Page 38 of Fate's Sweetest Curse
Noble halted, gripping the banister.
In the midst of his disquiet, Hattie had asked another question—one he didn’t hear—and Phina was now elaborating. “That’s where the research gets interesting…”
The women didn’t notice that they’d lost him; they disappeared into the reading alcove, discussing the details of the study. Meanwhile, Noble stood there, sweating.
He’d only meant to visit the capital for a couple days—just long enough to get more tincture—but somehow the combination of its waning efficacy and his need for better resources for Gildium experiments had resulted in Noble agreeing to work in Phina’s lab indefinitely…alongside theonewoman he ought not engage.
Had he known what was waiting for him in the city, he might not have left Waldron—just tied himself to the bed in his tiny cottage and allowed the change to overcome him, consume him. At least if hebecamea monster, his external appearance would match how wretched he felt on the inside.
Noble gave his head a shake, trying to clear away his dark thoughts. He stared down at his hand gripping the banister, the little scars of hard labor and his former Order on his hands. His knuckles grew pale as he gripped the wood, holding on as if his life depended on it.
He shouldnothave let Hattie join this program. He should’ve tried harder to dissuade Phina from including her. It was too dangerous for her, and his presence only made that worse. And yet.
And yet.
Studying here was her dream.
And that dream…that dream had facilitated the most effective tincture he’d consumed inmonths—the first flicker of hope. He felt caught between his urge to keep Hattie safe and see her thrive. To benearher and leave her well alone.
With a sigh, Noble glanced around. Throughout the lab, apprentices were cultivating the materials that would one day set him free—hopefully. And he was a part of it. That, too, gave him purpose.
Which reminded him: what was his task for today?
The same thing as always, he told himself.The forge.
He swiveled, heading to the spacious workshop that Phina had set up just for him. There was nothing like metalworking to force him to focus on lesser concerns. Heat. Consistency. Alchemy. The process of tempering Gildium left no room for Noble to fret about the secrets Phina was telling Hattie, the dangers she was about to be exposed to, and his own culpability in it all.
But as Noble dove into his thankless task of trying and failing to workGildium into submission, the fretful feeling remained. His heart was a cracked egg, dripping slimy yolk into the pit of his stomach, reminding him that no matter how hard he tried to get over his childhood obsession—his forbidden love—he could never truly escape her or the ways he let her down.
His future might’ve been unknown according to the Mirrors, but it seemed the Fates were determined to bring him and Hattie together—no matter how disastrous their reunion might prove to be.
14
Rules
Noble
By the time Noble looked up from the hot maw of his forge and the endless process of heat, hammer, quench, temper, alchemize, the lab was dark. Lanterns cast orbs of sunset-orange throughout the gardens and alcoves, and beyond the glass-paneled roof, stars twinkled in a sea of indigo. As usual, Noble was last in the lab—or so he thought, until he heard the softshushof a page turning.
Wiping his filthy hands on a rag and his brow on his rolled-up shirtsleeve, Noble sauntered over to the reading area, where only one other researcher remained.
Hattie was curled up in an upholstered chair, her legs tucked underneath the blue cascade of her dress. A thick journal was splayed across her lap, and she trailed her index finger along the pages as she read, oblivious to his presence. The vertical line between her eyebrows was back, along with her customary head tilt. More curls had sprung loose from her bun, her hair barely held together after hours of studying. What Noble wouldn’t give to pull out the pins and sink his fingers into that softness, tug her head back and bring his mouth to hers.
For all their mutual pining over the years, they’d only ever kissed once, on a playful dare from Raina, when they were fourteen—a dry peck that had roused more feeling in his chest than any of the women he’d bedded in adulthood. Hattie—all blue eyes and flushed cheeks—had licked her freckled bottom lip after their kiss, blurted out a quick gasp of a laugh.To this day, Noble wondered what flavors she’d perceived with her magic. Whether she’d liked the taste of him.
Forcing the memory from his mind, Noble leaned casually against the archway of the alcove. “You’re here late.”
When Hattie looked up, she was bleary-eyed. A pleasant smile formed automatically—then vanished. “What time is it?”
He stole a quick glance at the sky. “An hour past sundown.”
“I forgot you could do that.”
Given his sensitivity to color and light, he had a knack for telling time after nightfall, simply by the hue of the dark. Unable to help himself, Noble lowered his stern veneer—just a little. “Does it still impress you like it used to?”
Hattie snorted. “Hardly.”
“I think it does.”
