Page 34 of The King's Sword
Evander didn’t move. He still had one arm around her shoulders and the other on her cheek. He patiently waited for her to answer his question.
But she couldn’t. “Everything from this morning is catching up with me,” she lied.
He slowly released her and nodded.
She didn’t think he believed her. Part of his assassin training had probably been how to tell if someone was lying. Now she felt guilty for not being honest with him. But she didn’t owe him anything. He probably had plenty of secrets he kept from her. After all, they barely knew each other. Yet…somehow she felt safe with him at her side. She took a deep breath, needing to clear her head.
Evander pulled one of the plates closer to him and started eating.
Sabine reached for the other one. “What is this?” she asked, eyeing the entire fish—head and all. “And why is it on a stick?”
“The stick is so you can pick it up.” He didn’t look her way as he spoke.
A pang of regret filled Sabine. She wanted Evander to look at her and smile. She wanted him to tease her. Something. Anything. It felt as if a wall had gone up between them. She wanted to tear it down.
The man approached, placing two bowls of soup on the table. He said something in a language she didn’t understand before bowing his head and leaving.
“Does he know who you are?” she asked. Evander had shown the man his tattoo, so he obviously knew what assassin guild he belonged to. She suspected Evander only ate at establishments he had some connection to. But she wondered if anyone knew he was also their prince.
“No. It is customary for people to bow their heads as a sign of respect. That’s all.”
She wondered what they did for royalty.
Since the fish didn’t look particularly appetizing with its head still attached, she decided to start with the soup. “I don’t have a spoon.”
“Just pick it up and drink it.”
With a shrug, she lifted the bowl and took a sip. The warm soup tasted decent. When she set the bowl down, Evander reached over and took hold of her hand.
“Keeping up the ruse,” he mumbled with a forced smile.
It was time to take him down a notch. “Oh yes.” She batted her eyes at him. “My doting husband, whom I adore.” She lifted her hand to the corner of his lips. He stilled. She wiped the area with her thumb. “You had a little something there.”
His eyes narrowed, as if he didn’t quite believe her.
She puckered her lips and blew him a kiss. He’d told her to play the part, so she was. And she was very good at flirting. She’d had lots of practice. And, for some reason, it was easy and fun to be this way around Evander. With Rainer, she’d always felt as if he had the upper hand. Perhaps it was because he was older than her. Or maybe it had something to do with him being overly sensual. With Evander, she could just be herself, and she found it refreshing.
Evander leaned closer, pushing her hair behind her ear and whispering, “Well played, Sabine. Well played.” His breath sent a shiver through her. “See, all you have to do is pretend I’m Rainer.”
It felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her. “Who said anything about me being in love with Rainer?” It was an arranged marriage, nothing more.
“Aren’t you?” His brows pulled together in confusion.
She didn’t know why she felt the need to defend herself, but she did. “I only met the man a few weeks ago. Love cannot grow in so short a time.” She focused back on her food instead of the man beside her.
As she sipped her soup, she couldn’t help but think about Rainer and what she did—and didn’t—feel toward him. From the first moment she saw him, she’d been attracted to him. He was by far the most handsome man she’d ever seen. When he touched her, she wanted to melt into him. Devour him. But that was simply because of his dark hair and eyes, the curve of his mouth, and the feel of his hands on her body. Having flirted with plenty of young men in her days, stealing a kiss or holding hands, she knew her body craved Rainer, but her heart and head didn’t care for him. There was nothing about his personality that drew her to him. She was coming to understand that to love someone, she needed both—the attraction and the friendship.
“You seemed quite in love with him when I watched the two of you together. I’d say you are besotted with the man.”
She didn’t know why he continued to push the matter. Perhaps she needed to show him something in order for him to understand. Of all people, she thought Evander would be able to easily spot a lie. He seemed to earlier when they were talking.
Trying to keep a straight face, she bit her bottom lip and peered at him through hooded eyes. “You think I’m in love with Rainer because we danced together a certain way?” she said, her voice low and sultry. Leaning toward him, she brushed her nose along the side of his face, breathing him in. He stilled. “You say you watched me with him?” She moved so her lips hovered at the corner of his. “I thought you were a trained assassin. I thought you’d know an act when you saw one.” She gently kissed his jaw and then moved back, unable to help the smirk on her face as she watched him blink several times.
“You’re not in love with him?” he asked, his voice slightly off.
Sabine knew she’d affected Evander, and somehow that made her feel powerful. “No, I don’t love Rainer, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to.” The truth slipped out before she realized what she’d said. She needed to be careful what she shared with this assassin-pirate-prince. “Every time you saw the two of us together, it was all an act. Rainer expected me to dress a certain way, behave a certain way. It was all about perception.” She felt the need to diffuse the tension building between them, so she decided to make a joke. “Just like now.” She reached over, placing her hand on this thigh. “You do understand I’m not in love with you, don’t you?”
He shook his head, his features softening. “You’re a handful.”
