His shoulders raise in a shrug. “I wasn’t given any information, only told to fetch you.”
Shit.That doesn’t sound good.
I nod and follow along behind him, ignoring curious looks thrown my way. Once we're out in the hall, I can breathe a little easier, but my stomach is still knotted with nerves.
We walk in stilted silence that crawls over my skin, along with nerves. I have no idea where we’re headed, but it can’t be good. Not with the lack of information. If they’d told me I was in trouble, I could have tried to run… not that I would have gotten very far. I’d end up lost again in the labyrinth of hallways before I ever found an exit.
Before I know it, we reach a barren room, with nothing more than a door in one of the walls. I look to my servant escort, but his face remains emotionless.
“He’ll be along shortly.” He turns and walks away before I can process the words.
He? Who the hell ishe?
My heart stutters. Is the king meeting me here personally to have me banished from the kingdom? Is another servant here to escort me somewhere else? Grappling with my thoughts, I’m unable to come up with any other options.
A minute crawls by.
Then another.
I’m growing antsier by the second, unable to stand still. I pace from one end of the room to the other and back again, trying to take slow, deep breaths. Finally, after what feels like forever, the thick metal door in front of me slowly swings open and reveals Oryx.
Air rushes out of my lungs in a sigh of relief at his presence, and I feel like I could melt to the floor. He’s wearing dark pants, a tight black shirt stretched across his perfectly carved torso. My eyes linger there before snapping up to his face where I find a smug smirk.
“What's going on?” I ask, my muscles still not willing to let go of the tension keeping them tight. “Am I in trouble? Did I… did I get you in trouble?”
He shakes his head and chuckles lightly. “No, no. Nothing like that. I thought you'd appreciate a change in your servant duties for the day.”
Still confused and desperate for a crumb of explanation, I cock an eyebrow at him. “And what would my new duties include?”
He steps aside so I can get a clear view through the gaping doorway. Everything beyond the stone threshold is green. Rich, vibrant green plants as far as the eye can see.
Outside.
He wants me to go outside.My heart lurches, stuttering with excitement.
“To escort me on a hike in the woods,” he clarifies with a tip of his horns. “If you'd like.”
My heart stutter turns into a full skipped beat, heat crawling up my neck and blooming across my cheeks.
He wants me alone with him.
In the woods.
My lips part but no coherent thoughts form. However, several half-formed images blow through my mind faster than I can focus on them. None of them are remotely appropriate.
“If that is what you wish,” I manage.
He shakes his head firmly. “What I want is irrelevant. What do you want, Lizette?”
The sound of my name has a messy torrent of emotions rolling through me, and I fight the urge to smile. What I want burns in my mind, clear as the sun, but admitting it to Oryx…
My tongue tangles.
Ever since he mentioned a hike, I've wondered what it might be like. To get lost in nature, admiring all the vibrant plant life, searching for any that might also be native to my kingdom.
To spend time with Oryx outside the walls of the library…
Away from prying eyes…