Page 81 of Song of the Heart Scale
“Please, Cat.” His voice dropped into what I assumed was his idea of a sexy tone. “You and I had something real. Don’t throw that away because of one little mistake.”
I slowly rose to my feet, smoothing down my skirt with calculated grace. “Fernando,” I said. “You are a man who thinks cologne can replace character. You are a jester in a leather jacket. A walking disappointment wrapped in store-brand charisma. And if you do not leave this instant, I shall publicly declare you impotent and poorly read.”
He blinked. “What?”
I glared. “You heard me.”
He turned, muttering something about me being crazy under his breath as he stormed away.
“I can’t imagine even Cat would have told him off that creatively…” Angie whispered with amusement.
I turned back to her with a huff. “How dare he ruin the flavor of my gelato!”
“Honestly, it just made mine taste better.”
We sat again. The tension from earlier still lingered, but now it had frayed edges.
“You handled that well,” she said.
“I should have thrown my spoon at him.”
“Next time.”
We smiled. And this time, it didn’t feel strange at all.
17
CAT
Ipaced the length of the entryway like a caged animal, my shoes softly thudding against the floor with each agitated step. The marble beneath my feet was cold, but I barely felt the chill. My nerves were buzzing and my heart battered the inside of my ribs like a bird desperate to break free. Damien had been gone forhours.
“He should have been back by now,” I muttered for the fifth time, raking a hand through my loose hair.
Maeve stood near the wall, wringing the hem of her apron, her eyes darting between me and the front doors. “My lady, please sit. You’re going to wear a groove in the floor.” Her voice was gentle, though it lacked its usual lightness.
“I can’t sit, Maeve. I feel like... like my skin doesn’t fit right. Something’s wrong.”
Royal Prince Bai, ever the stoic royal, leaned against the base of the grand staircase with his arms folded. But even his expression was tighter than usual. His jaw was clenched and the lines around his eyes were more pronounced. He'd returned earlier looking tense, but he brushed off most of Maeve's questions until I cornered him with my own.
“What do you mean,he stayed behind? You left him to fight imperial guards on his own?” I'd demanded.
“He insisted,” Royal Prince Bai offered with frustrating calm. “He told me to shift and get out of there. There were too many eyes. And honestly if one of us were to get caught, he was the least likely to get in trouble.”
“You should havestayed!” I fumed.
He didn’t say a word. He just looked at me with something between guilt and resignation.
And now here we were. Waiting. Pacing. Dreading.
I turned toward the doors again, half-tempted to yank them open and storm into the streets. My hands curled into fists. “I need to go find him.”
Royal Prince Bai stepped away from the stairs. “Absolutely not.”
I glared at him. “You think I’m going to just stand here while Damien bleeds out somewhere in the dark? He could be dying!”
“He’s not dead,” he stated firmly, but the crack in his voice didn’t go unnoticed.
“You don’t know that.”
