Page 21 of Towering Future (The Emerald Realm 5)

If he could see my eyes, he would have likely noticed the pure transparency within them. “No, never. It’s more of an ingredient than a beverage though, isn’t it? The king told me that only those who are impoverished drink water. Nobility only drinks fine wine and crafted tea blends, do they not?” My fingers connected with the edge of something sticky, and my heart fluttered to life as I caught the familiar scent of cinnamon.

He remembered I like cinnamon rolls!

I released the clay so I could pick up the pastry with all my fingers before taking a luxurious bite. A faint laugh emitted from the prince, but I was in too much bliss to care if I had gotten icing on my nose.

“That’s an odd lie for him to tell you,” Miron said between hushed laughs. “Everyone drinks water, rich and poor alike. I’m surprised he restricted you from water, of all things. It seems like a strange way to be controlling.” The amusement in his voice faded as I recognized an eerie resentment directed toward his father.

“Is that so?” I mumbled between sticky chews. “Well, I don’t mind tea. In fact, I quite enjoy it, so don’t trouble yourself with bringing me more water unless you’d like to.” I gave him an easy smile and this time, his laughter burst straight out of him.

“I’m sorry, you just have a little...” His laughter persisted as he pressed a warm finger to the edge of my upper lip. I remained still as his warm touch brushed a smear of thick icing off my lip. His laughs slowed, then subsided all together as his fingertip lingered on my lip a moment longer before brushing upward toward my cheek.

We both stayed silent for an awkward moment, and I felt as though I was gazing straight at where his eyes would have been. I briefly imagined his deep blue gaze piercing through the blinding silver silk and meeting mine with a warm embrace. I blinked the thought away as he pulled his hand from me and returned to his spot at the foot of the bed.

“There, I got it.” He sounded slightly embarrassed, and I fought my own blush from rising up my cheeks.

“Thank you, Miron,” I said shyly, brushing a hand across my pink cheek where his warmth lingered. “For everything... the food, the clay, and above all, your honesty. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Elle.” He sighed. “The truth is, I’m no better than my father or Conan. The first time I came up here, I wanted to use your powers for my own gain. I was unfair to you, and I pressured you until you accidently saw a future you never wanted to see. I understand that you don’t want to share those visions, and I won’t make you tell me. Your power deserves as much respect as you do.”

A slight pain tugged at my heart as I suppressed the growing attraction that had taken root within me.Stop it, Elle, don’t let your guard down and get attached to him! He won’t be around for much longer...

I tried to focus my energy on blocking out my body’s emotional response to his sweet words. However, my rushing blood, warm cheeks, and pulsating heart continued to remain disobedient to my wishes, so I tried to focus my attention back on the clay.

“You know, I may actually owe you an apology about that.” I smoothed out the ridges in the mold as I lowered my head from his presumed gaze. “I shouldn’t have gotten so angry with you the other day. It wasn’t your fault I used my magic, and I’m sorry I took out my frustration on you. You may have had selfish ambitions when we first met, but I find it difficult to believe you still carry that same purpose.”

He snickered softly. My hands melted into the clay as I soaked in the warm sound. When we first met, he seemed so cold and brash, but that façade had vanished, and he seemed far more real.

“Well, I still plan on becoming king, but I will admit that my motivation has shifted.” He moved across the bed until he was in front of me once again. “I think you messed up a little bit there. It looks like you broke off a piece of the clay while we were talking.”

“Huh? Oh!” I snapped out of my daze and touched every edge of my key. Sure enough, I hadn’t left enough clay at the base of the key’s head and the weight had broken the shaft in two.When did that happen?Normally I was much more attentive to my creations, even when I was speaking with Mabel.

Miron laughed again, and I was far more successful at blocking out his low soothing voice this time. “Here, let me help.” He scooted another inch closer, and I could feel his warmth radiate in front of me. His warm scent enveloped me as he leaned in closer and placed his hands atop mine to aid me with the formation of the key.

I held my breath in hopes that he wouldn’t notice the beads of sweat that now dotted my nervous palms. He didn’t speak a single word as he meticulously helped me mend the break in the clay. He was close enough that I could hear his calm breathing and could feel the slightest tickle of one of his stray hairs that brushed my cheek. At some point, I stopped moving my hands altogether and simply let him work. His strong hands still rested just a touch above mine, and once he was done with the repair, I noticed he allowed his hands to linger.

With unsteady breaths, I raised my head to match where I desperately wanted to see his eyes. My heart throbbed violently in my chest as I felt his hands rise off of mine and I felt his warm touch encroach upon my cheek.

I wanted to stay there. I wanted to feel his caress and imagine how his eyes were focused on me, or if his smile brightened the room as much as I had dreamed. But when his gentle fingers—cool and damp from the soft clay—brushed across my hot cheeks, the walls I’d been neglecting stopped me with a hard blow.

He’s going to die. You can’t care for him, Elle. Never.

The sudden reminder caused me to turn my cheek with a heavy sigh.What was I thinking...? Get ahold of yourself, Elle.A sharp breath from Miron tore through me. I don’t know how he had perceived the situation, but I couldn’t imagine it was good.

I’m sorry Miron... I have to protect myself.

“I think it’s ready for a test run, don’t you?” I raised the rough key into the air, holding it awkwardly between our faces. It took every ounce of deception I possessed to put on a relaxed smile.Thank goodness he couldn’t see my eyes... Mine never lie.

“If that’s what you would like, then by all means.” His voice cracked for a brief moment and guilt weighed down on me as I climbed off the bed and made my way to the king’s door. Aside from my first vision, he had given me no reason to distrust him. He didn’t deserve to be ignored, but what other choice did I have?

“Alright, here goes.” I looked back at him to give him a confident grin, but I wasn’t sure if it did anything since I couldn’t hear any response from the silent prince.

My guilt pressed into me further as I pressed the clay key into the lock. My hope was that the lock’s shape would allow the clay to cast an accurate shape of the true key, and then the dense clay would harden into a functional duplicate. However, when I pressed the clay into the lock, it only slid in halfway before I had to stop. I sighed. It was too short to reach the pins.

I pulled out the failed fake key and flashed it in front of where I had left Miron. “You did say you can get more, right?” I gave him a beaten shrug.

The bed springs creaked as he popped onto his feet with a soft thud. “Of course, it shouldn’t be a problem.” In only a few long strides, he met me at the far end of the room and once again, I could sense his closeness. “I’ll bring you anything you need, just say the word.”

My traitorous heart fluttered at his honeyed tone, and I found myself forcing the emotions back by squeezing my eyes shut beneath the blindfold. “That would be wonderful, thank you, Miron.” I tried desperately to keep my composure, but my words grew airy in his presence.

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