House of Shadows (Royal Houses 2)

Fordham tugged her in closer. She rested her cheek against his chest. “It was the only choice you had at the time. Your father spent twelve years convincing you not to come back here. And he did it successfully. You would have picked anything over coming back.”

“Not anything. You.”

He held her closer in silence. Things neither of them could say hung heavy in the space between them.

As the party came to a close, the littlings were put to bed, lovers held each other tighter, and the magic of the evening faded. The faerie lights dimmed. The food was gone. The ribbons no longer glowed. Even her frost-drop crown withered on her head. Once picked, they only ever lasted the course of an evening.

She plucked the white flowers from her hair with a sigh. “It was lovely while it lasted.”

“Let’s get you back,” Fordham said, taking her hand and guiding her to the horses.

She let him help her back on the horse, and they leisurely took the road back home. They passed a contingent of guards again. They nodded their heads as Kerrigan passed with Fordham, and she smiled brightly at them. She was glad that her father’s men were protecting the village. It made her rest better at night.

Halfway back to Waisley, she decided that she wasn’t ready for the night to be over.

“Come with me,” she said, turning the horse off onto a well-worn path.

“Kerrigan,” he called. He huffed behind her from the path. “Where are we going?”

But she didn’t respond. Just kept leading the horse deeper into Corsica Forest. Then, she heard Fordham trot in after her.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he grumbled.

A smile quirked on her lips. She’d heard that before.

After fifteen minutes, she pulled off onto another trail, and the forest opened to reveal a series of pools. Despite the snow coating the ground and the chill in the air, none of them were frozen over.

“What is this place?” Fordham asked.

“The Corsican Hot Springs.”

Kerrigan dropped down and tied her horse to a nearby tree. Fordham did the same but with a furrowed brow. “I can see that. What are we doing here?”

Kerrigan answered by plucking at the laces on her dress. His eyes went wide as she dropped the dress onto the forest floor, leaving her in nothing but her shift.

42

The Hot Springs

“Kerrigan?” he said softly.

“I thought you were the one who didn’t care about nudity,” she challenged.

“Yes, but…”

She turned her back on him and let the shift drop. He sucked in a sharp breath as her bare backside was exposed. She hastily stepped into the water, letting the heat lick at her cold extremities. Once she was in up to her chin, she met Fordham’s eyes.

“Come on, princeling. I wasn’t ready for the party to be over.”

His jaw was set and his eyes hard. As if she’d tricked him into something he didn’t want. She opened her mouth to tell him that, of course, he didn’t have to come in, but then, he was jerking free the laces of his pants and stripping. When he’d done so in their game, she’d watched with intent interest. But that had been a game, and this wasn’t. Her cheeks bloomed red, and she hastily faced away from him until she heard him gently splash into the water.

She slowly turned back to face him, her eyes snagging on the steam hugging tight to his abdominal muscles, the broad sweep of his shoulders, and then finally that stormy gaze, as inimitable as ever.

“What are you thinking?” she whispered, sliding backward into the water.

“Are we back to Challenge or Consequence?” He sank deeper into the pool as he approached her.

“Truth or Dare,” she teased. Her cheeks flared hot again as she thought about how far they had gotten in their consequence.

“A truth for a truth,” he countered.

She nodded, intrigued. “Okay. What are you thinking?”

“That a siren has ensnared me in these waters.”

Her breath caught. “Oh.”

He stepped forward again until there was only steam between them. His face was still a mask. If he hadn’t just said that he found her to be a siren, she’d never have guessed his true feelings.

“What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I don’t know how you hide your true self so easily.”

He startled at her words. “I don’t.”

She choked out a laugh. “You do. You hide from everyone, even me.”

“I was raised to do it,” he admitted. “I’m not sure I could break the habit. It’s a defense mechanism.”

“Against me?”

He paused. “Especially you.”

She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but he arched an eyebrow.

“I believe it’s my turn.”

She huffed. “Fine, princeling. Ask away.”

“What did you see in your bonding ceremony?”

The air left her lungs in a rush, as if she’d been punched. Of course he would ask the one question she hadn’t wanted to answer. The one that she’d taken a consequence for in their twisted little game. But it was just the two of them here. If she couldn’t trust Fordham, who could she trust?