Page 20 of A Hunt So Wicked
“Ah, it appears you are needed,” I said to Dair, ignoring Torin and his phantom light touches. He looked behind him and saw the row of smiling women. “I’m just going to freshen up if you’ll excuse me—” I squeezed between Dair and Torin, leaving them to stare at each other.
I vaguely registered both of them calling my name, but once I broke through the wall of people, I wasn’t stopping. Uncomfortable shoes be damned. I recalled seeing a powder room when we were being herded into the ballroom earlier. I just needed to find it. Determined, I pushed through a panel of heavy drapes and discovered the hallway. Perfect.
Rows of ornate frames displayed oil portraits of generations of royals. Weapons were mounted between each picture, some of them so strange looking that I wouldn’t even know how to use them. Not that I’d want to… Oh Goddess, was that dried blood on an axe?
I picked up my pace and rounded the corner, bumping right into someone. I stumbled back a few steps but was able to keep my balance. “I am so sorry,” I said at the same time the other person spoke.
“Kael!” I whisper-shouted, promptly wrapping my arms around him.
“Hi, Eves,” he replied, returning my hug, which made me want to cry for some reason, so I held on tighter. “Hey, what’s wrong? Look at me.”
He tilted my face up and studied me.Do not cry, Evie. My lip quivered, despite my efforts.
“I’ll kill him,” Kael said. “What the fuck did he do to you?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I think I’m just overwhelmed.” I looked around, making sure that we were alone. The last thing I needed was my only guard to be executed for making death threats about a royal.
Kael continued his assessment as though his piercing blue eyes could see the truth of my soul. Finally, he nodded and dropped his hand. “It is a lot, that’s for sure. I had to excuse myself when I saw Prince Torin hit the ground. It may have been the funniest thing I’ve seen this year.”
I had every intention of reprimanding him but when I saw the way his blue eyes twinkled, I couldn’t stop the laughter that broke free of my throat. “Oh Goddess, it was absolutely hysterical!”
Kael laughed the way he always did, with his entire body and soul. “I had a hard time not shouting ‘TIMBER’ just to prevent him from squashing some poor unsuspecting woman.”
I clutched my stomach, which was now painful from all of the food, dancing, and laughter. “Okay, okay, enough of that, or I am going to pop every one of the fifty buttons from the back of my corset.”
He pulled me against him, hugging me once more. All of the excitement seemed to drain from my body as I listened to the sound of Kael’s heart beating steadily. I glanced up and noticed his neck was flushed. “Kael? Are you okay? You look a little flushed and you do feel pretty warm…”
“Yeah, that’s part of why I had to leave the party. It was too hot in there. I feel better now, don’t worry about me.” He winked and playfully squeezed me tightly, making me laugh.
A throat cleared, and the two of us flew apart like opposite ends of magnets.
“Are we interrupting something?”
Fuck. I knew that voice. Of all the people…
“Of course not,” I said smoothly, flashing a fake smile at Belinda’s smug face. There were two other girls with her, looking scandalized.
“I know you’re not accustomed to acceptable behavior for women at royal functions,” she said slowly as she placed her hand on her popped hip. “But fraternizing with a guard when you’re only here for the men currently in the ballroom? Theroyalmen?”
The red haired woman to her right shook her head and covered her mouth as though the mere thought was enough to send her dinner back up her throat.
“Now, wait just one minute,” Kael said, taking a step forward. “It’s not like that.”
I put my hand out to block him from advancing on the women. It was clear to see that he was offended by Belinda's accusation. I didn't blame him one bit, but we had to be careful how we played this because, from what I'd seen of the blonde woman this far, she was a snake. She was definitely willing to do anything she could to get to the top.
“There's nothing to be alarmed about,” I stated matter of factly. “Kael is my guard. What you just witnessed was nothing more than a friendly hug. I was feeling overwhelmed by the events of the evening, and that's all there is to it.”
The three women stared back at me with disbelief in their eyes. I braced myself for a catty comment from Belinda, but instead, she just sighed. “Well, thank goodness.” She placed her hand over her chest dramatically. “I'm glad to know that it wasn't what it looked like because I can only imagine how that would go over!” She was trying to sound sincere but was failing horribly. I didn't trust her, and now I would have to keep an even closer eye on her. I was positive the ramifications of such an accusation would be more detrimental to Kael than it ever would to me.
“Right, well, now that that's settled, we should probably get back into the ballroom.” Kael offered me his arm, and I looped mine through, promptly leaving the women standing in the hallway. Kael leaned in and whispered, “That woman is a shark.”
We re-entered the party, which was in full swing. “Yeah,” I mumbled. “Tell me about it. She's been nothing but drama the entire time we've been here, and it's only been one day.”
“Well,” Kael said. “You're going to have to watch your back, but then again, we already knew that coming into this. Nobody's safe, and everybody's looking out for themselves.”
Not one person was sitting at the tables; everybody was moving around, including the guards and servants. The sounds of laughter, talking, and music hung heavy in the air. Despite the sensory overload, I actually felt relieved now that the attention was off of me. It could stay that way, as far as I was concerned. I had one goal here: to get the money at the end and get back home to my father.
My heart pinched painfully at the thought of him in the way I betrayed him to come here. I hoped that he would understand. We needed the money though, and this was the perfect chance for me to get it.
