Page 98 of Dare
As for Briar, her elegant and tidy wardrobe had a fierceness to it—confident and regal. Yearning gripped my throat. I’d sent that messenger butterfly ages ago but hadn’t yet received a reply. In any case, if the princess were here, along with the ladies who’d embraced her on Reaper’s Fest, they would also know which garment to choose.
Instead, I had made a mess of the cellar. Fisting my hands, I strode to the final chest and carefully picked through a stack of opulent choices.
Then my fingers halted, a gasp tumbling from my lips. At the bottom of the pile rested a masterpiece. Unspooling the outfit from its confines, I marveled at the sumptuous vision. It was the most beautiful fabric I’d ever seen.
Mama and Papa used to say that when a treasure was special, I would know.
They were right. A thrill swirled in my chest. I stripped naked, shook out the fabric, and held it up to my frame.
***
We’d agreed to meet a while ago, but it had taken a century to untangle the knots in my hair. As eventide approached, I rushed into the vestibule where Jeryn waited with his back facing me. Except I dashed too quickly and slid sideways from the corridor. Staggering, I grabbed my skirt at the last moment, saved myself from going down, and jumped back into the hallway before the prince could witness a crash landing.
Plastering my back to the wall, I clutched my stomach and got a hold of myself. Then I wheeled and peeked around the corner. The sight eased my jitters and had me pressing a fist to my mouth, to contain my mirth.
Jeryn bowed his head, braced one hand on his waist, and used the other to tap a wrapped object against his thigh. With a muffled oath, he surged into motion, pacing the chamber’s length like a tiger. All the while, he fussed with the item in his hands, crushing and releasing it.
Any more of this, and he would wear out the stone floor. But then he started mouthing to himself, as though rehearsing a speech.
The hushed makings of a chuckle tripped through the room. At once, the prince swung toward the disturbance, and I realized the noise had come from me.
Why should I expect anything else? This man heard me when no one else did.
Across the vast space, his eyes found mine. From mounted wall brackets, torch flames licked the air. He must have ignited them with Summer tinder, although we’d agreed not to do this often, apart from whenever we needed additional light while working.
Orange hues brushed his face. As he wheeled my way, I stepped from the corridor.
And Jeryn froze. Mid-turn, the villain prince halted, the parcel dropping from his fingers and hitting the floor. Whatever he’d been about to say died on his lips, shock transforming his features as he watched me come forward.
That dark gaze devoured me whole, shedding any remaining shyness from me. I glided toward him, feeling powerful and magical and beautiful.
A red skirt—dyed in the same ethereal shade as my butterfly companion—fell to my ankles, multiple layers whispering against the floor. The matching cropped bodice clung to my breasts and left my midriff bare, while the straps hooked around my shoulders, bracing slightly off the edges. I’d picked a hibiscus flower of the same color to tuck behind my ear, and slender sandals twined around my feet, the deep olive straps blending with my skin.
Also, the sheath holding my dagger rested in a thin band, which encircled my thigh. The slit in my skirt revealed this too.
A barely perceptible “Fuck” drifted from Jeryn’s throat. He raked his gaze over me, those pupils reflecting every torch flame. The unbridled look melted through my garments, ratcheted my heartbeat, and struck between my thighs.
I admired him in kind. The villain prince had chosen ebony linen, the shirt and pants fitted without being constrictive. A deep V accentuated his collarbones and the shadows of his pecs, he had rolled the sleeves up his forearms, and a pair of narrow boots that had once belonged to an ancient resident climbed up his limbs.
Breaking from his stupor, Jeryn stalked my way. We paused in the room’s center, this terrain unfamiliar for both of us.
The speechless prince stood there. “You look …”
Yet he trailed off, unable to finish. My spine tingled, feeling the brush of every compliment that never made it to his lips. “I’m late.”
“I don’t care,” he uttered. “I would have waited far longer.”
The reply brimmed like kindling in my navel. Despite his pacing from earlier, I believed him.
At length, the prince spun toward the item he’d dropped. Swiping it from the floor, he glimpsed the object with hesitation, then returned to me. “For you.”
He seemed plagued while extending the parcel. Stunned, I accepted the item wrapped in broadleaves and tied with a cord of rope.
My confusion triggered Jeryn. “It is a gift,” he explained, his tone uneasy.
I nodded to reassure him. “I know. It’s just that …” Swallowing, I met his eyes. “I haven’t been given a present in a long time.” After a beat of silence in which Jeryn’s features pulled taut, I wondered, “But why?”
This man planned things. Yet my birthday wasn’t for another several months, nor did I have an achievement to celebrate.