Page 51 of The High Mountain Court

Chapter Thirteen

They did not speak a word to each other as they left the parlor, their three guards in tow. It wasn’t until the five of them piled into a carriage that Hale nodded to Bri and she nodded back. It was the only indication he would give.

He had the ring.

A fake from the jewelers Talhan had visited the day before now lay on the card table. The power of the Shil-de ring thundered around them now that they were out of that warded room. Remy clutched her black cloak tighter as the aftermath of their escapade played over in her mind. She couldn’t believe what she did, what she said.

No one spoke for the rest of the ride.

They pretended to drunkenly stumble through the bottom floor of the inn, giving drunken kisses on the cheek to the matron who herself seemed halfway lost in drink. It wasn’t until they hit the stairs that Hale said quietly, “Prepare to leave. Twenty minutes.”

The fae warriors nodded and entered their room as Remy and Hale headed to their corner suite. When they closed the door of their room behind them, Hale looked at Remy for a moment before dropping that arrogant mask and smiling at her.

“You were magnificent.” He grinned, producing the ring from his pocket. “Remind me never to double-cross you.”

“You better heed your own warning,” Remy said, her eyes twinkling.

Hale held out the Shil-de ring in an open palm to Remy. “Here,” he said, as Remy took a step away from the ring like it would burn her. “Put it in your totem bag. It’s better you hang onto it than me.”

Remy took the ring with tentative fingers. Its power radiated from her fingertips, hammering through her bones. As soon as the ring touched her skin, the ruby embedded in the gold started to glow red.

Hale looked to the eerie red light, the muscle in his jaw popping out. “Why is it glowing?”

“Probably because I’m a red witch,” Remy said, quickly twisting toward the armoire. She had left her totem bag in her blue dress from the day before. The red dress she wore was so revealing, it had no space to hide the bag.

Pulling out her totem bag from the hidden pocket, she put the ring inside, grateful to not be holding that enormous power in her hand anymore. She took out the jewelry bag and began unfastening the golden chains around her neck and then the bangles, rings, and earrings. She unhooked the leather witch’s collar at last. She held it in her hand, sliding the prince’s golden-initialed ring off the end.

“Here,” Remy said as she turned to give it to him.

She froze. Hale stood half-undressed in his black, fitted undershorts. The collar of his tunic was unbuttoned, revealing his smooth, tanned skin.

“Get your mind out of the gutter.” He smirked as he grabbed the back of his tunic and hauled it over his head. All the thoughts faded out of Remy’s head as she took in his sculpted chest and arms. He was stunning.

“I’m getting changed. Leaving in twenty minutes, remember?”

“Right,” Remy said, spinning around as he chuckled. She heard the bathing chamber door close. She cursed herself for gawking at him but cursed him equally. He knew what he was doing changing in there instead of the bathing chamber. He had wanted Remy to see him.

It might have been the moonshine or the thrill of the heist but Remy thought: The game continues, I see. Fine, then.

She untied the back of her dress, letting its red fabric flow to the floor as she stepped out of it. She stood in only her red lace panties and red high heels. Bri had chosen her lingerie. Remy tried not to think about how the fae warrior had selected something that would fit her so perfectly.

Remy grabbed a hanger and hung the dress back up in the armoire. She would not be bringing it with her. It was not a dress for hiking or hunting the amulet of Aelusien. She put one heeled foot up on the armoire and bent over to undo the tiny buckle at her ankle. How did they unclasp these things? It had been a miracle she had buckled it in the first place. Remy fumbled with it, desperate to get these torture devices off her feet. At last, she got it. The heel dropped to the floor. Remy placed her foot down, relieved to have it flat on the floor again.

As she swapped to the other foot and began her fiddling with the second buckle, she heard the bathing chamber door reopen.

Silence. Not a single footstep sounded.

She tossed her loose, onyx hair over her shoulder as she looked back at the prince in the doorway. He wore his riding leathers. His mouth hung wide open in stunned stillness. Remy freed her foot at last and kicked off her second heel.

“What?” she asked with a knowing smile. She stood and turned to Hale, revealing the entire front of her body to him. “I’m just getting changed—get your mind out of the gutter.”

Hale barely bit out the words, “Touché.”

The prince stalked toward her. Remy thought for a second he’d grab her, but he halted right before they collided. He held up an open palm to her.

“My ring?” he said with an arched brow. His warm breath skittered over her bare skin, her chest, and her belly. She was well aware her nipples peaked against the brisk air.

Remy loosed a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Without breaking eye contact with the prince, she reached down blindly to the armoire and grabbed the prince’s ring. She put it in his hand, still ensnared in his gaze, and he slid it back onto his finger.

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