Page 17 of The Knight
“They’re getting desperate.”
“Maybe,” I wondered out loud, still thinking it over. Things just didn't add up.What could someone gain from this?I asked myself.
“Ashlyn told me about the party.” Glasson’s face was as frozen as ice as he spoke. I tried not to feel intimidated by him, but it was no use. As much as I disliked it, the royal heirs always intimidated me.
“Yes, she and Emma became fast friends.”
“Did you speak with her?” he asked, picking up a piece of paper and examining it.
“Of course.” Wasn’t that the reason Glasson had helped me? Because I would help him with Ashlyn in return?
“What about?” he asked while playing with the hem of his sleeve.
Was he nervous? It was a completely new side to him, one I had rarely seen before anywhere.
“Why do you ask?” My curiosity was getting the better of me.
“Ashlyn talks too much—saystoomuch,” he added.
“Really? She barely told me anything I wanted to know. For instance: what your favorite color is, what your favorite thing to drink is, your favorite song—She did tell me that you liked some all girl band, and I told her thatthathad to be a lie—because I mean look at you. You probably don’t even listen to your own melody, let alone songs,” I teased.
“Are you done yet?” he interrupted, rolling his eyes.
Darn, I really wanted to get more out of him. He was a stone, a rock: emotionless. Glasson stared at me and crossed his arms across his chest.
“She wouldn't know any of that. I, unlike you, know my boundaries and my place with my charge.”
Low blow, but I did expect it. He did not know that I knew Ash was a seeker. I would keep that to myself for now.
“All I told her was that Emma doesn’t know who she is, and that she needs to keep it that way. She was also wondering about Prince Shad.”
“I need to speak with him,” Glasson sighed. “He is my cousin after all. I do not want him to think I have betrayed him. Had I known Emma had a melody before now, I would have informed him–”
“You would have told him to come here?”
“It is no secret he has been searching for her. You are a fool to think you could keep her secret.”
“Possibly, but it was requested by the Heirs I served.”
“Regardless, he is helping us now, and I would like to make sure he knows I am with him.”
“Yes, having Embra behind us could be invaluable, although I despise him.”
“It is foolish to despise someone. Your melody–”
“My melody is fine.”
He set the paper down and leaned back in his chair. “I see that Prince Shad is spending a lot of time with Emma these days.”
“Not anything above average. They see each other at school; they have a few classes together,” I responded, convincing myself that nothing elsecouldhappen.
“So is that the reason he is walking Emma across the street and fighting the urge to kiss her—to kissyourroyal heir?” I wanted to ignore Glasson. He knew that I had feelings for Emma, which I wasn't supposed to have—because I was her guardian knight. But I could not sit by after such a thing had been said. Kiss her? Kiss her? How dare he even consider–think such a thing.
I shot up from my seat, causing the chair that I was sitting in to slam to the floor. I heard Glasson laugh as he followed me out the front door. Ah, so he could laugh. I logged that away. I stood on the edge of the lawn and watched as Prince Shad said hisgoodbyes and walked down the steps of Emma’s house. Emma shut the door, and I wanted to tune out her melody, which was screaming her feelings for Shad—that she liked him—feelings that were loud and very disturbing to me. I worked hard to keep my dinner down.
“Shad,” I called his name with a sneer as I left Glasson on my porch and walked over to Prince Shad.
“Ah, knight—it has been a while.” Shad stood tall with a smile on his face, and I could not help but feel the urge that raged inside of me to punch that smile off of his face. If my melody had not been shielded, no doubt, he wouldn’t have been standing there in front of me, seeming so confident. I folded my arms across my chest, letting my muscles bulge; it was all I had over him.
