“If you don’t answer, then I am going to return to the caverns.”
“You dare to defy your prince’s wishes?”
I fold my arms and wait.
With a curse, the man shakes his head. “I am bringing you to the royal solarium.”
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” The royal solarium houses the queen’s gardens. Senan’s mother herself used to tend to them back when she was still living. Everyone who has been there says their ethereal beauty is unmatched in all the realm. “Now, to answer your question, yes, I am comfortable with you carrying me.”
He sweeps me into his arms as if I weigh nothing, and his navy wings stretch wide. He pushes off the earth, shooting into the sky. I squeal at the unexpected swiftness as we climb toward the puffy clouds and burst through to where bright sunlight streams down upon us, warming me to my very core.
My arms draped around the man’s neck tighten as I squint against the harsh light. Wind twists and tears at my hair, and my eyes start to water from the sheer speed. We fly over towers of all shapes and sizes. The cityscape up here has changed so much over the last four years. I search for my aunt’s tower on the horizon but don’t recognize a thing. We soar over the parks builton mountain peaks. The sun glints off Polaris Temple and the blue-black waters of Sheer Falls.
After no time at all, the guard lands atop a balcony ringing a building made almost entirely of glass. Black frames separate each pane, coming together like something out of a storybook. Arched doorways drip with ivy, topped with colorful stained glass that paints rainbows on the marble floor within.
I’ve never seen anything as beautiful. Even the rooms at the castle pale in comparison to this sanctuary. I smooth my clammy palms down my skirt. My hair probably looks a fright, but there isn’t much I can do about it now.
My worries fade away when I step into the balmy room to find a handsome prince waiting for me.
Thirty-Five
ALLETTE
Senan’s starliteyes find mine and do not stray, as if he doesn’t even notice the paradise surrounding us. When he takes a step forward, my heart leaps and stomach swoops.
“You’re here,” he says, a little breathless. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”
The guard remains in the doorway, watching us. While I would love nothing more than to run to my love, my slippers remain firmly planted. “Who am I to refuse a request from Prince Senan himself?”
His lips flatten. “Indeed.” He takes another step closer, seeming oblivious to our audience.
“You shouldn’t have sent a royal guard to collect me,” I say quietly.
“Bilson is a steel trap, aren’t you Bilson?” Senan murmurs, his gaze dipping to my mouth even as his tongue wets his own lips.
The guard’s deep voice rumbles from the doorway. “Yes, sire.”
“Won’t tell a soul, will you, Bilson?”
“Not a soul, sire.”
As if that matters when the entire canteen watched a member of the royal guard come for me and overheard him mention the prince’s name. Mari and Del saw me in this gown that must’ve cost a fortune, and I’m certain the entire staff will hear about my run-in with Senan last night.
Senan inches closer, eyes locked with mine, like we’re both caught in each other’s thrall, loath to look away. “You can go now, Bilson.”
The guard turns on his heel and slips silently through the glass door.
“Why am I here?” I ask.
Senan holds out a hand. “Because I want to show you something.”
My fingers find his, and it feels like coming home. He leads me through a maze of vibrant blooms, past a burbling stream, over a small wooden bridge, to a patch of grass in front of a wall of climbing moonflowers. The snow-white blooms are only open a fraction, waiting for the sun beating through the glass to fall and the moon to awaken from its slumber. I touch the soft petals, so delicate and ethereal.
“Moonflowers are my favorite.” They were my mother’s favorite as well.
Senan plucks a bud from the vine, twirling the stem between his tattooed fingers. “I remember.” He steps closer and tucks the flower behind my ear.
My lips lift. “Liar.” Long ago, I mentioned it in passing, and he did give me that paperweight, but so much has happened since those moments we shared.