Page 38 of Royals
“We’re actually going to a book signing in a little bit,” I say, already preparing to pull Isa away, but he leans against the banister, his eyes still on Isabel.
“Who’s the author?” he asks, and Isa answers, “Ash Bentley.”
To my surprise, Seb straightens up, lifting his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
“Do not tell me you know who that is,” I say, but Seb shoots me a look.
“I readFinnigan’s Falconfive times the year it came out. I actually went as Finnigan to a fancy dress party just a few months ago. Ask any of the lads, they’ll tell you.”
It’s very hard to imagine Prince Sebastian, royal rogue, reading about the adventures of space mage Finnigan Sparks, but he does look genuinely... excited? His eyes are bright, he’s grinning, and this is actuallyworsethan his usual prince schtick. Cute, royal,andinto a nerdy book series?
No girl could resist.
“I’ll come with,” he says, and I lift a hand, palm out.
“Okay, no, because, A, no boys allowed, and, B, you’re going to cause a total scene if you just roll up to a bookstore. No one will pay any attention to the author if you’re there.”
Seb’s brow wrinkles as he thinks that over. Then his face clears and he snaps, pointing at me.
“No worries, ladies,” he says, but I haveallthe worries as he adds, “I’ve got a plan.”
Chapter 19
“This is,” I say as I walk down the street between Isabel and Seb, “byfarthe stupidest thing I have ever done.”
We’re headed to the Ash Bentley signing—I insisted we walk rather than take cars because the cars would be too conspicuous—and I feel like at any moment, someone is going to notice that the tall dude next to us in the cloak and space helmet is Prince Sebastian.
“Given that you participated in the Cinnamon Challenge not once, not twice, butthree times, that’s really saying something,” Isabel replies, moving her bag up higher on her shoulder as she keeps looking at Seb out of the corner of her eye.
There’s basically no part of his face visible, and the cloak covers him from neck to ankle, but I’m convinced someone is going to figure it out. How can they not? Even completely hidden, he seems to stand out. Too tall, too swaggery...
And too into Isabel.
“Does the cloak accentuate my eyes?” he asks her, and honestly, how is he capable of flirting while wearing aspace helmet, I ask you?
Giggling, Isa looks up at him, squinting slightly. “I can’t actually see your eyes,” she reminds him, and he ducks his head closer to her.
“You’re not trying hard enough,” he says, and I am going to vomit right here on this perfectly charming street.
“Less talking, more walking,” I say to Seb. “Your face might not be recognizable, but your voice is.”
He scoffs inside the helmet. “I sound like every other bloke on the street. And here, watch this.”
Stepping just a little ahead of us, Seb lifts his arms wide, black cloak billowing, tilts his head back, and yells through the helmet, “GOOD PEOPLE OF EDINBURGH! ’TIS I! YOUR PRINCE!”
A guy in a jean jacket gives him the side-eye and mutters some variation of the f-word, while a group of girls in school uniforms nudge each other and roll their eyes as they walk past.
Seb drops his arms, and even with that helmet (which, gotta admit, is a pretty perfect replica of what Finnigan Sparks wears on the cover ofFinnigan’s Moon), I swear I can feel him grinning.
“See? No one gives a toss.”
“No one gives a toss, Dais,” Isa repeats with a shrug, then breaks into giggles again, jogging a little to catch up with Seb, and I watch them, fighting the urge to stamp my foot.
It’s silly, really, feeling jealous or upstaged or whatever it is currently twisting my stomach. It’s just that I’d looked forward to this day with Isa, and now it’s becoming a Seb day.
But then I remind myself that, hey, Isabel is having fun, and after the whole thing with Ben she deserves that. Besides, itiskind of nice to know that Seb is a genuine Finnigan Freak. On the way here, he made a pretty good case for Team Jezza, complete with examples from the book, and now, as we make our way to the bookstore, I hear him telling Isabel, “Miranda was ace inFinnigan and the Starhold. Most I’ve ever liked her.”
“That’s because she spent the entire book under an accidental love spell,” Isabel says, “so she was actually into Finnigan for once.”
