A Kiss of Shadow (Court of Starlight and Darkness #2)(34)

“Got to be dressed right to protect the future queen.” She winked.

“Thank you, guys.” Gratitude welled within me—both for their help and the fact they gave me something else to think about. “I’d be up shit creek without you.”

Eve grimaced. “Sounds like a terrible creek.”

“Yep.” I looked over at Meria, who was watching me with a bit of extra interest in her eyes.

It took everything I had not to reach up and touch my lips to see if they were swollen. Could she see that I was different?

Being intimate with a man shouldn’t make a woman different. That was ridiculous.

But I felt different, and I was pretty sure my closest friend could see it.

Yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell them. For now, it was something I had to keep close. I wasn’t sure why, but it felt precious. Like the memories weren’t meant to be shared, even though a big part of me regretted losing control.

“Are we almost there?” I asked, hoping to distract Meria from her perusal.

She pursed her lips. “You’re hiding something.”

Damn it. She really was perceptive. “I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are. But I’ll let you hold onto it for a little while. If you start to look stressed, though…”

She would pull it out of me. The message was clear.

“Thank you.”

She smiled and nodded, then tilted her head toward the door. “You should get dressed. We’re almost there.”

“Really?” I turned to look out the window, spotting the dark clouds overhead. I shivered. “The clouds are worse here, aren’t they?”

“Yeah.” Meria’s tone held a grimace.

“It’s almost time,” Eve said. “I bet she’ll be here any day now.”

“Great.” I was headed to my wedding and there was about to be a super evil uninvited guest. Just like sleeping beauty.

“We’ll be in the sitting room,” Meria said. “Get a move on. We’re nearly there.”

They left, and I stood. It didn’t take long to dress, but I’d sure as hell need a shower when I arrived. Hopefully, no one would stand too close to me.

How the hell was I supposed to be queen when I had thoughts like that?

I shook my head. This world was insane.

Once I was dressed, I went into the sitting room. It was full, the entire contingent from our court filling the space. My gaze went immediately to Lore, who stood at the window.

I stopped abruptly, unable to help myself. Heart pounding, I looked for a place to hide.

Annoyance surged through me.

Hide?

Who the hell was I becoming?

I wasn’t going to hide from him. Yes, last night had been incredibly intense. And then he’d just walked out on me. But I could behave like a grown woman. In fact, I had to.

There was too much at stake. My life. The lives of the people in his court.

To have any chance of succeeding, we needed to work together on this. I could do that.

I drew in a deep breath and walked over to him, stopping at his side. The winter-forest scent that was uniquely his wrapped around me, and I resisted the urge to draw it into my lungs. It would just remind me of last night, and I couldn’t afford that.

Electricity tightened the air between us. I didn’t look at him, but I didn’t need to. Couldn’t, in fact. I’d never been so aware of a person in my life, and if I met his gaze right now, I might combust on the spot.

He seemed to feel the same because I never felt his gaze on me. He was silent, and I couldn’t bring myself to be the first to speak. What would I say?

I feel drawn to you by fate?

Nope. Not an option.

Last night was the best of my life?

Even worse.

So I stayed silent.

The train slowed to a stop at a simple station built of beautiful golden wood. Oaks surrounded it, huge and ancient. Dark clouds hung heavy over the trees, casting shadows over the forest and platform.

“We’ll get off last,” he said. “Avoid the crowd.”

I liked that plan. I was still on edge, and the last thing I wanted to do was make small talk with someone from another court.

Once most of the crowd had cleared, we disembarked. Lore and I split up, and I walked with Meria and Eve, following right behind Lore and Dain. They didn’t speak on the way up the path, and neither did we. My attention was too riveted by the clouds overhead.

They felt closer here. More powerful—as if they were imbued with a magic all their own. A dark magic. It made a shiver run through me.

“You okay?” Eve whispered.

“Yeah. I just don’t like those clouds.”

“I don’t blame you. They’re unavoidable here.”

It was an understatement, and I was grateful when the palace appeared on the hill in front of us. It was massive, a delicate structure built of white and grey stone in a style I’d never seen before. Ornate and delicately built, it looked like it could be knocked over with a few well-placed cannon blasts. There wasn’t even a curtain wall to protect it.

“It’s really just a ceremonial palace, isn’t it?” I asked. “No defenses at all.”

Meria nodded.

“No wonder the witch with the deathly magic is supposed to be here,” I mused. “It would be easy to get in.”