Savage Beauty(14)

When she turned her yellow-green eyes on me, it was like she saw through me. She was able to see my injuries. Could she also see that I couldn’t stop staring at her when she was in the room? Not in fear, but because for some inexplicable reason, it was impossible to tear my eyes away from her.

I took out a knife and began to chop the vegetables like she asked. There was cabbage, carrots, radishes, and onions. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind of her, but still she was there.

This was ridiculous! She was a dark witch, she lived alone in the middle of a forest, and she obviously didn’t like company.

I needed to push the thoughts of her out of my mind; banish the images of her lips and the soft, dark curls that fell over her shoulders. There was no way a dark witch would want a human prince, and for that matter, I couldn’t want her, either. I had responsibilities now that I was the sole heir.

In a couple of nights, she said she’d take me out of the forest and back to the palace. My parents would probably ask the whole kingdom to celebrate my return. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. It’s been a week. I’m sure the searches have been called off. They think I’m dead. Like William.

Luna had confirmed my brother was dead. In my heart I already knew it, but my head had refused to accept it. Hearing the truth was like tearing open a wound that had nearly healed. I wasn’t sure it would now. She said Aura killed him. Her sister. A fae witch.

But the question remained: How did he end up in Virosa?

Ember brushed back and forth on the backs of my legs, arching her back and purring. I stopped chopping for a minute to talk to her when Luna came back inside, holding a skinned, gutted hare.





chapter six




LUNA

I held up the hare. “Are you good at cutting meat as well?”

“I’ve never done it.”

“Move over, then. We wouldn’t want you to get your pretty, soft fingers bloody.” His brows knitted, so I knocked his hip with mine and stretched the hare across the cutting board. His eyes left the carcass to glance at my hips. I made sure he knew I’d caught him looking and watched as he sheepishly looked back to the skinned animal. “Get the small cauldron near the hearth, please,” I instructed.

“Are you going to turn me into a frog with this meal?” he teased as he walked across the room with more spring in his step. I was damn good with a healing potion, if I did say so myself.

He bent to pick up the copper cauldron, bringing its handle into his hand. “Maybe,” I smirked, watching him stiffen for a split second. “I’m kidding. That cauldron is strictly used for cooking meals.”

But it was funny to watch him worry.

“Your brother liked my sense of humor.”

“He did?” He put all the chopped vegetables into the cauldron, propped his hip on the counter, and crossed his arms. He was waiting for me to elaborate, but deep down, I knew he just wanted to know what had happened to his brother. I could see it in the tension around his eyes, the way his lips thinned.

I cut chunks of meat from the bones and added them to the vegetables. Since he would be leaving soon, and because I’d promised to tell him, I decided to get it over with.

Making eye contact so he would see the truth in my words, I told him the story. “William and two of his men had gotten lost while hunting. They came to a village and learned they were on Virosa land. To make sure they didn’t alarm or upset my sister or me, they rode to the palace to apologize to us in person for hunting on land that wasn’t his, and for trespassing.”

“That doesn’t sound like William. I doubt my brother would’ve cared if he alarmed you or ventured onto your lands.”

I shrugged. “Well, that’s what he said when he arrived, in any event. Regardless of what motivated him to ride to the palace, it turned out to be the wrong decision,” I said, fighting the knot in my throat, unable to elaborate. I sat the knife down and took the cutting board and all the leftover parts strewn across it outside, leaving Phillip behind. Ember followed me into the darkness. She loved rabbit.

“What am I going to do with him?” I asked her, bracing my hands against the stone well in the back yard. Ember stopped eating long enough to meow and then went back to the hare. “You’re a big help,” I said, glaring at my familiar. I took a deep breath and blew it out fast. With a pail full of water, I walked back toward the house, enjoying the moonlight.

The moon was full and I felt its cool comfort spilling down onto my skin and face. “What are you doing out there?” Phillip asked from the porch.

“The stew needs water.”

“I know you don’t want to talk about William, and if you’re too tired, or need a day to recover, fine. But I want to know what happened to him. I’ll drop it for tonight if you promise to tell me before I leave.”

The tension in his voice and shoulders spoke volumes. He was letting me off the hook, but not for long.

“I promise to tell you before you leave.”

“On your honor?”

I smiled. What honor did witches truly have? “On my honor.” Walking up the steps, he reached for the pail. “I do believe you’re feeling better, Prince.”

“I am. Your potion was potent. You’re very good at healing.” I let him take the pail’s handle and brushed his finger with mine.