Page 27 of The Promise Born
“Of course I will.”
“How's your ankle?” he looked down at my foot.
“It's perfect.” I lifted my foot and rolled my ankle for him to see. “No pain at all.”
“Good.” He abruptly turned to me and pulled my hand into his. “Will you fly with me?”
The question came out of nowhere and left me choked with panic. “What?”
“I haven’t gone on a flight in a while, you know. Let my dragon out.” He pointed at the sky. “I think it would be good to relieve tension, but. I don't want to go on my own. Would you go with me?”
Even if flying wouldn’t reveal who and what I really was, I wasn’t ready for this step.
“Asante- I,” I took a deep breath. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” For a man and a woman to take flight together, it signified taking another step in their relationship. A paired flight strengthened the bond between a couple. Asante knew what he was asking. He was testing the waters, but I was not prepared to take that step with him.
“Why not?” He looked genuinely disappointed.
“You know what that means if we do that.” Our eyes met. “Do you really want to go there knowing this isn’t real?”
“Oh.” He dropped my hand. “I'm sorry. Momentary lapse in judgment. I forgot what this is. Seeing you in the dress looking like you do right now. It was improper for me to ask that of you.”
“It's alright.” His apology felt hollow, a thin coverup for something more, but I didn’t dare ask him to reveal it.
“If you won't fly with me, can I ask another favor of you?”
I chewed my lip before responding. “What is it?”
“We have some important guests coming, people we’ve been hoping to meet with for a long while. This is why my father has been away. Mending the relationship and they’ve finally agreed.” He spoke with honor, clearly proud of what his father had accomplished. “Your food would be the perfect way to wrap up their visit.”
“You want me to make treats for someone?” I gawked. I wasn’t sure what I expected the favor to be, but it wasn’t that.
“Yes. I know I said you were only here to make them for me, but this is a special occasion. It would be a little more work on your end, but I would truly appreciate it if you could do this.”
“Of course. Who is it?” I perked up at the opportunity to talk about menus instead of flying.
“It's the King and Queen of Frostspire. It’s been years since our people….”
He continued speaking, but I couldn’t hear him over the sound of my heart dropping into my stomach.
Chapter 10
“I’msorry.”Iinterruptedhim once my racing heart slowed again. “Did you say the Frostspire royals are coming here?”
“Yes. The threat of the trolls is increasing, and we must work together if we are to remain strong.”
“I see.”
Asante noticed my trepidation. “Is there a reason you wouldn’t want to make the treats for them?”
"Oh, I mean, I just…" I stammered, searching desperately for an excuse. “I’ve never made something for an event this important. Wouldn’t you want your chefs to do this? They’re all so much more skilled than I am.”
“I want them to have something unique, something that says we are changing for the better. Giving them our normal delights won’t do that.”
“This is really important to you, isn’t it?”
“It is, but it’s okay for you to say no. This isn’t a part of our original bargain. You can just keep up appearances as we have been doing. It's working. Everyone believes we’re in love.”
“I’ll do it.” The confirmation fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Why was I being so agreeable?
