This man.
Luci reached for his hand and pressed two fingers to the corner of his wrist below his thumb. His heartbeat was faster than it should have been. She closed her eyes, counting. Ninety-two.
“Your heart is beating too fast,” she said as she leaned up on her toes to check his pupils.
“Is it?” he asked.
“Mmhm.” She murmured. “And your pupils are dilated.”
“Is that bad?” he asked.
Running the back of her hand over his forehead and his cheeks, she frowned.
“Your cheeks are flushed,” she said.
“Indeed.”
The words held a weight to them she didn’t expect, and when she took a moment to cease her inspection of him, she found his eyes locked on hers. The forest in them was teaming with life, and at the corners to the right, flecks of gold gathered. Almost like he was made of magic himself, and maybe he was. After all, he was descended from a fairytale. It made sense that some lived in his bloodline.
“How do you feel?” Luci asked, placing her hand over his chest where his heart pounded.
The beats were too fast, but they were steady. Sometimes, elixirs interacted with individuals in such a way that they would send their hearts into chaotic patterns.
“My head feels a bit fuzzy,” he whispered.
Luci nodded. She didn’t have time to worry about the fact that she might have killed the prince a second time. Worst, she was confident in her work. All the ingredients combined with what Noah already used for his recovery when exposed to the allergens– it should have been just enough to prevent them. Yet there was no way to calculate how an individual would react to each potion.
“I should go find Noah,” Luci said, pulling away.
“No,” Prince Ira said, grabbing her hand and placing it over his chest once more. “I’m fine, I just need a minute.”
Luci looked up at him, and his eyes were closed while he took a few deep breaths. She barely dared to take a breath of her own. He was lovely. His jaw was soft, and there were lines atthe corners of each eye and his mouth. No doubt earned from a lifetime of smiles and laughter. A whisper of darkness clung over his lower face, the start of a beard. It would look strange on him, making his youthful and jovial nature seem more rugged.
“There. All better,” he said.
His eyes opened, and when he caught her looking at him, the side of his mouth quirked up, dimples in tow. Cursing herself at being caught, she refused to pull her hand away from him, even though his was still covering her own. His heart still beat quickly, but it was now at a more acceptable rate.
Pulling away her hand, he held it just a moment before releasing her. Probably residual anxiety from the elixir. It burned over her where he touched her, and she hated everything about it. There were some things that could not even be allowed to be thoughts. This was one of them.
“It was probably the rose petals. I’ll use less next time,” she said, rubbing her hands together.
Prince Ira watched her, and where she was used to seeing amusement, he merely nodded, swallowing.
“Is Brielle–” Luci tried.
He nodded. “Waiting for you. She asked me to find you.”
All unease stripped from her, she glared at the prince.
“And you waited to tell me this till now?”
He shrugged. “I got distracted.”
Rolling her eyes, Luci murmured a few choice words under her breath and stalked off. Better to put distance between her and the prince in case he succumbed to the elixir after all. Of all the things she was likely to get hung for, this seemed low on the list.
Luckily, Prince Ira had the good sense not to follow her. Not having to deal with him was probably why her heart beat settled by the time she reached her and Brielle’s rooms.
The moment she entered, the smell of lavender wafted through her. Brielle.