Page 32 of A Crown of Tears and Treason (The Curse of Silver Secrets and Cruel Shadows #1)

Chapter

Thirty-Two

EVIE

F or as long as I could remember, I’d had trouble sleeping, for very different reasons.

As grandpa Constantine’s little princess, I used to crawl out of bed to watch him work in his study, too curious to rest.

At the cabin, I flinched awake at every trill and creak.

In Phoenix Peak, I twisted and stirred all night, haunted by blazing dreams and nightmares.

When I accidentally dozed off next to Zandyr, in a new bed, in a strange place, I slept like a babe.

I woke up with a start. For once, my neck and shoulder muscles didn’t sting.

My eyelids fluttered open, only to be met with the crested expanse of Zandyr’s chest. He lay on his side, facing me, head propped on his bent arm, no sign of blood or dying.

My cheeks heated up as our eyes met. I had no clue how I’d relaxed so much around him. “Why are you watching me sleep?”

“Would you believe me if I said I’m doing it in case you decide to attack me?” he asked, laughter in his raspy voice; he hadn’t been awake for long.

“Wouldn’t it have made more sense to do it while you were bleeding your eyes out?” A joke, but it still sent tremors through me. A few words had almost killed him.

He shrugged, lazy grin growing. “Who knows what devious plan you’ve concocted? Trying to break into my room by knocking .”

“ You let me in. And saved me.” Again.

“And I almost died right after.” He sighed playfully. “This has got to be the weirdest pillow talk in existence.”

My face must’ve been crimson red by now. “You probably have more experience with that, but this is just talking. No pillows around.”

I rose on my elbows and studied the room. Anything to keep from squirming under his intense gaze.

Zandyr’s bedroom was, to put it mildly, bare. Beautiful, with ornate mahogany trimmings on the walls, obviously carved by generations past.

The roof of the tower was a concealed dome. From the outside, it had looked like a normal tiled roof. But it hid a glorious glass cupola, held up by a metal frame that had curious etchings on it. White gems sparkled in the glass, looking like stars and constellations, twinkling in the warm sunset.

The oval window behind the bed overlooked the valley below and had a similar starry pattern.

“What was this place?” I asked.

“The royal observatory,” he said. “My ancestors studied the stars, praised them when they foretold triumph and cursed them when the seers read them wrong.”

“You wanted to sleep among the stars?”

A beat of silence passed before he replied. “I wanted to sleep away from them.”

“Who?”

“All of them, everyone in the palace. Clawing for my attention and favor. Hoping to get an unearned title for their son or a crown for their daughter.”

I huffed a laugh. “Then I came along and ruined all their plans.”

A corner of his mouth ticked up. “You did. Threatening to end my existence.”

“Once and for all, I only implied it.”

His deep laugh rocked the bed. A ghost of a smile found its way to my lips as well.

Except for the markings, the bedroom only had the lush carpet, his sword on top of a low cabinet, a training mannequin in the corner, and the bed.

“Your room isn’t what I expected.”

“Thinking of my room, were you?” he murmured.

“Until today, I hadn’t even cared where you lived.” Which was true. Weird, but true. “What’s with the massive bed?”

It made up for all the missing pieces in the room. It had panels on all sides, with a filigree design carved in the wood, and a large round opening to get in and out. Silken fabrics cascaded around it, making it feel like a luxurious cocoon.

“Royal indulgence. I like my space.” He fell onto his back and stretched his arms above his head. He didn’t even reach the headboard.

“Ten people can sleep here and not touch.”

“I believe the point of being in the same bed is touching.”

The blaze in my cheeks crawled down my neck. “Why do you insist on saying things like that?”

He rose quickly. I blinked and we were suddenly face to face. “Maybe I like seeing you blush.”

I gulped.

I should leave. I should leave. I should lea–

“The true question is,” he murmured, breath ghosting across my lips. “Why do I make you blush?”

A crackling tension rose around us, thick and brimming with so many what ifs.

So close.

So dangerously close.

A bang resounded on the window. It didn’t shatter the glass, but it smashed whatever that moment between me and Zandyr had been. Our heads whipped toward it at the same time.

Another bang.

Someone was throwing…rocks?

We hurried to the window and barely dodged another rock. Leaning down, we saw a furious Adara getting ready to throw another one.

“Didn’t we agree you’d leave after I got in?” I whisper-yelled.

“I did the rounds and spied all entry and exit points.” Adara still didn’t lower her hand; it looked like she was debating throwing the rock straight at Zandyr’s head. “Who’s going to escort you back home, hmm?”

“I will,” Zandyr said. “After I reveal her surprise.”

“What surprise?” I asked.

Zandyr winked. “The kind you need to see to believe.”

“Godsdamn, it’s started.” Way down below, Adara sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Dragon.”

They shared a solemn nod before Adara vanished between the trees.

“Thank you,” I called after her, before turning to Zandyr. “ What surprise?”