“Just as I’d planned before. Pure luck and delusion.”
He leaned back in his seat and scoffed under his breath. “Unbelievable.”
“What do you care if I’m seen?”
“We’re conducting a heist of a foreign market—an arcane market. You cannot be seen.” His hand darted out as she brought it to her mouth once more.
Lilac stared at his fingers wrapped around her wrist. She imagined them sliding down her arm, down her body. It had been hours, yet she missed the way his hands felt.
What would it be like to hold them, be held, without fear of scrutiny or retaliation?
“What do you plan to gain by revealing yourself to the Midraal Market, Lilac? To anyone else we might encounter before you’re safe at home?”
“What makes you think my home is safe for me?”
His nostrils flared. The way he looked at her was torturous.
“They might sell their goods to us at a lesser price.” They both shot a look at Adelaide, who peered back at them through the partition. “What? She’s the queen. TheGuàiare perfectly political creatures, commonly holding positions of power and wisdom in the eastern empires. Even in themortalworld, they are respected as much as they are feared. They are likely diplomatic enough to understand the importance of trade with royalty. Maybe we’ll be lucky.”
Lilac tugged her piece of bread away, and he only gripped her tighter. “I’m tired of being kept hidden, Garin.”
“As long as you’re alive, you’re a target. Even without your arcana lingua, this would be true. What’s a little pretending if it protects you?”
“When do I get to be myself? Appear as myself?” She gripped his hand with her other and slipped her fingers under his, almost annoyed he let her win so easily. “I was just in a tavern, in the nearest town to my own castle, with a bit of rogue on my cheeks and my hair up, yet no one noticed me.”
He laughed darkly, infuriating her. “It is certainly more than a bit of rogue.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I would not have noticed you, if it weren’t for your infuriating scent. And it is a good thing no one did. You saw what that tavern was like.”
“I did.” Lilac shoved his hand off, furious with his ability to insult her with his logic. “They don’t respect me, or my family. When does it end?”
“You’re the queen. It doesn’t.”
