Page 35 of Hearts on Fire
“It’s different.”
I took a sip of my coffee. It tasted divine, either hot or cold. No wonder Elex had made a face at the train station coffee I’d given him back in Munich. It certainly paled in comparison.
I placed the cup back on the tray and asked for another glass of water.
“Does a prince have absolutely no say in who his future wife would be?”
“Not in Dakath.” He helped me drink the water from the goblet again. “It’s not a good idea for a prince to even meet his potential matches before the arrangement is finalized.”
“Why not?”
“So as not to develop any preferences for one woman over the other before the selection is complete. A royal marriage is not a matter of the heart. It’s best to avoid disappointment.”
“I see.” The meal, as little as I’d eaten, had exhausted me. I slumped back into the pile of pillows.
He put away the breakfast tray and adjusted the covers to make me more comfortable. I caught his hand as soon as he’d finished. Afraid he’d leave if I drifted to sleep, I kept talking.
“But what if you don’t like the person chosen for you? What if she hates your guts? What if you two are extremely incompatible and drive each other crazy? Then what?”
He sat on the edge of the bed next to me.
“Then the couple just have to do their best to co-exist in the same castle.”
“For centuries?”
He nodded.
That couldn’t be fun.
“I read somewhere,” I said, “that by marrying your spouse, you’re getting a partner to share twenty thousand meals together. That’s a lot of miserable meals if you don’t like the person.”
He chuckled, leaning down to place a kiss on my forehead.
“Such is the life of royalty—great privileges combined with heavy obligations.”
I hooked an arm around his neck.
“Don’t leave. I’m so tired, I’ll fall asleep again soon. But please, stay with me.”
Maybe it was the sickness that made me feel so vulnerable. Or his taking care of me had disarmed me. But I needed him, even in my sleep.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He kicked off his shoes and climbed on top of the covers behind me. Fitting his long body around mine, he spooned me from behind. “Sleep, Amber.” He kissed my hair. “I’ll be here when you wake up. I’ll always be here.”
I so wished for that to be true.
Eleven
AMBER
Spring was coming full force to the mountains. One late morning, I opened the shutters on both windows of Elex’s bedroom. They were so tall, the windowsills weren’t even a foot off the floor. I sat in a pile of cushions on the floor in front of a window, with a fur throw over my shoulders. The golden-yellow fur was short but warm, soft, and light like a feather. Elex had told me it was the fur of a gryphon, an animal I used to think lived only in myths.
But wasn’t I living in a myth, too, now?
I’d been in Elex’s room for five days now. After he had broken my fever in a rather unconventional but effective way, I’d been steadily recovering. My body had defeated the virus, or whatever it was that I had. And with Elex’s care and attention, I actually enjoyed my recovery time.
The sun was high above the mountains. The sky was clear. I could see all the way to the valley from here. The snow poppies were in full bloom. The fields of them came up all the way to the black walls of the castle, making the mountains look as if splashed with red paint or…blood.
The door to the room opened, and Elex walked in. Wearing a long, ivory-colored caftan with colorful beadwork around the sleeves and neckline and soft fabric shoes instead of his boots, he looked as casual as a fae prince could in a royal castle.