Chapter 35
It’s been many years since I’ve seen my dear friend.
We’ve been betrothed since we were born, before the sorcerer ripped the earth apart and separated us from each other. For over a decade, my only contact with Lucky has been through letters.
Our marriage will be one step toward peace, one I have been thinking of for a long time.
“Mia, I want you to be careful. You may think you know him, but a lot has changed since you last met. He will not be the boy of your memories.”
“If you’d read what he wrote me—”
“Words can be faked, truths hidden beneath pretty promises that never need testing.”
“Why are you so against him? I know he’s changed. I’m not the same as before, so why should he be? But I trust that he’s a good man, Sterling. The rest we will discover together.”
Sterling frowns.
I know he dislikes my leaving, but surely, he must see that there is little to fear.
“Aha! Here you are.”
My face splits into a smile at the sound of Lucky’s voice, and between one blink and the next, he’s crossed the courtyard and spinning me around.
“Hello, love,” he says, his eyes sparkling. A sudden lightness has eclipsed all other senses, tilting the world, even after I’ve regained my footing on solid ground. “You’re more beautiful than I remember.”
So is he. Lucky’s smile is wide and free. It’s a direct strike, weakening my defenses immediately.
I bow my head in greeting, noting how he has not retreated to the safe distance typically respected among unwedded couples, much to my brother’s chagrin. He strides across the stone in long steps, giving the dirt covering my everything the raised brow of disappointment.
Behind me, I feel Sterling looming. He’s always been protective of those entering my space.
It doesn’t matter. All that I care about is here before me, in glorious flesh and blood. Propriety be damned, it’s so good to finally, finally see him.
He grew fast as a child, taller than me from an early age, but, my, he’s grown.
Not just in height, but in build. Oh. His tailors should be praised; they have crafted clothes that complement every inch of him.
His hair is tied back, his skin glowing in the morning sun, almost as brightly as his smile.
Oh, how I’ve missed him.
Lucky darts his gaze over my shoulder. He leans in, smelling of woodsmoke and earth after rain. “Say, there’s a rather fetching man behind you, attempting to end my life with his thoughts. Is he a friend of yours?”
“I can use my sword if you’d prefer,” Sterling growls.
Something wicked dances in Lucky’s brown eyes. “Is that a promise?”
I’m hot all over.
Louis claps Lucky on the shoulder. “Sterling is Mia’s personal guard, and though you’ve been trained by the best, perhaps we should hold off on any duels until after the wedding.”
There’s a collective pause, and I hear Sterling sigh before the heat of him steps back. It isn’t often that he acquiesces, and I can imagine the valley between his brows growing deeper in frustration.
“I do find it’s much more enjoyable to get to know my opponent before we cross swords,” Lucky teases.
He’s warm to the touch, and he doesn’t seem to mind my inability to stop putting my hand on him. I can’t help it. He’s here. Real. My senses are alive.
“How are you, friend? It’s been far too long.”
“Surely, that’s an improper greeting for your betrothed,” Lucky teases, and the relief of having my dearest friend back in my life becomes complete.
I should never have doubted. Sterling’s warnings dug under my skin, but Lucky stands before me, as familiar as my own voice.
“How are you, husband?”
“You’re not married yet,” Sterling clarifies, but Lucky ignores him.
“I’m infinitely better now that I'm here. Shall we walk? I’ve been promised a tour of your lovely home, and I can think of no better guide.”
I nod, eager to relearn who he is. Ignoring the rules that say Lucky and I should not be alone until the night of our wedding, I cautiously slip my hand into his, marveling at the feel of it.
His skin is surprisingly rough around the edges, reminding me of Sterling’s hands instead of those of a noble.
As we leave the room, I hear my brother say, “I trust you’ll look after her,” and it isn’t until I hear footsteps following us that I realize he was speaking to Sterling and not Lucky.
I stop in the hall and turn to him. “We don’t need a chaperone.”
Sterling’s frown is etched in. “I disagree.”
Ridiculous. I’m a grown woman; how dare he treat me like a child in my own home? In front of my future husband as well.
I spin on my heel. “What are you expecting will occur? Do you truly believe me so far gone in my feelings that I cannot uphold my propriety for a single stroll? I should think I’ve given you, of all people, enough evidence that is not true.”
It’s more than I should have said. To admit the existence of feelings where they are both concerned is highly improper, but I’m oddly thrilled at having laid it bare finally.
However, despite the working of his jaw, Sterling is not dissuaded from joining us.
“And you should know by now that I will always put you first.”
Lucky curls his fingers in mine, covering the join with his other hand. “Come. If your man is determined to join us, let him command the rear.” He raises a brow in challenge. “Am I right in guessing that’s the position you favor?”
Sterling growls in response.
I tug Lucky along. I have no time for petty games, especially between two of the most important people in my life. “Please, I’d like us to be friendly.”
To my surprise, Sterling drops eye contact first, bowing his head and taking a step back, but keeping close as we start down the hall.
* * *
When dinnertime arrives, I fear my body is more nerves than bone. Nothing fits right, but I’ve gone through every dress I own, and it’s clear that the issue is me.
Two quick raps sound at my door—Sterling.
“Come in.”
I smooth my hands down the front of my dress. Fix the collar. Pull at the sleeves. I’m suspiciously damp under my arms. Maybe I should change back to the black.
“You look lovely,” Sterling says, appearing behind me in the mirror.
Sweet of him to reassure me, but he always says that.
I need Lucky to think it too.
He brings his hands up to my shoulders, turning me to face him. Usually, his unshakable reserve steadies me. I’m the one prone to whimsy and dramatics, quick to act once I’m decided on something. Not Sterling. I’ve never once seen him lose control.
“You have nothing to worry about.”
Gosh, this dress is so tight. Has it always been this tight? Maybe I should change.
“We don’t know that.”
Lucky is a good man, the kind who would follow through on a proposal because it was the right thing to do. It doesn’t mean he feels the way I do.
“Mia.”
I look up into Sterling’s unwavering gaze.
“You didn’t see how he looked at you.”
Warmth sparks in my belly. “How did he look at me?”
“Like the stars hang in your eyes.”
Does he really think so?
“Perhaps it was a trick of the light.”
“No,” he says, resolute, a storm brewing within the blue of his eyes. “I recognize the signs of a man in love. Trust me on that.”
My eyes flutter shut as a flush washes over me. No matter what I do, I can’t shake how much he affects me. With Lucky here, I thought … but it hasn’t changed a thing. My heart still beats faster when Sterling is close. When he says my name. When he touches me.
All of it will be gone once I leave.
He can forget his no-hugging rule; I won’t get a chance after tomorrow. I throw my arms around his neck, crushing us together. After a deep inhale, he brings his own around my back, pressing me tighter to him.
“Sterling,” I whisper, my heart beating wild in my chest. Surely, he can feel it. Surely, he knows what he means to me. “There’s something I should tell you.”
* * *
Will you …
confess your feelings? (go to 48)
say nothing? (go to 52)
go back (go to 26)