12. Raven #2
Before stepping inside and reporting to Neive and Lucas, I tossed the remaining crumbs into the air. They showered around me on the terrace, and a sea of black wings descended.
“We have a little over an hour before the grumpy buzzard expects your presence in the archives.” Lucas led me down one of the lower-level hallways on the backside of the palace.
The monstrous place had so many rooms and passages that it would take me at least a week to memorize the layout. So, for today, I was thankful to have Lucas as a guide.
The buzzard of discussion was Valen, and I couldn’t help but huff a laugh. “Your tongue appears to lack respectful restraint with regard to said buzzard.”
“Please.” He waved a dismissive hand. “I may be employed here at the palace, but I am not afraid to speak my mind. Prince Winter is very familiar with my ways. That’s why he placed you in my care.
I’m not afraid to go toe-to-toe with that buzzard of a royal healer should the need arise.
And I will not bore you with any of that stuffy, ‘Yes, my lady; no, my lady; what can I get for you, my lady’ gibberish. ”
I gaped. “Oh-kay.”
“You’ll only hear that kind of talk from me when we’re around stuffy staff or royals, minus Prince Winter, of course.”
“Wow.” I glanced over Lucas as if seeing him for the first time. “You’re quite unexpected. How familiar did you say you were with Winter?”
“Oh no.” Lucas shook his head. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not nice to kiss and tell?”
My mouth dropped open.
“Unless, of course, you want to be sharing after last night’s kiss-fest?”
I blinked wide and stared at him.
“Don’t act all coy. Neive found him in your rooms this morning. And, well, Neive and I are both familiar with the prince’s usual tendencies.”
Indeed, Winter had still been lounging on the bed when Neive had entered to rouse me for the day. I couldn’t convince the lady’s maid that nothing beyond a few kisses had transpired. Clearly, Winter had a reputation. And, if I’d heard correctly, that reputation wasn’t solely with females.
“Don’t worry. I’m no competition for your sweetness.
” He patted my shoulder blade, and my face warmed.
“The prince and I only hooked up a handful of times around his eighteenth birthday. What would that be now? Like a hundred and seven years ago? We were never news, and if we were, it would have been yesterday’s. You, on the other hand—”
“Stop it. Winter and I are not a thing.” I cannot…cannot allow us to become one.
Lucas huffed and steered me to a door on the right. “That’s not what it looked like this morning.”
My jaw clenched. Reaping gossip.
Stopping sharply, he spun to face me, his expression sobering. “And to be honest, I can’t recall the last time I witnessed such life in him. You do him good.”
Great. Nothing like a mountain of guilt before lunch.
Lucas pulled a smile into place, pushed open the door, and motioned me into the room beyond.
Bolts of fabrics in every color and texture lined the space.
Spools of lace, ribbon, and thread in a rainbow array filled tabletops and were interspersed with the necessary tools for a seamstress.
In the center of the room stood a small pedestal, set before a curved wall of mirrors, and in the corner of the room stood two twin girls and their mother, Camilla.
Lucas brushed past me and threw his arms around Camilla, pulling her into a tight hug. “Good to see you again, sweet cheeks. Hasn’t been the same since you left.”
“I didn’t leave,” she replied dryly.
“Semantics.” He stepped back and waved his hand, then he turned to the girls. “Offspring of fire, I presume.”
“You presume correctly.” She crossed the room and wrapped herself around me. “I see Winter is taking good care of you.”
“It would appear that way,” I replied, unwilling to speak the truth of my situation to anyone outside of my reaper crew.
A crew, I remembered with a sharp pain through my chest, that was one member short. Aldine was gone. How could he be gone from a citadel where people didn’t appear to die?
“Well...” Camilla slipped free and bit her lower lip. “He likes you. That’s clear. Or at least is extremely intrigued by you. He does enjoy puzzles and curiosities.”
A pink blush spread across her cheeks. She quickly averted her gaze and motioned to the twins. They stepped forward and handed their mom a measuring tape, pencil, and pad of paper.
“Relationships with royals are fun and exciting, until they’re not,” Camilla said.
“And those actions get you tossed outside the palace walls,” Lucas added dryly.
Camilla shot him a glare that lasted a breath in time before shifting to a lopsided frown.
I took in Camilla, Lucas, the girls. Yeah, I had no intention of getting knocked up. Not by Winter or any other guy. So that worry was off the table.
“Anyway.” Camilla’s demeanor perked. “Prince Winter asked me to whip up some apparel items for you, and so that is what we are going to do. I’ll need you to strip off the excess clothing so that I can properly record your measurements.”
With a sigh, I shifted my attention to Lucas, and Camilla followed my gaze.
“What?” Lucas threw his hands up. “You needn’t be shy. I couldn’t care less about all that”―he waved a hand at my body―“female stuff.”
The edge of my lips curled as Camilla cracked a laugh. The two girls buried their faces in their hands.
“Right, well…nonetheless, out you go." Camilla shuffle-pushed Lucas out into the hall and shut the door.