Page 19 of The Shadow Prince's Ruin
After years of surviving intrigues at the Nocturne Court, I expect the worst, and worry he’s trying to rob me without witnesses, but that’s absurd. We made a deal that is beneficial to him. Surely he wouldn’t leave without me.
This must be about him spending a night in my bed. I’ve learned in unpleasant ways that many humans have an issue with same-sex relations. Mrs. Moor ranted to me about her son the day I arrived, and as little love as I have for Lord Kyran’s Dark Companion, I don’t envy him his mother.
If Hawk doesn’t wish to be seen with me, I will oblige even if it stings after the night we spent together. “I will do my best.”
He gives me a thumbs up and waddles forward, keeping both his hands on the walls of the hallway, likely to avoid hitting them with the trunk. My stomach is in my throat as I step toward the stairs and listen to the angry sound of the TV Mrs. Moor spends lots of time watching in the kitchen. For a moment, I’m paralyzed by the desire to avoid confrontation by heading straight for the exit, but I’ve promised to protect Hawk’sidentity, and I shall not disgrace myself by going back on my word.
Two exhales later, I run down the stairs and head into my hostess’s beige kingdom. After two months in the human world, I am aware they don’t consider whites and pastels to be mourning colors, but knowledge doesn’t change the way the washed-out tones around me make me feel. It doesn’t help that the sun seems particularly bright today.
Mrs. Moor glares my way, cradling her favorite mug as if it were a weapon she might need to use against me if I lash out. “Keys. I don’t want to ever see you again.”
I put the keys on the counter. “I can’t say it’s been a pleasure, Mrs. Moor.” There. Why not tell her what I think before leaving? I wish I had the courage to confront my own mother, but I’ve been banished for five decades, and I feared I might need her support by the time I return to the Nocturne Court, weak, gray, and wrinkled like a prune.
But who am I kidding? My mother is a woman so intimidating only Lord Kyran himself dares put her in her place.
I stiffen when Mrs. Moor shoots up from her chair and swats my arm. “How dare you? No wonder your family chose to abandon you,” she spits out, pursing her mouth in an angry grimace.
My superior elven hearing picks up the click of the door on the other side of the house as Hawk leaves this ugly place. The relief of it doesn’t make the stabbing pain of her words any less hurtful, but she has already kicked me out. I no longer have to prostrate myself before her.
“Amusing, coming from one whose own son chose to forsake her.”
Her eyes go wide and… she grabs my arm. Something I have not accounted for from a middle-aged human lady. “Mysonchose to abandon all morals I raised him with and becameanother man’s house boy, so I am glad I will never see him again!”
“Unhand me!” I yell when she shakes me. I have no qualms fighting a woman in her prime, but it doesn’t feel right to hit one who is not, so I’m trapped in a cage of my own manners.
She scowls, lets go, and goes straight for the sink, as if she doesn’t want any residue from my sweat on her palms. I don’t bother staying to exchange any more angry words and storm to the exit, upset that I’m so weak she was able to shake me in the first place. My shoes are black slip-ons, so I just stuff my feet into them and step outside, facing Hawk who... waits for me in front of Mrs. Moor’s open car. The sun makes me squint and lower my head to avoid most of its burn, but there isn’t much more I can do to protect myself from it.
“All done?” he asks and approaches the passenger seat, opening it in a familiar gesture. Back home, servants would also put stairs in front of a carriage, but cars don’t come with such conveniences and require one to fold their body without care for decorum.
“I… yes, but… I am sure Mrs. Moor is not in the mood to lend us her car.”
Hawk chuckles and gestures inside, so I slide into the seat, hating how unbecoming that must look. I want him to appreciate my royal demeanor, but how can I remain dignified in a world not made for it?
The sun is already hot on my skin, so I put on a wide-brimmed hat of straw or some similar material and zip up my hoodie to protect myself from its touch as much as possible. I don’t want to make a fuss, and while I attempt to spend as much of the day as I can indoors, today that will be impossible. I have to bear with it.
Hawk climbs into the driver’s seat, and when he closes the door behind him, I feel as though we’re both stuck in a giantoven. At least my things are safe in the trunk, which my promised placed in the back seat.
Mypromised. Should I even call him that before I tie my shadow to his? I suppose we did make a promise.
I expect the familiar noise of the starting engine, but Hawk just releases the handbrake, then moves the stick, and the vehicle rolls forward, down the gentle slope of the driveway.
I swallow and my stomach ties into knots. “We’re stealing this car, aren’t we?”
Hawk chuckles as we roll farther down the street, still with the engine off. “Well, yeah.” He grins at me from behind dark-lensed glasses and only turns the key in the transmission when the vehicle comes to a halt. “But don’t worry, I know a place where we can have it repainted and re-licensed. And they might get rid of that collar for you too,” he says while my world is crumbling!
“It cannot be taken off by human means. We need to go to Boston. Also, what is the punishment for stealing a car if we are caught?” I’m no stranger to bending the law and scheming, but if I am to one day be executed, it will not be for petty theft.
As we speed up, leaving behind the life that’s been forced on me, Hawk chuckles. “Ah, don’t worry, just a few hours in the stocks. Nothing we can’t survive,” he says cheerfully, as if being mocked and having rotten produce thrown at us was nothing. “And as for the collar, why not try? Trust me,” he says and places his hand on my thigh.
His touch chips at my resolve, and I sigh. “I suppose it would be unreasonable not to try.”
Hawk grins and leans in to kiss me, the road ahead forgotten. It’s so new for someone to casually show me affection, I don’t know what to do with it or how to express my appreciation. I stare into his eyes, mouth dry, then something flashes in the corner of my eye, and I yelp.
“Watch the road!”
He hits the brakes, and we come to a rapid stop right before the intersection. I manage to brace myself and avoid hitting my head against the dashboard, but Hawk seems unbothered as he reaches past me, stretches the safety belt, and then locks it across my torso. “Road trip!”
It’s me this time who steals one more kiss before the light turns green.
