Page 65 of Destiny Redeemed
As I stared at the dark waters of Lake Calista, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and I became acutely aware of a familiar gaze burning into my back. That feeling again—the one I’d come to recognize all too well. My blood ran cold, colder than the rain pelting my skin. The weight of eyes watching me. I knew who it was before he even spoke, the sensation of his gaze as familiar to me now as my own heartbeat.
“Well, well,” Anderic’s silky voice sliced through the downpour, smooth as silk and just as dangerous. “Quite the mess you’ve made, Princess. Should I be flattered you used my dagger for the occasion?”
Chapter 16
I spun around so fast I nearly slipped in the mud, my heart slamming against my ribs like a prisoner desperate for escape. Anderic stood there—immaculate despite the downpour, his golden curls darkened by rain, his expression unreadable in the darkness. The occasional lightning flash illuminated the sharp angles of his face, highlighting the dangerous curve of his mouth.
I’m dead. I’m so completely, utterly dead.
My gaze darted between Anderic and Gareth’s lifeless body sprawled in the mud like some grotesque garden ornament. The damn jeweled dagger handle gleamed in another flash of lightning, accusing me with every sparkle.
“I can explain,” I blurted, rainwater streaming down my face, mixing with whatever was left of my cosmetics. Gods, I must have looked like some deranged swamp creature.
Anderic’s eyebrow arched elegantly as he gestured with one hand. “By all means, Princess. I’m fascinated to hear what explanation you have for murdering a prisoner with the dagger I gave you in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
“It’s not—” I faltered, my gaze dropping to Gareth’s staring eyes. “I mean, this isn’t—” What wasn’t it? Not murder? The manhad a dagger in his chest, and I’d put it there. Not what it looked like? It looked exactly like what it was.
What a brilliant defense, Ilyana. Perhaps next you’ll claim he fell on the knife repeatedly.
I licked my lips, tasting rain and the faint metallic tang of blood. With a sigh, I straightened my spine despite the sodden weight of my ruined gown. “Fine. I was helping him escape, yes. But I swear I didn’t mean to kill him. He attacked Laurel with a piece of glass and then tried to strangle me.” I gestured helplessly at the corpse. “It was self-defense.”
“I know,” Anderic said, his voice softer than I expected.
“You… know?” I blinked rainwater from my lashes. “How?” A thought hit me like a bucket of ice water, and I glanced around the darkened lakeshore. “Did you follow me the entire time?”
Anderic moved toward me, each step measured and deliberate, like a predator that didn’t need to rush because its prey was already cornered. Rain slid down the planes of his face, catching in his lashes, trailing down his throat to disappear beneath his collar.
“I deliberately reduced the guards tonight,” he said, his voice pitched low beneath the patter of raindrops on lake water.Ah, that’s why it was too easy.“A little trap to see if Red or his gang would try to free their comrade.” His mouth quirked into that half-smile that made my stomach flutter. “Imagine my surprise when instead of Red’s thugs, I found you, Princess—a vision in midnight blue, prancing through my dungeon.”
He reached me now, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body despite the cold rain. His fingers lifted to my chin, tilting my face up to his. Lightning flashed, illuminating the hunger in his eyes.
“Soaked to the skin,” he murmured, his thumb tracing my lower lip, “dress clinging to every curve, hair wild, eyes blazingwith defiance even now…” His gaze dropped to my lips. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
“Are you mad at me?” I asked, suddenly feeling like a child caught stealing sweets rather than a noblewoman who’d just stabbed a man to death. The rain continued its relentless assault, plastering my ruined gown to my skin.
Anderic’s eyes trailed down my face, lingering on my lips before returning to meet my gaze. “No, Princess. I’m sure you had your reasons.”
Well, that was unexpectedly reasonable. Where’s the lecture? The royal disappointment?
“And I also know you won’t tell me those reasons,” he continued, his voice a low rumble against the storm. “But I can wait until you’re ready.”
We both turned to look at Gareth’s body, a dark shape against the muddy shore. Lightning flashed again, illuminating his sightless eyes still staring accusingly at the heavens.
“As for him,” Anderic said, nudging Gareth’s leg with the toe of his boot, “he was already useless to me. I don’t care if he lived or died.”
I swallowed hard, blinking rainwater from my lashes. “So I’m really not in trouble?”
“No.” His voice had softened, almost tender beneath the pattering rain. “In fact, you don’t have to worry about the body. I’ll take care of it.”
I must have looked unconvinced because Anderic’s expression shifted, his eyes darkening with something that made my pulse quicken.
“It seems you still don’t believe me,” he murmured, closing the distance between us.
Before I could respond, his mouth claimed mine. His lips were shockingly warm against the chill of the rain, insistent and hungry. My hands found their way to his chest, fumbling withthe buttons of his coat. I managed to unfasten the top few, my fingers sliding against the smooth, hot skin beneath.
Gods, I’m kissing a prince beside a corpse in a thunderstorm. This man would be my ruination.
His hands tangled in my rain-soaked hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss. Our soaked clothes clung to our bodies, leaving little to the imagination as he pressed me against him. Thunder rumbled overhead, echoing the pounding of my heart.
