Page 15 of MidKnight
He’s a he.
You’re ridiculous.
Just you wait. He’ll go tweeting to all his bird friends and next thing you know a whole flock will be following you around …
He sent me a mental image of a dozen birds perched on my head, my shoulders, the sides of my dress. Naturally, Quinn pictured me covered in shite.
I rolled my eyes.
“Sorry, Your Majesty, I didn’t mean to offend—” Ginnifer jumped in, thinking I was rolling my eyes at her.
“Shite. No, I’m sorry. Quinn’s being ridiculous in my head. That’s all.”
Go away.
Fine. But I’m warning you, if you give that bird a show, he’ll bring back friends.
Any word on Avia?I changed the subject.
Still working on that. We do think whatever Ryan’s man spotted to the south has potential. He will be working late on that.
Keep me updated.
Will do.
Quinn faded from my head as I changed into a much more informal gown.
“I’ll get the bird back to his owner in the morning, Ginnifer.”
“Your Majesty, your dresses!”
I turned to the bird and narrowed my eyes. “If you shite on my clothes, I’ll have Cerena lock you in a cage.”
As if he could understand my threat, the bluebird swooped out of the dressing room and back into my chamber. Ginnifer rushed to shut the door behind him.
“Thank you,” she sighed, holding her chest.
“No problem.” I yawned. “Don’t tell Quinn. He’ll think that bird actually listened to me, instead of just getting scared off by the sound of my voice.”
She nodded briskly and then lowered her voice to stage whisper dramatically at me. “Your Majesty, you have yoursecret meetingtonight.” Ginnifer went over to the corner of the dressing room and pulled out a hidden pot of tea and a tea cup. “Why don’t you sit down and drink some tea? It’ll perk you up. I’ll go make certain you’re alone before you sneak off.”
In all the pomp and circumstance, I’d forgotten about meeting Connor. My heart jumped nervously at the thought. The very fact that I was nervous made me sad. Once, I’d only have felt anticipation. But Connor and I were still getting reacquainted after four years apart.
When Ginnifer gave me the all clear, I stood and realized my palms were slightly sweaty. I ran them down the sides of my dress before taking the candle she handed me and walking into the secret passage hidden behind the wall of the queen’s chamber.
I saw Connor around the first corner of the passage. He smiled and I smiled, and we turned toward the kitchen.
I stumbled and Connor caught me, saving my face but also saving me from setting my hair afire with my candle. “I suppose the sneaking isn’t technically necessary,” I said.
Connor shrugged. “But it’s fun.”
“Yes. I love tripping.”
He laughed and took my hand, tucking it into the crook of his elbow. “Here. Problem solved. I like the royal passageways.”
“Why?”
“Because if your guards were around, I couldn’t do this,” he stopped and stepped in front of me, threading our legs so that his thigh rubbed my core, even through our clothing. I sucked in a ragged breath as I stared up at him, watching his eyes grow serious and hooded in the tiny flicker of candlelight. Connor traced his fingers over my cheek. I studied his face, his tanned skin, sharp jaw, and the curls that I loved. I couldn’t help myself. I reached up with my free hand and let my fingers run through those curls.
