Chapter 30 #2
And as he struggled with attention, I found myself grappling with my own version of it.
I was also followed everywhere by my own personal security detail.
It was a strange feeling to be shadowed, but I didn’t mind, since I successfully employed hiding behind them to avoid at least three noble heirs who looked ready to request my hand for a dance.
As the sun dipped low and the musicians began another lively reel, Nisien found me. He bowed, one hand over his heart. “Will you dance with me, Lady Isca?”
I whispered, “I don’t know how.” Heat crept to my face.
He leaned in, close enough that his lips brushed the shell of my ear. “I’ll show you. I’ll speak to the musicians. They’ll play a simple song next.”
He planted a chaste kiss on my hand and vanished toward them, cutting a striking figure in his white tunic that matched my dress.
Right after Nisien left, another wealthy son began striding purposefully toward me, eyes full of hope, emboldened by the freely flowing drink. He had the look of Lord Elid and Lady Briallen, so I guessed he was their son.
I steeled myself, ready either to make small talk or reject another dance.
But then I felt the pulse of wild, disordered power. The wealthy heir barely made it three steps before he froze. His eyes went wide just before an unseen force shoved him back violently. He crashed into a table with a surprised shout, scattering goblets and fruit.
Conversations and laughter nearby faltered and died. My breath caught. The man wasn’t hurt, thank the gods.
Emrys. His name was a curse in my mind.
And then he was there in the wealthy heir’s place.
He stalked toward me, eyes hard, his movements like a lion tracking its prey. His guards had vanished. Either he’d worn them down or this was more evidence that he’d finally snapped.
Noticing their prince, my guards took a step back.
Not guarding me from danger at all.
“Lady mage,” he growled. His voice was low, barely audible above the music. But I heard it. Felt it deep in the hollow of my chest.
I straightened, hands clenched around my skirts, eyes forward on the crowd instead of his face—I’d break if I looked into his eyes.
“Lord Prince,” I returned, sweet as honey. “Should I curtsy now or wait until you’ve destroyed more tables?”
He took another step closer. I tracked his movement, noticing too late that his eyes were burning with suppressed anger.
“More tables,” he whisper-growled. “Are you trying to entrap my brother?”
“What?” The question hit unexpectedly hard. “I… What?”
“He’s changing the music.” Emrys’s hands twitched at his sides, the effort of restraint obvious. The tincture must’ve been wearing off.
I was so surprised I wasn’t quite certain how to respond. Except my rising frustration made me less inhibited than normal.
“And…?” I snapped. I waited for an answer, but he just fidgeted. “What does the music have to do with entrapping your brother? He asked me to dance. Not the other way around, Lord Prince Emrys.”
Instead of answering, he clenched his jaw. He looked me over, focusing first on the jewelry, then drew in a deep, ragged breath.
My breath hitched as his gaze lingered, making heat rise low in my belly. My hand rose to the necklace.
He cleared his throat and then said haltingly, “You look beautiful.”
The jarring change of subject struck me momentarily speechless. He was always volatile, but this felt like a new type of storm brewing inside him. And since I knew that his rage was armor, I couldn’t help but wonder what had hurt him today…
So even as my heart fluttered at the compliment, I worried for him. “Thank y—”
But Emrys was already gone, vanishing into the crowd as quickly as he’d come. Typical. Everyone parted for him like shadows fleeing a firestorm.
I stared after him, stunned, my pulse still racing with a breathlessness tightening my chest. The familiar tingling of my magic, like a thousand tiny sparks, danced beneath my skin.
It was desperate to burst forth and touch him with what little peace it could.
And if I were honest with myself, I knew I wanted the same thing.
I wanted to soothe the beast so he wouldn’t have to fight so hard all on his own.
But not here. Not with so many watching.
His walls were up, but the slightest hint of his emotions had seeped through as he’d stammered out that compliment.
He was actually upset that Nisien was changing the music.
Why? It seemed an absurd thing to be concerned about since the music had been playing for hours already.
I might’ve thought he was a lost cause, had I not witnessed the real Emrys shine through the curse’s storm.
Despite his volatility, the peeks of the man underneath showed someone worth trying to understand.
Nisien returned and took my arm in his, firmly, possessively, the way a man might stake a claim—but it was all a show. Just like our matching outfits, just like this dance.
“You look regal, Lady Isca.”
I smiled, this time without hesitation. With him, it felt good to be seen. “Thank you, Nisien. Though we both know regal isn’t the best word to describe me.”
“And I still don’t care, Isca.”
The way he said my name, title-less, struck my heart with all the force of one of my silly sibling arguments with Tegil. But there was something careful in the way he said it, too. Like he wanted me to know that he was still holding my feelings with the gentle care of a good friend.
Our relationship had changed—there was no going back now.
Nisien led me to the center of the area where space had been cleared for dancing. The moment we took up our positions, a soft, lilting tune, slow and easy to follow, began to drift from the musicians’ instruments.
“Your hand,” he said.
I gave it to him.
His palm, warm and reassuring, rested lightly at the small of my back as he guided me with quiet confidence. After a few fumbles on my part, our bodies swayed in tandem to the music.
Nisien looked down at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners, with a comfortable, genuine smile. “Now, left foot back. There. You’re dancing.”
I didn’t feel foolish. I didn’t even feel nervous. Just…comforted. He was not the flame that threatened to consume me like his twin. Nisien was the hearth that promised comfort. Nisien was…a friend?
When the dance ended, the cheers and applause faded, and the stars began to twinkle overhead. I found myself walking beside Nisien beneath the sycamores again.
“You’ve been dazzling all day,” he said, brushing a fallen petal from my shoulder. “The court has never looked more alive.”
I laughed softly. “You do have a clever way with words.”
He stepped closer, so near I could see the gold flecks in his eyes. “You make them come easily, Lady Isca.”
Then his fingers found mine again—intertwining gently, like we shared a secret. If my heart had given me a choice in this, maybe Nisien would’ve been the right brother to set my eyes on. He truly was a good man.
“Come,” he said with a mischievous smirk. “Let’s walk a little longer. Eyes are still watching.”
I followed because maybe, just maybe, clever Nisien had a reason for this charade. But even as I leaned into him for the show he was having us put on, I felt it again—that spark under my skin, reaching out for a firestorm.
And I felt eyes watching. I didn’t need to look to know whose eyes they were.