Page 44 of A Thieving Curse

“What onearth, Lucas?” Peter demanded. Raelyn took a long drink of water.

Lucas slouched. “I just was wondering if she, that is…what she thought.”

Her face burned hotter.

“Why, Lucas?” Jasper asked, his tone conveying shock. “What exactly are you thinking?”

Lucas flushed. “Alex looks… I dunno, based on what the girls in the village say about the village boys, girls would probably think he’s attractive. But if Princess Raelyn doesn’t think Alex is attractive…”

Raelyn cocked her head, confused. Then she understood. She started to chuckle. Lucas’s blush deepened, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. It was cruel to laugh, but it was so adorable, and she was so glad to have something to amuse her, she couldn’t stop. Her laugh built until her shoulders shook with the effort of trying to keep it in.

“Oh, Lucas,” she said. “You’re handsome. Don’t let the village girls make you doubt it.” She wiped at her eyes. A humorous and intriguing side of her predicament occurred to her. “I’m actually available for the first time in my life. How old are you, anyway?”

Lucas looked at once eager and completely terrified. “F-f-fifteen.”

“Barely,” Jasper said with a shake of his head, looking equal parts perplexed and long-suffering.

“My birthday was a month ago,” Lucas pouted.

“Well, you’ve been fifteen longer than I’ve been eighteen.” Raelyn laughed again and pressed her palm against her stomach. Meredith was snickering into her hand, and Peter kept snorting in his effort not to laugh.

Raelyn sipped her water, then slumped back in her chair. “Thank you, Lucas. I needed that.” She returned to her food with gusto.

“Um…you’re welcome?” Lucas rolled his eyes with a bashful grin.

While Raelyn finished eating, Meredith and Lucas worked on clearing the table. Peter and Jasper departed together, talking about traps and rivers and locations for which she had no frame of reference. As soon as Raelyn set her fork down on her empty plate, Meredith snatched it up and left with Lucas and the cart full of dirty dishes. Alexander still sat in his chair, his eyes fixed on her. She shifted and ran her hand along her braid. Strands of hair stuck out everywhere, and the plait was on the verge of unraveling.

“Lucas is…attractive?” The prince sounded disinterested, but his brow pinched.

Raelyn shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. “For a fifteen-year-old. I don’t know. I never really bothered to think about if men were handsome, since it didn’t matter.” It was a blatant lie, but it felt like itshouldbe true.

Alexander’s mouth crept toward a smile. “I rather doubt that.”

She huffed and crossed her arms. “I’m not talking to you about this.”

He smirked. “All right, Princess.” He tapped his claws on the tabletop. “I do feel badly about…everything. Keeping you here. The minotaur. Your family. I wish there was a way…” He looked toward the fire. “I just can’t.”

She wavered for a moment, but then sighed. “I understand.”

He snapped his attention back to her. “You do?”

“I don’t like it.” She rested her elbows on the table and rubbed the sides of her neck. “But I understand. Maybe Henry’s changed. But if he hasn’t, if he’s so heartless… I don’t know if Iwantto marry Prince Tristan.” She watched the flame of one of the candles. “I hate that I can’t know if they would use me against my father or not. But… Meredith told me Henry cursed you. If that’s true, I can’t blame you for fearing and hating him enough to want to keep me here.”

She meant it, too. Were their roles reversed, she wouldn’t choose to send someone to marry the son of the man who had killed her parents and cursed her, even if the person in questionwasn’tinitially her betrothed. “But…I still don’t like it.”

The prince looked down, hiding the red of his irises. “I suppose that’s fair.” He rose and headed out of the cavern.

“Wait.” She scrambled out of her chair and followed him. Alexander stopped and peered back quizzically. “Where are you going?”

“Why?”

“I…” Raelyn folded one arm across her stomach and held her elbow against her side, suddenly unsure this was a good idea. She pressed on anyway. “I don’t want to sit in my room all afternoon. And I don’t know where the others went… I’d like to go outside.”

He relaxed. “I’m going out to check some of the bigger traps. Care to join me?”

“Yes, please.”

16

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