Chapter 53 #2
“Sorry, I… You!” she exclaimed, her expression shifting rapidly through a spectrum of emotions—surprise, irritation, indignation—each one serving to accentuate her striking beauty. Eventually, she settled on a look of irritation, planting her hands on her hips in a stance of defiance.
Rain couldn’t resist smirking at the sight. There was something magnetic about this female; not merely her beauty, but the way she held herself, her unpredictability. She was unlike any aetherial he had ever encountered, and the challenge she presented was undeniably intriguing to him.
“Me again,” he said smugly, “I have a question.” He paused, amused by her discomfort, her face revealing every emotion he couldn’t channel from her, “a few questions actually.”
“Good for you, I don’t much feel like answering your questions,” she retorted.
“I suddenly have the urge to go back to my hotel and bathe. Present company and his power seem to be leaving an unpleasant feeling upon my skin.” Her tone was sharp, but the faint tremor beneath it betrayed her nerves.
His lips twitched into a grin, to which her eyes narrowed further.
“You can think of me while you bathe later.” He said with a wink, enticing a scowl out of her. “Until then, please, join me for one drink. After all, you seemed to have taken an interest in me before I approached you. Perhaps, we can satisfy both of our curiosities?”
Her cheeks burned as she searched his face, contemplating his intentions. “Just one harmless drink, that is all I ask.” He held up his hands; to emphasise his good intentions, her shoulders dropped in resignation.
“One drink and then you will let me leave?”
“You’re not my prisoner, Princess, you may decline, but where is the fun in that?
” Her eyes sparkled at his challenge, her lips pressing together to smother a smile she refused to give him.
He held out a hand, she stared at it and then back at him, shooting him a look of disdain.
“I am just going to lead you back to my table, I don’t particularly trust you not to run away if I turn my back on you.
Please, indulge me.” To that she did award him a smile, the thought must have crossed her mind.
She coyly slid her fingers onto his awaiting palm; both of them inhaled sharply as a surge of energy pulsed in the pit of their stomachs.
The sensation was immediate; a soft, electric flutter that rippled through him like a whisper against his skin.
Her eyes widened and her body tensed, her grip tightening in his.
Had she not reacted, Rain would have assumed he was the only one affected, but she openly wore her emotions, displaying every sensation.
In contrast, Rain showed no outward sign of the effect, keeping his feelings carefully guarded.
Instead, he turned and tugged her lightly behind him, guiding her to the back of the room and towards his secluded table.
His mind raced to analyse the sensation. The feeling lingered, transforming into something as delicate as butterfly wings, subtle yet impossible to ignore. It wasn’t attraction, not exactly; it was recognition. Something in her energy resonated with his, like two notes vibrating in the same key.
When they reached the table, Rain gently released her hand. She balled her hand into a fist, cradling it in her other palm as she lowered herself into the chair he offered. The sensation gradually settled, but a lingering awareness remained, like a fingerprint pressed into kneaded dough.
Rain sat opposite her, quietly observing the way she fidgeted with the chain at her wrist. Her dark eyes softened, vulnerability flickering across her features; a stark contrast to the confidence she had shown before.
Just then, Elijah appeared beside them, his manner breezy and polite, a relaxed smile spreading across his lips as he regarded the pair.
“Darlings, would you like me to get you a drink?” Rain’s full glass was still resting where he had left it; Elijah had come to scope the situation.
Eager to determine if his night of fun had been invaded by this beautiful intrusion.
There wasn’t any jealousy within Elijah’s aura, but there was perhaps a touch of pending disappointment.
The momentary vulnerability had slipped away from the female’s eyes, replaced with the defiant confidence she displayed before.
“I’ll have whisky, please.” Rain watched her intently, noting the way her teeth dented her bottom lip after the request, revealing her nerves.
“Make that two please, Elijah.” The bartender nodded, brushing his fingers over Rain’s shoulder as he turned back to the bar.
The female watched attentively, judging through narrowed eyes.
“So, may I know your name?” he asked, leaning his elbows against the wooden table between them.
Her lip slipped from her teeth as she pressed them firmly together, evidently, she didn’t want to reveal her name.
“How did you know I was a princess?” she deflected.
Rain smirked, he hadn’t known until just now, but it had felt fitting to call her that.
Even though the image before him didn’t appear very princess-like, she also didn’t appear to be in costume; her leathers moulded her figure perfectly, worn many times before.
“It was a feeling,” he replied, trying to read her energy, coming up short again.
He could sense her, feel the underlying current of her mood, that was the best he could explain it.
Which only revealed that he made her nervous, intriguingly so.
“An orange princess?” The air shifted with her as she attempted to school her features; she hadn’t wanted him to know where she was from.
“Yes,” she offered a little too quickly, moving her attention toward Elijah who had returned with two short glasses of copper liquid.
They both thanked him and he bowed, theatrically twirling away, sassily shaking his hips as he stalked back to the bar.
Rain paid him no attention, aware that she was watching him every time Elijah approached, as though she expected him to flirt without shame.
“Ok orange princess, I’m ashamed to admit that I am not familiar with your royalty. Perhaps that makes me a terrible prince.” He looked at her pointedly as she didn’t react to his admittance, “Clearly you’re aware of who I am.”
“Everyone knows who you are, Prince Rain; it was incredibly easy to identify you. What with you brooding in a dark corner, dressed in black with your disturbingly bright eyes,” Rain scoffed, interrupting obnoxiously.
“Don’t you dare try to pretend my eyes aren’t captivating. They’re undoubtedly one of my best features.”
“You say that like you have many,” she shot back, enticing more excitement out of him.
Oh, she’s a fun one, he thought, the corner of his mouth twitching with delight.
“As I was saying, even those of us who don’t associate with the likes of you, are aware of you and your reputation,” she delivered the sentence like a bite, she wanted to bruise his ego.
All it did was serve as a delightful distraction, enticing him to tease more out of her.
He leant back in his seat, clasping his drink, letting the liquid slosh against the glass.
“My reputation, you say, I have quite an extensive reputation that differs from kingdom to kingdom. Care to enlighten me as to what the Orange kingdom has to say about me that repulses you so?” Her face contorted into embarrassed irritation, filling him with satisfaction.
“You’re right it is extensive, it would take all day to delve into specifics.
” She lifted her chin sanctimoniously. “Anyway, I suppose you’re proud of flirting with everything that moves,” her eyes shooting toward the bar.
“When you’re not using violence to entice fear out of everyone that is.
” Her words hit a bit deeper than he expected they would, though they were predictable, triggering his annoyance
“Hmm, I suppose flirting is a code word for fucking. Am I right?” His words sharp, her deep brown eyes flickered with the same vulnerability he had sensed earlier, a flush evident in her cheeks, surprising him a little.
“Ah yes, my sordid reputation as the Promiscuous prince. Watch out for my eye’s princess,” He leant forward, holding her gaze.
“It is said that they’ll have your panties dropping to your ankles before you get the chance to whisper a single word from those beautiful lips of yours. ”
She spluttered on her drink, nearly inhaling her first sip.
The drink had been a deliberate attempt to distract herself from Rain’s piercing stare, but it backfired as the liquid caught in her throat.
Rain’s lips twitched with amusement, though he didn’t allow himself to fully smile.
Instead, he leaned back in his seat, keeping his attention fixed on her while he lifted his own glass and took a slow, deliberate sip.
He savoured the burn as it slid down his throat, the moment stretching out between them.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat but refused to back down, clinging to a mask of confidence that, to Rain, was beginning to appear more and more like an act.
The inability to read her as he did with others was infuriating, but he wasn’t willing to admit his frustration aloud.
Silence settled between them, growing heavier as it became clear she had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Her mouth was set in a stubborn line, jaw clenched with determination, making her resistance even more apparent.
Realising the intensity of his own gaze, Rain finally dropped his eyes, aware that his staring was likely bordering on uncomfortable.
He broke the silence, his tone measured.
“Princess, not everything we hear in court is as it seems. I will not do myself the disservice of defending gossip and propaganda.” At his words, she inhaled sharply, the fire inside her clearly stoked by the implication.