Narrowing my eyes, I reach for the pillow at the head of the bed and move to whack him over the head with it. Somehow, not sure how, he manages to deflect it completely by barely even moving, and it ends up on the other side of the room. Then he reaches for my ankles and pulls them so that I’m lying flat on the bed as he climbs over me, trapping my legs under him as he straddles me.
“You are not making this easy on me, disciple.”
“That’s not my job,” I retort.
Grins spread over both of our faces as the memories of ourfirst encounter flash in our minds. His mouth softens into a smile, warmth flooding his eyes as he strokes the back of his knuckles down my cheek.
“Valora, you are seriously going to be my downfall, aren’t you?”
I shiver deliciously at the use of my nickname. “That all depends.”
“On?”
I push hard on his chest and he falls to the side, and we switch positions, me straddling over him. His hands grip my hips as I look down at his face. “On what your answer is to ‘where do we go from here?’”
A lazy, irresistible grin spreads across that delectable mouth of his. “Oh, well, that’s easy.” I cock an eyebrow. “We go wherever you want, Eira. You’re in charge here. You always have been.”
I grin. “In that case, no training today.”
He laughs. “Not in charge of that. Unfortunately, missing training sessions is not a habit we need to get into.” He turns serious. “You did well at the trials. I can’t imagine anyone who could’ve done what you did in three short months. But Selene has been training for this her whole life. You’re going to really need to push to beat her.”
I fall forward, bracing on my elbows on his chest with a sigh. “I know. And… I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”
He reaches up and brushes the hair off my face. “Same way you tackled the first trial. By doing the absolute best you can. I’ll be there to guide you every step of the way. I talked to Master Tavyn yesterday before the ball. We talked about some training methods we’re designing just for you, to focus on the skills you’ll really need to beat her. She has her strengths, but so do you. And more importantly, she has her weaknesses as well.”
I’m about to ask more, intrigued, when a loud banging has me sitting back up, Rylan following me, instantly alert.
“Rylan!” Mathis’s voice calls out, his fist rapping hard on the door across the hall from me.
Rylan sighs, his head falling back onto the bed. “One morning, that’s all I bloody ask for.” He gently lifts me off him and walks to the door. He throws it open, and a second later, Mathis is yanked into my room by the back of his shirt, and the door slammed closed.
“Wha—” the captain starts, then claps his mouth shut, taking in the scene. Rylan shirtless, me covered by my blanket, a tray of food on the bed. “Ah. Good morning, Your Highness. Milady.” His words sound playfully mocking, but he cocks his head to me with a look I can’t quite decipher. Is it… disappointment? “I’m sorry to… interrupt your… celebratory breakfast, but there’s been an attack on the armoury of our Southern border’s forces.” He turns his back to me to face Rylan. “The entire weapons supply is burning. There are reports that some saw—” He stops and clears his throat.
Rylan flicks his eyes to me and then back to his friend. “It’s okay, you can talk freely in front of Eirabella, she’ll be Aquilith soon enough and attending the security briefings herself,” Rylan says.
Mathis nods. “Some reports say they saw Kyros Valen on the scene. That he started the fire.”
Rylan doesn’t say anything for a moment, clearly thinking. “Any casualties?”
Mathis shakes his head. “Just assets at this point.”
“Gather the Essensari Council. I’ll meet quickly with the King’s Council to solidify our plans and meet everyone in the security hall in half an hour.”
Mathis nods and leaves without so much as another look at me.
I climb to the end of the bed as Rylan closes the door behind the guard. “Can I come with you?”
Rylan shakes his head. “Not this time. You need to concentrate on your training. This doesn’t need all hands on deck yet. We knew elevated attacks were coming from the rebels. We just have to move up some of our defences. I’ll come see you later, okay?”
Already I can feel the wall being erected, the one that rises between the Rylan I know, and the prince, the Celestaris. I hold out my arms, and he walks into them, wrapping his body around me, burying his face in my neck. And it feels like I can hold onto him for just another minute.
“I hate leaving you, even for just a short while,” he sighs.
After a few moments, I pull away. “Okay, go. The kingdom needs you. I’ll freshen up and go see Master Tavyn for my training. I won’t let you down.”
“You couldn’t,” he says, pressing his lips to mine in a soft, lingering kiss. “You’re going to win this trial, and when you do, you’ll be exactly where you’re meant to be. Right by my side.”
But even before he turns to leave, the cold, impenetrable mask slides back into place, and I wonder if, one day, he won’t be able to switch back.
