Page 56 of The Prince and His Stolen Groom
Brendon’s hand squeezed my knee and I stopped mid-sentence. He shook his head, lips quirked in an amused smile, and whispered, “Don’t ruin her fun.”
I swallowed nervously and returned to my breakfast. After a minute, his hand slid away from my knee, his face annoyingly neutral as he ate.
After breakfast, Kit and Brendon disappeared upstairs for a while. I did the dishes while the wizard remained at the table. He seemed content to sit and twiddle his thumbs in silence, and I didn’t really need another lecture on my potential for evil, so I didn’t bother to start a conversation.
As I finished up the last dish, I heard clanking coming down the stairs. I turned to see Kit leading Brendon, who probably couldn’t see any better than she’d been able to with the visor down. Seeing them switched back to their rightful places confirmed that it was the end. Brendon was going back to the castle to marry … someone, I just wasn’t sure who yet.
“Ready to go?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
“Lead on,” Brendon said, his familiar voice made tinny and indistinct by the helmet.
Kit gestured me over and placed Brendon’s hand on my arm. “You’ll need to guide him,” she explained. “I’m going to the village to intercept the king and queen, who should arrive today.”
Right, because she hadn’t officially been introduced to anyone yet. How would she explain things to Brendon’s parents?
“I think I’ll join you in town,” the Good Wizard said. “I have a few things I’d like to check on.”
Realizing that would leave me alone with Brendon for the first time since we’d kissed, I started to protest. Before the first syllable passed my lips, they left the tower, chatting happily and loudly like they were trying to drown me out.
I looked nervously at Brendon, who couldn’t see me, my expression, or much of anything, then sighed. “Maybe you should takethe helmet off while we’re in the forest?” I suggested, worried that he’d trip and drag me down with him. Getting pinned under that armor did not sound like a fun way to spend my morning.
“I can’t, someone might see me.”
“But Bane doesn’tactuallyhave a custom of not seeing the groom before the wedding, right? What are your parents going to say when they see you in that armor?”
He didn’t reply right away. His movements were stiff and uncertain, his steps coming down too hard sometimes, and light as a feather—but slower than molasses—others as he tried to acclimate himself. Kit had been awkward at first too, but the last few days she’d moved more fluidly. I hoped no one noticed the change and started asking questions.
“Kit will think of something,” he finally said, which wasn’t really an answer at all.
I didn’t like not knowing what Kit would tell them. I wished we’d discussed it more before we separated. “How much does Kit know?”
“Apparently more than I do,” he muttered, his tone as sour as an unripe cherry.
I had no idea what he meant or what had suddenly annoyed him.
“Brendon—” I began, then stopped and blinked. One moment we’d been walking through the forest, the trees thinning as we reached the edge. The next, giant green hedgerows towered over us. “What the fuck?”
Brendon’s hand tightened on my arm. “What is it? Another shadow beast?” He swiveled his head around a few times, trying to make up for his lack of peripheral vision.
Maybe we’d taken a wrong turn while I was distracted. I checked behind me and came nose-to-leaf with more foliage.
Choosing clear vision over discretion, Brendon lifted the helmet off. He blinked a few times before taking in the scenery. “What the fuck?”
“Exactly.”
Three paths lay before us—one to the right, one to the left, and one straight ahead. A statue stood to the side of each path. The one to the left was the bust of a beautiful young maiden, eyes demurely downcast, hair flowing over her shoulder and covering her scantily clad stone breasts. The one to the right was the bust of a gruff, older man, with a furrowed brow and an oversized nose. The last one was a gargoyle crouched on a stone pedestal, wings closed on its back.
“Did you lead us into some other tourist attraction?” Brendon asked, tucking his helmet under his arm.
“I’ve taken this route a hundred times and never seen this,” I replied. “Also, don’t you think I would have noticed if I’d walked us deep enough into a maze to end up stuck here, with no exit in sight?”
His brow furrowed. “Well, it shouldn’t be too hard to get out of here. The trick to a maze is just to choose a direction, put your hand on the wall, and follow it out.” He did just that, placing his right hand on the wall and walking to the right.
The maiden statue opened her eyes and shifted to look up at us through stone lashes. I yelped and jumped back, knocking straight into the gargoyle who hissed and waved its wings in agitation.
“One at a time!” it snarled and lashed at me with its claws until I stumbled back to Brendon’s side.
“If you would like to proceed down this path,” the maiden said, her voice sweet with an echo like the chime of bells, “you must answer one question.”
