Chapter 31 #2
The disappointment she had felt when he publicly rejected any relationship between them quickly faded. It was as though Danu’s energy had reduced her hurt feelings to a mere inconvenience. The opportunity to settle their unfinished business suddenly seemed far too tempting to ignore.
In that moment, Elise forgot all about the race to produce the winning potion. Instead, a different sort of urge began to course through every pore of her skin.
Needless to say, she followed the handsome duke to the maze.
There, beneath the warm light and in the pleasant heat that only the outdoors could provide, she quickly found the target of her interest. Kurt, a man of war-trained senses, was quick to turn and find Elise only a few paces away.
“Elise,” he said with the same stern countenance as the day before.
This time, Elise’s senses were sharpened, and she immediately noticed the lack of enthusiasm in his greeting. Still believing his sour mood might be related to military affairs, she closed the distance just to test her theory.
Kurt tensed as she drew nearer.
“Can I help you?” he said.
His lips moved in a hypnotic dance. The cadence of his voice, the movement of his arms, even the way his hair moved in the wind made Elise’s mind race for a perfectly reasonable excuse to reach for his arm.
“I have been wanting to talk with you,” she said.
By now, she had come up with a modestly reasonable explanation about Seth. She would say he was a debt collector who had somehow managed to track her down all the way from Falaine. It was not far from the truth, and Elise felt it was a fair description of her infernal reality.
Kurt glanced down at Elise’s hand resting on his arm. “What for?”
“The man who was with me the other day,” she said. She felt she could confess her worst sin, but she stuck to her plan. “I have a debt to repay, and he found out where I live.”
Kurt hummed. “That explains one.”
“One?”
Elise felt Kurt’s eyes on her. He maintained his stoic demeanor, though she noticed him swallow hard. She did not know what else to do to rekindle what had happened between them days ago. It was as though the moment had never existed.
“What are you talking about?” was all she could say.
Kurt trained his eyes on hers.
“It seems you have found the perfect place to meet with gentlemen.” He glanced around at the walls of the labyrinth surrounding them. “I saw you the other night.”
Elise’s lips parted as she thought of him watching Seth and her entering the maze at night. She found it a little odd that he would be wandering the castle at midnight, but how could she doubt what he was telling her?
Had Elise known that the man he was referring to so bitterly was the king, she would have laughed and explained the misunderstanding at once. But remembering how tempted she had been by the handsome demon, she felt it only proper to concede some guilt.
“Nothing happened, though,” she explained. “I have to admit he is too handsome for his own good, but still, I do not like to mingle with such beings. Morgaine warned me they can be quite possessive, and from what I have seen, he is far too full of himself.”
Kurt seemed confused.
“Full of himself?”
“Very. I imagine it is typical of his kind.”
The duke shook his head, then leaned closer. There was a hunger in his gaze that made her pulse quicken.
“What do you want from me, Elise?”
She stood there looking into his troubled eyes. The answer seemed obvious to her. She tilted her head, considering a more direct approach and wondering just how much propriety would object to it when, thankfully, Kurt interrupted her thoughts.
“Is the interest of a king not enough for you? If you are not fond of ‘his kind,’ why would a duke be any better? I’ve been through this already. I don’t like being anyone’s second choice.”
Elise froze for a moment.
“The king?” She took a moment to catch her breath. “You think the king and I...?”
Kurt gave a small nod, though his entire countenance began to soften, like a man suddenly discovering there might still be hope.
“Believe me, it is not me who he fancies.”
“But I heard the two of you,” Kurt said carefully.
Elise considered telling Kurt everything she knew about the king and Morgaine, though she remembered the promise she had made to Sebastian.
“He confused me with someone else,” Elise said.
Kurt seemed hesitant. “Why was he talking to you so candidly?”
“It was part of the confusion,” she gasped.
Kurt looked away as if considering what she had said.
In a moment of panic, Elise contemplated revealing some of the information that would surely prove her innocence, but in the end, she decided not to.
Instead, she reached for his hands and hoped he could see the truth in her eyes.
His warmth spread through her fingers, sending a shiver through her whole body.
“There’s nothing between the king and me,” Elise whispered. “I cannot tell you anything beyond that. You’ll have to believe me.”
Those last words seemed to affect Kurt enough.
“Believe you?” he asked, an intense resolve burning in his eyes. “I fear I already trust you more than is wise. I don’t know anything about you, yet you have me here wanting more.”
Without warning, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her so close that Elise could feel the length of his body. The strong grip on her flesh tightened as his maddening scent was all she could breathe.
His nose brushed hers, and in an instant, Elise’s senses fell into disarray. The magic running through her urged her to revel in him until no restraint remained.
It was one of those moments one remembers during periods when touch becomes scarce and the imagination must carry a heavier burden.
The passion in the air was the sort that could have ignited if someone struck a flint nearby.
All in all, Elise felt as though the disturbances caused by the magic in her body were finally about to know peace.
She was slightly afraid but entirely prepared to enter heaven. Sadly, fortune had other plans. Just before she could taste those perfectly formed lips, a loud blast of trumpets echoed through the entire castle.
Bruno, who had been circling overhead, returned to her shoulder.
Kurt’s hands moved from her waist to her back as he turned to shield her.
“What is it?” Elise asked.
She saw Kurt shake his head before facing her again.
“Go to the workshop,” he murmured. “You’ll be safe there.”
“What’s happening?”
“I’m not sure. I need to find Sebastian.”