Chapter 22 – Alex
Chapter Twenty-Two
ALEX
“Alex, wake up!” an anxious female voice filters into my awareness, and I blink.
It’s like coming up out of a thick murky lake, but then my gaze catches on her. Sera’s eyes stare into my soul, and without thinking, I reach up and cup her cheeks, pulling her down toward me.
“What the—”
My mouth silences hers with a firm, warm kiss, and I breathe her in. There are notes of jasmine and vanilla, and I pull her closer until her warm body lies atop mine. For just a moment, she melts into me, but then she stiffens, and full awareness comes over me.
“Gods, I’m so sorry.” I gasp, rolling her off me to the side before jumping out of bed like a man on fire. “I don’t know what came over me.”
She lies on the bed, stunned, before rising up on her elbow. “Do you kiss every female who wakes you up?”
I palm my face and groan. “Shit, I don’t know why I did that. It just felt right. I’m sorry, Spitfire.”
“Well that’s one way to get you out of bed, I guess.”
The hint of teasing in her tone makes me think she forgives my faux pas, but I still feel bad. I didn’t mean to kiss her, but as I said, it’s as if something came over me and she just felt like . . . mine. The feeling of loss at her distance almost breaks my heart.
I glance out the window, and the first sun has barely risen in the sky. “What’s the rush?” I ask, stifling a yawn. “I doubt the queen eats this early.”
Sera gracefully leaps off the bed and raises her arms over her head in a stretch. I try not to let my gaze linger on the way her clothes cling to her body, revealing her curves.
“Well, while you were enjoying your beauty rest—”
“Before or after you woke me?” I interrupt with a grumble.
“Before, obviously,” she retorts. “While you were sleeping, I took it upon myself to do some spying.”
“Did anyone see you?” I ask, alarm raising my hackles.
“Not that I’m aware of, but I did learn some interesting information.”
“Well, spit it out, darling.”
“The so-called queen who took my parents’ place is none other than the enchantress who tricked me into that pool a century ago.
She admitted to purposely luring me there to get rid of me.
The distraction of my disappearance allowed her to .
. . murder my family.” She can barely choke out the last bit, and I rush around the bed, consumed with the need to get her the hells out of here but also to make sure she knows this is not her fault.
“Gods, are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she replies, her body practically shaking with grief. Or is it rage?
I close the remaining distance between us and pull her into my chest, the desire to comfort her stronger than the fear of being rejected and pushed away.
Too late, I realize I’m not wearing a shirt, and her soft breaths against my bare skin almost do me in.
To my relief and surprise, she allows me this small pleasure, this small comfort.
My arms tighten around her, and she tentatively wraps hers around my back, her touch sending tingles of warmth through me.
She feels so right, like she’s meant to be here.
Dare I hope she’s finally letting me in?
Finally allowing me into her world after pushing me out?
My heart skips in my chest at the thought, but Sera lets go, ending the embrace far earlier than I wanted.
“We need to get out of here,” she says in a rush, mirroring my earlier thought. “Neither of us is safe here, hence the early wake up.”
I roll my shoulders back and straighten. “Of course. Let’s move. What are we waiting for?”
She shakes her head. “Nothing, but you distracted me with your hugs and kisses.”
“Ah, but you enjoyed them, did you not?”
“I tolerated them at best.”
“Go ahead and lie to yourself, Spitfire, but I could feel you. You liked them.”
A scoff comes out of her mouth, and she whirls away. “I’m going to pack. You should get dressed.”
“Sera, wait,” I call out.
She looks over her shoulder, her blonde hair cascading like a waterfall down her back, the ferocity in her eyes making her look like a fiery temptress. “What?”
“Where will we go?”
For a moment, uncertainty flashes across her face before it settles into something firmer. More resolved. “Leave that to me.”
After splashing some cold water on my face, I find something in the large collection of clothing that looks a little more suitable to the climate.
Supple leather-like pants hug my legs like a second skin.
The material is foreign but incredibly comfortable, and from what I can tell, durable as well.
I pull a matching vest over a simple tunic and strap on my staff before I enter the main living space.
Sera picks through the remaining food from the prior evening’s meal and throws it haphazardly into her small pack.
I’m surprised the servants haven’t cleared it away.
Her hair is pulled back in an intricate braid, her pointed ears on full display.
It’s good she’s no longer hiding who she really is.
She’s wearing similar clothes to me, and I can’t help but admire how much more at home she looks in them as opposed to in the garb worn in Rakveren.
Her face is scrubbed clean and the overwhelming scent of lavender wafts off her.
Strange. I’ve never known her to wear perfume.
“Pack anything that won’t spoil,” she commands when I join her.
A small satchel lies open on the table, and I get to work immediately, methodically wrapping up some of the whole fruits and jerky-like meats that look like they’ll keep.
“How are we getting out of here?” I ask before gulping down cold tea.
“There are servants’ passageways just around the corner. It’s early yet, so gods willing, they should be empty.”
“Lead the way, princess,” I say.
She grabs a roll and glares up at me. “Don’t call me that.”
“It’s what you are, no?” I ask, tossing a round fruit up in the air before taking a bite out of it. Mmm. Juicy.
“Not anymore.”
I frown. “Sera—”
“We don’t have time to discuss this. We need to go,” she blurts out, slinging her pack over her back and heading toward the door, her steps whisper-light.
My boots aren’t nearly as quiet as her leather-clad feet, but I do my best to tread lightly.
Sera tries the door, but it won’t budge, and she swears under her breath.
“Did they lock us in?” I nearly growl, keeping my voice low.
“It would appear that way,” she grits out.
“Will there be guards posted?”
“Unclear. If the door is locked, perhaps no.”
“Can we go off the balcony?” I ask, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach at how high up we are.
“Unless you’ve suddenly sprouted wings, no.”
“Shit.”
Sera pulls a long pin out of her hair and starts to fiddle with the lock.
“Can’t you just use magic?” I ask, helpless and irritated at the situation.
Sera huffs a silent laugh. “You mean burn the door down? Sure, that won’t alert everyone to our escape plan.”
I sigh. “No, I mean like whatever kind of magic you use to light lamps and other such useful things.”
Sera turns to face me, a brow arched. “Wherever did you get such a notion?”
My cheeks heat, and I shrug. “I read about it back home.”
“Well, might I remind you, the Rakveren texts are not necessarily accurate.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
When the tumblers in the lock click, Sera rises from her crouched position, slipping the pin back into her hair. “That should do it. Let’s go.”
Sera opens the door a sliver and peeks out. With a breath, she closes the door and sags against it.
“Guards?” I ask.
“I spied one at the end of the hall. Thank the gods his back was to us, but we’ll need to be incredibly quiet. He’s blocking the main stairs. Lucky for us, the servants’ passage is the other way.”
“I can be quiet,” I reply. “Hopefully your scent doesn’t give us away though.”
“My scent?” she looks up at me in disbelief.
“Yeah, did you douse yourself in bath oils?” I wrinkle my nose. “It’s very strong, and I’m assuming fae noses are even more sensitive than mine.”
She curses under her breath but doesn’t meet my gaze. “The bottle slipped into the bath.”
The slight buzz at the back of my mind has me narrowing my eyes. When did she have time for a bath? She’s lying to me, but this is hardly the time to press her on it, so I let it go.
“All right, follow me,” she whispers, opening the door and peeking out again. The coast must be clear because she slips through the narrow opening and hurries down the hall on silent feet. I’m right behind her, trying to stay on my toes.
We turn the corner and—
“Princess, trying to leave without even saying hello?”
A stunning female with rich black hair, quicksilver eyes, and a delicate crown upon her head stands before us, flanked by half a dozen guards.