A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows

“I hope you enjoy your time in town. Next time I will try to join you.” He smiled, and even though the gesture didn’t meet his eyes, part of me wondered if Gavril was genuine.

He was the one letting me out when everyone else seemed content with keeping me in.

“I would like that.” I nodded before he made his way back to the table where his men were waiting for him.

Eletta helped me back to my room and into a silk cape that would do little against the chill in the air and a pair of black gloves. She refused to allow me to slip on my own trousers and shirt, and I decided that getting to leave the palace was enough of a battle won for the day.

Even if Evren was to be my escort through the city.

We made our way to the grand entrance of the palace, and I tried to avoid looking at Evren as much as I could when he and Jorah came into view standing by the door. Evren was dressed in his usual black attire, and I noticed he had minimal weapons strapped to his body unlike most of the other guards.

“Are you all ready?” Evren asked, and I finally looked up at him.

“We are.” I reached for the door, but he quickly knocked my hand away and pushed the door open for all of us. It would have almost been chivalrous if I didn’t already know him to be otherwise.

The sun beamed down against my skin, and for a long moment, I simply closed my eyes and allowed my face to bask in the warmth it provided. My skin tingled under its touch, and I took a deep breath.

“This way, my lady.” Jorah motioned me forward, and I followed him dutifully.

Evren and Eletta both walked behind me, but I didn’t pay either of them any attention as I passed through the gate with Jorah and out onto the busy street of Citlali. I slid my cape over my head before anyone was to look upon my face, and Jorah watched wordlessly.

“You are to stay at my side.” Evren’s rough voice growled from beside me. “If you stray, we will return immediately.”

“You’re grouchy today.” I adjusted my glove just as Jorah laughed.

“I am not joking, princess.” Evren moved closer to me. “You stay at my side or you will be brought back to the castle.”

“I heard you the first time, prince.” I enunciated his title, and his lips slipped into a smirk.

“And where exactly would you like to go?”

“I don’t yet know.” I shrugged my shoulders, and he grinned harder. “Surely, one of you knows of something in this city that is worth showing me.”

“Right this way.” He bowed playfully and motioned for me to walk ahead of him. I did so quickly and began walking down the cobblestone street with him at my back.

There were a multitude of vendors out on the street selling everything from spices to wool to pastries. The smell of it was divine and made my stomach growl in hunger.

“Which one do you want?” Evren pulled a coin from his pocket and nodded toward the pastry cart.

“Oh.” I shook my head. “I’m fine.” I took a step back from the cart, but Evren quickly caught my arm in his hand.

“I can buy you a pastry, Adara.” He handed the coin to the older woman who ran the cart, and she looked back and forth between us. “Now tell her which one you want before I decide for you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he wasn’t budging. “The lemon, please.”

She nodded before wiping her hands on her flour-covered apron. She wrapped my pastry in a small cloth before handing it to me.

The smell of lemon and sugar hit me the moment it was in my hand, and I wasted no time biting into it. A small moan slipped from my lips as the flavor hit my tongue. The palace was full of food, but nothing had tasted like this.

“That good?”

I looked up at Evren and he was watching me so intently as I licked the lemon glaze from my lips. “It is. Would you like to try?”

“I would love to.” How did he manage to make such a simple phrase feel so erotic?

I held the pastry out to him, but instead of taking it from me, he gripped my wrist in his hand before bringing the treat to his mouth. He didn’t take his eyes off me as he bit into it, and I couldn’t force myself to look away.

I knew that others could see us, I was absolutely certain that Eletta was probably watching us after the way she had walked in on us last night, but nothing mattered when he was looking at me like that. Everything beyond him seemed to fall away, and he was all I could see.