Page 62 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne
More headshaking.
“Would you like my help, Treasure?” Wilde asked, his dark eyes sparkling. I had no idea what he would make me do to pay for his services.
And I absolutely was not a little excited at the thought. I was just … anxious about getting out of the situation, which was why my heart skipped a beat.
I looked to the others, who all nodded eagerly. Sighing, I said, “Yes, I would like your help.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
My eyes widened in panic. “No, that’s alright. You can just tell us how to—”
His image disappeared from the mirror. Hadn’t he ever heard of saying goodbye?
“We get to meet your boyfriend!” Delilah exclaimed, hugging me around the middle. “This is so exciting!”
‘Exciting’ wasn’t the word I would use. ‘Terrifying’, ‘nerve-wracking’, ‘a complete fucking disaster’ were all more appropriate.I shouldn’t have called him. We should have walked around in circles until we eventually figured it out ourselves.
Even as I chastised myself, another thought hovered on the edges of my mind: what kind of boyfriend would Wilde be?
Chapter Eighteen
“Boyfriend, huh?”
I jumped and whirled around, heart pounding as I glared at Wilde. For the first time since we’d met, he’d left the black cloak at home. Instead, he wore simple fawn pants, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a pale blue waistcoat. The outfit suited his delicate coloring, softening his edges. His pale hair was tied back, only a few shorter strands framing his face.
The others hadn’t noticed his arrival yet. Fitz had his nose in a book. Maximus stood with his back to us, guarding the opposite direction. Angelica was taking a nap, using someone else’s pack as a pillow. Delilah had climbed a tree across the stream to investigate a bird’s nest. She claimed it was to check if the eggs belonged to monsters, but she probably planned to test them by eating them.
“They backed me into a corner,” I said, shifting my position to block him from the other’s view. His shorter stature made it easier. “They’re too spooked to let anyone wander off on their own and asked a million questions.”It was the stupid geas’ fault.“It was the only explanation that made sense.” I frowned as magic coated my tongue again.Can I not mention the geas to Wilde?Since we’d spoken freely about the old man, I’d assumed Wilde was an exception to the spell.
“I’m happy for the excuse to keep a closer eye on you.” As he spoke, he placed his hand on my chest and trailed his fingers up to my shoulder.
“W-what are you doing?” I asked, mouth suddenly dry.
“If we’re pretending to be lovers, shouldn’t you kiss me hello?” His fingers continued tracing a line up to my neck, then he cupped the back of it with his whole hand.
The touch was gentle, easy to break. I could have pulled away, but I allowed him to guide me down. My gaze flicked to his pink lips, parted slightly in invitation, then back to his black eyes. I could see myself reflected in them up until I closed mine. The fresh, clean scent of rain surrounded me, with sweeter notes underneath.Does he taste as good as he smells?I lowered my head, ready to find out.
His grip tightened and I immediately stopped. “That’s enough of a show for now,” he whispered, his breath hot against my lips. “We’ll save the rest for when we aren’t in polite company.”
I blinked hard, coming out of a daze. Straightening, I turned to tell everyone that my ‘boyfriend’ and our savior had arrived, only to find them abnormally absorbed in something else.
Fitz’s book had moved from a relaxed posture in his lap to right in front of his face, completely blocking his view. Angelica had her pouch open, searching through it. I might have believed her if she’d brought the pouch closer to her rather than stretching her back at an awkward angle to reach behind herself. In the tree, Delilah hung upside down, yolk staining her mouth as she whistled an off-key tune.
Only Maximus stared directly at us, jaw clenched and lips pressed in a disapproving line.
“Everyone, allow me to introduce”—what did I say his name was?—“Will. My boyfriend.”
Wilde slipped his hand into mine and leaned his head against my shoulder, really hamming it up for them. Silky strands of hair tickled my chin and everywhere he touched buzzed with awareness. “A pleasure,” he said, his lips curving around the word like a promise. “Though I’d hoped to meet you all under more ideal circumstances.”
Those ‘ideal circumstances’ being as his master’s prisoners?
In her excitement, Delilah dropped straight down from the tree, landing on her feet. However, she was too far away and ended up being the last to meet him.
Angelica untwisted herself with surprising grace and stood up. “Angelica Calamitous.” She breezed over her introduction and went straight to interrogation. “Did he blackmailyou?”
Wilde arched an eyebrow. “No.”
“Enchant you, perhaps?”
