Chapter 39 #2
Sweat beads across my brow, and my hands tremble. He hauls me across the room against the wall. A servant passes by with a tray of drinks. He snatches a glass, passing it to me. I down it in one gulp.
“Jacob. You have me worried, which is saying something. What’s the matter?”
“The princess is Ella,” I say in a gasping, choking sound, nodding to them as they whisk past us. “She’s a Forbidden. Dancing with the prince.”
“Are you sure?” Wilhelm turns to study the infamous couple.
“Without a doubt.”
“Ah, I see it now. How did I not before? Of course, that’s her. And there’s the mark, yes. How unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate?” I sputter. “I can’t do this anymore. She represents all that is good in this world. I can’t write her story.”
“You fell for her, didn’t you?” He rubs his forehead. “You promised not to get involved with her. How many times did I warn you?”
I start pacing along the wall, racking my brain for ways to fix this.
“Jacob, you’re losing it,” Wilhelm says. “We need to focus on more important things, like how Dr. Wissen could be forming an attack on the castle.”
None of that matters anymore. All that matters is that Ella is a Forbidden, and I must find a way to save her.
“Excuse me,” a sweet-sounding voice says from behind me. My throat tightens like there’s a noose around my neck. I turn to face her.
“Ella, you made it,” I manage. “You look…stunning.”
“I managed to escape the prince, for a moment.” Her eyes search mine. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for me last night. And apologize for leaving so suddenly.”
Last night. The kiss. My eyes drift to her lips, soft and inviting. “You left without saying goodbye.”
“I know. Something happened. I just… I can’t talk about it right now.
” Her chest heaves as she takes a deep breath.
I drag my gaze from the curves of her breasts to her face.
It’s no safer there. Every part of me aches to trace the line of her jaw, touch her trembling lips, and sink my hands into the tumble of her long, honey curls.
She’s devastating. Enchanting in a way that steals the ground from beneath my feet. Maybe she’s a witch. Maybe she’s an enchantress sent to ruin me. I don’t give a damn. Because whatever spell she’s cast, I’m already hers.
A quick glance warns me people are staring at us while the prince is looking about the room, obviously searching for Ella. We don’t have much time.
“I’m glad to hear you’re safe,” Wilhelm says, breaking the awkward silence. “We were worried.”
“And I feel terrible about that. Last night was…”
“A nightmare?” Wilhelm offers kindly.
“Dance with me,” I demand.
Her eyes widen. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s a terrible idea,” Wilhelm warns.
But I slip my palm around the small of her back and grab her hand, thrusting the two of us into the next dance.
It’s almost as if magic binds us together when our hands meet, telling me we’re meant to be together no matter what comes our way.
The music swirls around us, a mesmerizing melody that threatens to destroy everything I’ve been fighting for to keep my oath to the Enchantress. But as I pull her closer, I don’t care.
I want to cling to last night and the kiss that left me completely intoxicated.
To the night we washed dishes in her cold kitchen, and the afternoon in the woods when she hefted that pitchfork to save me.
To the morning when I showed her my sketches, and even when her arms wrapped around my waist as we galloped away from the house of a monster, chased by a pack of werewolves.
“I’m glad you aren’t married to Dr. Wissen,” I say.
“Barely,” Ella says. “But I’ve only managed to delay it.”
She tells me what happened. I’m shocked at the lengths Frau von Maier went to make sure Ella didn’t come. But when she asks me if we’ve finished Dr. Wissen’s story, I shake my head.
“The prince sent men out this afternoon to arrest Dr. Wissen, but he and his werewolves have vanished. Don’t worry. Wilhelm and I will finish his story, and then you won’t have to deal with him ever again.”
The candlelight flickers over her neck where the feathery blue mark is. I swallow down my fear of its implications. She’s one of them.
“You know, don’t you?” Her voice is a whisper only for me. “That I’m one of your For—” She breaks off as if she doesn’t dare say the word.
“Yes,” I admit. “You have the mark, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it on you. Did something happen?”
She shivers, and her feet stop moving. She’s slipping out of my arms. I want to take it all back and somehow fix this, but as her eyes stare into mine, the chasm between us widens impossibly far.
Prince William steps up, holding out his hand. “There you are,” he says to Ella. “Care to dance again?”
Her eyes don’t leave mine, but she nods. “I’d be honored, Your Highness.”
“I know this sounds strange,” he tells her. “There’s something about you that’s so familiar. Have we met before?”
Her eyes drag from mine to the prince. “I hope I’m not that unmemorable,” she says with a coy smile.
“Hardly. Perhaps I’ve been dreaming of you. Let’s dance.” He gives me an annoyed glance. “Any problems, Jacob?”
“Not a one,” I lie. My heart wrenches in half as the prince sweeps Ella away.