Page 110 of Jeweler to the Blessed
We drew past where the Selected would be seated at the bottom of the dais. Five chairs sat empty. The Selected must be occupied throughout the room.
“A dance?” Hart asked.
I turned to face him. “You dance?”
“Depends on your answer.”
He didn’t need to ask twice. My gloved hand slipped into his open palm. Warmth flared, even with the layer of silk between us. He pulled me to him, slipping us seamlessly into the couples moving about the room. His brow arched as my eyes widened. I was unfamiliar with the movements, but he knew every step.
With our bodies pressed close, I focused on the flame building between us, a heat, it seemed, only his touch could stoke. Our proximity returned my thoughts to our night in the alcove at Forest’s Edge. My hands pressed against his chest, his thumb stroking my hip, so many possibilities left unexplored. The rest of the dancers disappeared around us.
That night at Forest’s Edge had been the first time I putmytrust in Hart, not my uncles. He hadn’t disappointed me. As I studied him now, I knew Hart would watch each perceived threat in the room. I took advantage of his protection and dared to dream of different circumstances for us. What if I wasn’t Jeweler to the Blessed? And he wasn’t my Blessed guard, protecting me from a rebel group that wanted me dead?
Maybe I could forget I was Chaos’s Champion, chosen to free the city from the Glanmore’s abuse of power. What would it be like if we’d found each other in a happier place? This moment, in the safety of his arms, was one of the few places I could consider such things.
I shivered. In that imaginary world, our connection would surely spark an uncontrollable flame.
In our reality, I wasn’t sure we had that luxury.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
There were so many ways I could have answered. I could tell him I was thinking about the captive. Or that I wasn’t surewhat I’d decide to do if my parents verified everything he’d claimed about me.
But he knew all that.
How he tracked each reaction of my body led me to believe he would know if I lied. I knew, too, that would disappoint him.
I glanced down at my chest. “How much exposed skin the prince’s dress selection features.”
He appeared to fight hard not to follow the direction of my gaze.
“And if we’ll see each other after this is over,” I added.
His lips parted, and he held my gaze as he seemed to consider his response. He’d been clear after I met with the king that he’d get me out. Anywhere I wanted to go, he’d take me. But he didn’t say he was staying. If I was Chaos’s Champion, I wasn’t sure running was still an option. We’d need to know whatever my parents did before deciding, but something about our circumstances made me think our time together was ending.
I hadn’t intended to ask but was very invested in his answer.
“There is no over for us, Chaos. I told you I’m here for you. I follow you.”
His green eyes held mine, though his expression was indecipherable. Before I could respond, the dance steps changed, and he spun me away and reeled me back in. Every couple in the ballroom did the same.
It was so easy to forget he was Blessed. He’d probably been to many such balls in his lifetime. His hold was a little tighter when I returned to his side. Desire flared hot like the flame in that different world I imagined.
“Why?” The question slipped from my lips.
I cursed my need to understand.
His gaze was half-wild, half-hooded, that of a man at odds with his own thoughts. He opened his mouth to speak as a cough sounded behind him.
“Mind if I cut in?” The voice was smooth, firm, and unused to being denied.
Prince Elias stood behind Hart, and he’d asked me to dance.
Hart’s fingers flexed along my side like he was deciding whether to let go. His brow furrowed, and I squeezed his hand gently before sliding from his grasp. My smile securely in place, I dipped into another awkward curtsey.
“It would be my pleasure.”
The scowl on Hart’s face would have been a treat if Elias were anyone but the prince. He gave me a slight bow before stalking from the dancefloor, not bothering to acknowledge the royal he’d walked away from. My gaze followed him as he left the ballroom.
