Page 47 of The Nightmare Bride
“Well...no. Of course not. I hate you, don’t I? You and your attendants, both.”
He chuckled. “Oh, come, now. No one hates Lunk. It’s physically impossible.”
I huffed, but he had a point. Lunk’s tears at my wedding, plus the man’s endless, jagged-toothed smiles—not to mention the raging crush he’d developed on Miss Quist—had the inconvenient effect of deflecting any ill will.
“Fine,” I said. “Lunk’s all right. But Vick? He’s creepy. I mean, why’s he always poking around, acting like he’s looking for something?”
Kyven cracked a lazy eye. “What would he be looking for?”
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
He managed a shrug, even though he was lying down. “Nothing. Not to my knowledge, anyway.”
I held his gaze, scanning for some hidden meaning, but he only crooked a mischievous smile. Goddess, he was good. Or innocent, maybe. Or...ugh. Who the hell knew, anymore?
“You’re feisty tonight,” he said. “Seeing as how you have all this energy, you know what we ought to do?”
I groaned. Ididknow, because he suggested the same thing every night. “Go into town,” I recited, in unison with him—snooty accent and all.
He laughed. “Excellent. You’re catching on. Should I go get dressed, then?”
“No. I’m not going anywhere with you. Exactly the opposite.”
“Hmm. So I should go getundressed?”
“No. Stop.” I slapped at his shoulder, then instantly regretted finding out how solid it was. If Merron ever spoke to me again, I’d have to tell him not to let Kyven chop so much wood. “I hate that you always do that.”
“Do what?”
“Needle me. On purpose.”
“I do no such thing.” Mock scandal suffused his voice. “I only meant I’d have to get undressed, first, in order to dress for taking you into town.”
I threw him an exasperated look, but his words swirled in my mind like water around a sluggish drain.
Wouldit be so terrible to go with him, just this once? Amryssa was already asleep for the night, and the house’s cheerless halls had grown downright oppressive, lately. Thesedays, I just...itched. Spending every waking moment with this pompous prince had made me feel bound and chafing, as if my skin had grown too small to contain the errant reactions he provoked.
“Come on.” Kyven rolled toward me, all those muscles shifting in concert, which I tried my best not to notice. “I’ll take you to the theatre. Then for drinks. We’ll have fun.”
I crossed my arms, but...goddess, when had I last indulged in a drink, much less a show? My trips to town always involved errands done as quickly as possible, in an effort to minimize the whispers.
Witch, witch, witch.
But I’d never gone into Oceansgate with Kyven. And, for all that I detested him, I couldn’t deny he had a certain...magnetism. He carried a whirlwind force about him, a potency that couldn’t be contained or denied. Only endured.
Maybe accompanyinghimto town would make for a different reception. And maybe, if I got a few drinks in him, I could loosen his tongue regarding Vick.
Vick.That decided me. My bristliness hadn’t gotten me any closer to unmasking Kyven’s secrets, but maybe plying him with alcohol would.
“You know what?” I said. “Fine. As long as we’re back before Amryssa wakes up.”
Those obnoxiously blue eyes brightened. “Really?”
“Yep. Let’s go.”
He rocketed off the bed as if he hadn’t had a foot planted in the world of dreams just minutes ago. “A marital victory, at last. What a rush.” He disappeared into the bathroom and emerged minutes later, clad in such princely finery that my insides constricted.
Goddess. I would never marry—not truly, not considering what I’d soon sacrifice for Amryssa. But if I had, I would’ve wanted my future husband to look something like this.
