Page 42

This, though. This felt different—or maybe she just wanted it to.

Which she shouldn’t. Because he really would be bound irrevocably to Jade the moment he met her, the moment their blood mingled.

That was beyond his control. And Arden really, really didn’t want to be in love with the man her sister would marry as soon as they rescued her.

“Arden.” He looked deep into her eyes, and she knew with embarrassing certainty that he could feel the blood pounding in her veins. “Promise me. Promise me you’re not going to go flying off toward the cities.”

Skies above. He was playing dirty. He had to know she couldn’t refuse him anything when he looked at her like that, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was her king.

It had everything to do with the fact that every cell of her body yearned to close the distance between them.

To not only wrap her arms around him, but to press herself close to his too-distracting muscles.

To lean up and kiss him, to tuck that fair brown hair behind his ear for him.

Stupid, stupid, stupid . She forced a wobbly smile. “Promise.” Capitulation was the quickest way to get him to let go of her head. To let her breathe again.

And he was right too. She couldn’t go in until she had an exit plan. Which she didn’t have. Not yet.

In her imagination, his gaze flicked down to her lips. She could all but feel him lean in another inch. Then reality broke the figment. He did lean over, but only to kiss her forehead. Like family would. Like a best friend.

“Good.” He released her, stepped away—farther away than he usually did.

But only because he was circling back to his desk, no doubt in search of something he’d remembered.

“I’ll be leaving for the wall momentarily, but I’ll see you at your parents’ house at six.

Don’t forget to stop in at the tailor’s before you head over. ”

She’d angled herself toward the door and her lesson with Storm, but at that she paused. Frowned. “Why? I have more than enough uniforms, and they’re perfect.”

He glanced up, an exaggerated look of exasperation on his face. “The Awakening Ceremony, Arden. It’s next week. Remember? You and all your island friends will have the honor of meeting the king, and I hear it’s customary to look your best for the occasion.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll borrow something of Jade’s again.”

“No, you’ll wear something of your own that actually fits you. And since you don’t have anything of your own that fits you that isn’t older than I am, you’ll stop by the tailor’s. As I told you to do yesterday.”

Right. She’d conveniently let that slip from her memory. “This is pointless though. I don’t need to go through some stupid Ceremony, all trussed up like a doll, to be told I’m perfectly ordinary.”

“Says the girl who spends her mornings on the back of a hawk.” Seidon shook his head. “You’re going through the Ceremony, like everyone else is.”

Everyone but Jade. And that was what made dread fill her stomach. They’d dreamed of this Ceremony for years. Dreamed that the king would be there to perform it himself instead of letting another Awakened do it. Dreamed about what future awaited them.

They should have been doing it together. It wasn’t right that they weren’t. “But I already know I’m not magical, Si. Remember? No mark.” She held up her right hand.

He waved it away. “Doesn’t matter. Until I or one of my delegates sees and records your blood, you’re not officially in the clear. There are rules and regulations, you know. You’re not exempt.”

She blustered out a breath. “Can’t you do it privately then? Here.” She held out her hand. “Cut me. Then you can mark me off your official register as normal, and I can stay home that day.”

“No.” Looking far too pleased with himself, he returned to his chair.

“Ceremony. All your family. Neighbors. Big to-do. And you, Lady Arden Bleu, Wind Rider, are going to wear something pretty and flattering, and I’m going to flirt with you again and remind you at the party afterwards that you owe me a dance, and you’re going to try to get out of it, and I’ll be forced to give you puppy-dog eyes and beg you to help me focus, just for a day, on happy things. ”

“Manipulator.” The clock on the wall telling her she had no more time to argue, she spun for the door. “To be continued.”

“No it isn’t. Tailor. Today. That’s an order.”

She yanked open the door. Alexei stood in the at-ease position as always, oblivious thanks to the sound-proof walls and doors. Still, he didn’t look surprised when she said, “You’ll turn a blind eye if I kill him, right?”

The Guard tried to fight back a grin. “What’s he done this time?”

“Threatened me with a new dress.”

“Unforgivable.” With a salute for the king, Alexei drew the door closed. “But alas. I’m honor-bound.”

“I’ll bribe you. I gave the chef Mama’s cinnamon cookie recipe, you know.” She gave him a too-sweet smile.

Alexei laughed. “You’d better hurry, Arden. Your cousin will be waiting.”

At least it would give her a way to work out her frustrations. And maybe, if she did well enough, she’d have time to swing by the kitchen for some of those cookies before they headed to the Banks for the party.