She’s closer than I expected—almost close enough to reach out and grab. I wish I could make her swear she’d never consider leaving.
But that’s senseless.
She said no.
The matter is settled.
Her brown eyes search my face. “Thank you for ending the meeting. I… I didn’t want to be there.”
One of the straps of her gown slips off her shoulder, the fabric dipping near the swell of her breast.
I look at the ceiling, but remember the way she shifted toward me in her seat when she felt unsafe. My hand presses into my pocket and is met with a silky texture.
Damn. The token I’d tried to give her.
“I didn’t do it for you. I was tired,” I grunt. It wasn’t a total lie—my arms are starting to stiffen and ache.
I almost leave, but instead, I pull out the green hair ribbon withlittle clusters of green stones hanging off the end. “This was meant to be for you.”
She blinks once, brows furrowing, and then takes the small gift.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
I incline my head toward her, just as my gaze catches on her delicate, freckled throat. The sight is enticing, which is exactly the opposite of what it should be.
Without my full control, my tail still moves towards her, the tip hitting her calf lightly. But, instead of responding, I leave her there and run away like a damn child.
Chapter 3
ARLET
One year ago,
Ihold my breath as one of the elven guards extends a graceful hand, the color of an oak wood plank, then grasps the door handle, and twists. He slips inside, and I hear murmured elvish filter out from the open metal door. I don’t make out any of the phrases.
While I wait, Joso returns from having escorted Lord Vann away, and he and Lord Lothar observe from the shadows.
The door is pushed open further, though I am not invited in.Instead, the king steps out.
He’s two heads taller than me, and I look up at him, mesmerized by the otherworldly beauty. A part of me wants to shrink away.
His skin is pale gold, and his hair is so blond it is almost white. His sharp, high cheekbones cast shadows upon the lower planes of his face, and one pointed ear is decorated with a simple chain. He holds his broad shoulders perfectly straight, and his silver-stitched tunic comes to a tapered waist. A deep green cape flares out behind him, and a silver crown is laid across his brow.
I muster all the strength and grace I possess and smile. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to be in your presence. Please accept this gift.”
My hand slides into the pocket on the side of my dress to retrieve the emerald-studded silver necklace wrapped in a silk cloth given to me by one of the enduares.
King Arion gazes down at me with the full force of his carved beauty. My cheeks heat under his inspection and I worry. His skin is perfectly unblemished, the opposite of mine. Did I look lowly and plain?
Though the gift is outstretched in the space between us, his crystal-green eyes don't move an inch.
"Human. Your name?" he asks, and his melodic voice is cold as ice shards dangling from evergreens.
I smile softly and dip my head once more. "I am called Arlet, Your Majesty."
He makes a clicking sound with his tongue. "No surname?"
I shake my head. “Humans have no need for them.”