Without a word, he moves to the door, holds it open, and looks at me. I hesitate for only a moment before stepping into the corridor. As we walk, I steal glances at him. Even though he doesn’t look at me, a smirk pulls at his lips, assuring me he knows exactly what I’m doing. Staring at him. Analyzing him.
We walk in silence through the palace halls until we reach his bedchamber. As he pulls the door open, a warm glow spills into the hallway. Jasce gestures for me to enter, and I step inside.
Silence stretches between us as I move to the table where I left a clean nightdress and turn with it in hand. He ignores me as he strips off his drying cloth, folds it, and places it on the table. Then, he has the audacity to lie on the bed without any clothing.
“I will not sleep next to you like that,” I announce with a frown.
His brow lifts. “Do you plan to dress me?”
Warmth spreads across my face as I pivot away from him, shrug out of my dressing gown, and yank on my nightdress. “I am not jesting, Jasce. Put on clothes.”
As I turn to face him again, I find him still lying on the bed, his arms resting beneath his head, his chest rising and falling with each breath. He doesn’t say anything as he stares at me like he’s peeling away my nightdress with his eyes. I swallow hard and push aside the stirring in me I don’t understand. I’m not sure I even want to understand it.
“Jasce.” I sit on my side of the bed. “Please put some clothes on.”
Amusement plays across his face as he grins. “Why? Are you afraid you won’t be able to control yourself if I’m naked?”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t want to be distracted by your...state of undress.”
He arches an eyebrow, the grin never leaving his face. “Oh, so you admire my body?”
I let out a huff of annoyance. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
But even as I say the words, I know they’re a lie. Because the truth is, I’ve been admiring Jasce’s body since he climbed from the pool in the bathhouse.
“I have a present for you,” he says. “Look at the table next to you.”
I steel myself and rise enough to find a small bundle on the table. Apprehension builds inside me as I take it and unravel the cloth. Has he given Lyra another gaudy necklace? Would she fawn over it? Inwardly I groan.
When I peel the last of the cloth away, my eyes widen at the sight of two delicate seashells. One of them has a swirling pattern reminiscent of the ocean’s currents, while the other showcases a mesmerizing iridescence that plays with the light.
“They are beautiful,” I whisper with awe, turning them and inspecting each one.
How does he know I like seashells?
Does Lyra like seashells?
I run my fingers against the delicate treasures before tucking them away again. I look at him, sure that all my questions are evident on my face.
“You drew shells all over my parchment,” he says, a hint of amusement in his tone.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I like your sketches.”
“I don’t usually draw.” I add in a soft voice, “Asha does all the drawing. She’s so talented.”
“Asha?”
I swallow and squeeze my eyes shut as my sister’s face lingers in my thoughts. She must be frantic with worry for me.
“You never told me you like shells. Is that new too?” A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth again as he points to my head. “From when you hit your head…hard?”
His quip pulls a tiny smile from me before I press my lips together to keep it from spreading.
He’s teasingme.
I shake that thought free. It does me no good to be charmed by the heir to House of Crimson.
