Page 84 of The Assassin's Dancer
His chest makes a low grumbling sound. Leaning forward, he hovers his lips by my ear.
“What about in here?” he continues, lowering his hand to my knees. I gasp as his fingers slowly push up my tulle skirt, brushing the outside of my thigh.
Warmth pools between my legs. When he reaches my hips, I almost instinctively stroke his shoulders before I catch myself.
Furious, I use both hands to shove him aside.
“Are you deaf? When a lady says stop, you stop,” I growl, marching past him.
Kaz tilts his head.
“And don’t come after me this time,” I say over my shoulder, but before I go any further I’m yanked back by a hand on my wrist.“Stop! Let go of me!” I hiss, squirming in his hold.
“Ruby, wait.” Kaz’s voice catches me off guard. It’s softer than I was expecting, and when I glance up at him, there’s a hint of shyness in his expression. Like he’s… embarrassed?
My anger melts into confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” He looks away, struggling. “It doesn’t matter. You should go. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
Curiosity gets the better of me. Without thinking, I grab his arm. “Tell me.”
Kaz winces, then drags a hand through his hair. “I didn’t just come here to see you. I mean, I did, but I wanted to show you something too.”
“Show me what?” I ask.
“It’s not here,” he stutters, “it’s uh…” He clears his throat. “I’ll show you. It’s this way.”
He steps forward, offering me his arm.
“Is this just some elaborate scheme to kidnap me?” I half-joke while taking his arm.
Kaz chuckles, the tips of his ears glowing red. “No, but you’ll probably never look at me the same way again after seeing this, so if you’d rather be kidnapped,” he tosses me a grin, “I’m happy to throw you over my shoulder instead.”
With a laugh I roll my eyes. But still, I let him lead me deeper into the palace grounds, leaving my dance circle far behind us.
29
AMARYLLIS
Kasimir leads me through a secluded grassy area hidden by blossoming trees and manicured shrubs. We’re near the back of the palace, the golden walls of the empty ballroom stretching up high into the night sky behind us, while beneath our feet an apricot stone path glows under the light of the moon. Each step we take, we stray further from my bedchamber, further from my dance circle, and of course, further from any guards.
I’d be afraid if I wasn’t so curious.
“Where are we going?” I ask for the fifth time.
Exactly like before, Kasimir shrugs and keeps his gaze fixed ahead of us. “You’ll find out when we get there,” he says, and then it’s back to silence. The only sounds I can hear are the faint buzz of crickets, our footsteps along the path, and then… music?
“Where is that coming from?” I start, but my voice trails off into a gasp as we step under a wisteria-covered archway.
Ahead of us, a white gazebo rises from the centre of a round grassy clearing, surrounded by tall shrubs. Candles light up the clearing, their warm glow touching each tuft of grass, each wildflower.
It’s a beautiful sight, but then again it always was. I’ve been here before many times, in fact my sisters and I used to sneak out and dance here before Father had our dance circle made. But tonight it’s different. Tonight, it’s more than beautiful because every inch of the gazebo, from its raised wooden base to the ornate top, is covered in spectacular purple flowers.
“Oh, Kasimir,” I sigh, stepping out of his hold. Wisteria hangs from the roof, while the sides have been wrapped in hyacinth, aster, foxgloves – more flowers than I could ever name and each one a different shade of violet. Tears well in my eyes. I can barely stand as I soak it all in.
“Do you like it?” Kaz asks.
“Like it?” I whirl around to face him. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything so wonderful, it’s…” My words fade away as soft music starts up again from nearby. “Is that the palace string quartet?”
