If there was one thing I’d learned about Cat, it was that she was prideful. She was proud of being able to protect herself and not being seen as weak.
“That bastard!” Jacob shouted, punching the bench they sat on.
Cat gasped as if surprised by his vehement reaction. “It’s okay, Jacob, really. I took care of it. Unfortunately he was embarrassed, which was why he punished you tonight.”
Jacob thought about it for a moment and then frowned. “Now that you mention it, I saw you fighting him, Arya. When did you learn how to fight?”
She sputtered, unprepared to answer his question. “Well… uh… you see… I—”
“I’ve been teaching her,” I quickly inserted.
They both turned their gazes in my direction, surprise in their expressions.
“Your Highness, my sister is alady. She shouldn’t be learning such arts,” Jacob reprimanded sternly.
I wanted to laugh. Cat was no lady, and Arya certainly wasn’t.
She rolled her eyes and mouthed “thank you” before turning to Jacob with a mumbled apology.
When he sighed, the immediate fire in his eyes dimmed as pain won over. “We'll need to discuss this further. In detail.”
“We will,” Cat assured him, gently squeezing his hand. “Once we're home, we’ll sort everything out.”
Jacob leaned back against the cushion and accepted the situation with resignation and resolve. “Andhim…” He noddedtowards me with a mixture of suspicion and gratitude. “I suppose I owe him thanks.”
“Let's just focus on getting you home first,” I suggested, trying to ease the palpable tension.
As the carriage rolled onto the familiar Ryder grounds, the sight of their home offered slight comfort, yet the weight of the night's events hung ponderously in the air. What should have been a safe return felt more like the calm before yet another storm.
After droppingJacob off in his room and settling him in, I quietly followed Cat to her quarters. The family and their servants were already asleep, with only their guards patrolling the grounds. Luckily, we bypassed them on the way to her room.
I figured her servant Maeve would be waiting for her, but thankfully, she wasn’t, although she’d left several candles burning to light the room. When I shut the door behind me, I turned and watched Cat desperately untie the corset of her dress. I strolled over to where she stood and gently brushed her soft hands out of the way, taking hold of the strings and slowly untying them one by one.
Cat exhaled a sigh of relief as the corset loosened, and her shoulders slumped slightly under the weight of the evening's events. “I swear these things are medieval torture devices,” she whispered, her voice tinged with her typical sardonic humor.
“They serve their purpose,” I responded, my tone even, as I continued to work the laces free. My fingers brushed her smooth skin with each freed lace. The proximity to her and the faint scent of her perfume mixed with the stress of the night was unsettling in a way that was hard to ignore.
“Which is?” She turned to look back at me over her shoulder, her expression playful yet edged with fatigue.
“To make a statement,” I murmured, meeting her gaze. “Though, I believe you make enough of a statement all on your own.”
Her laugh was bemused, almost disbelieving. “Flattery from Damien Drakonar? I must truly be in a different realm,” she teased, her honey brown eyes sparkling even in the dim light.
“The realm where I help you out of your dress?” I suggested, a hint of challenge in my voice as I pulled the last of the laces loose. The fabric of her dress fell and pooled at her feet, leaving her in only her undergarments.
She turned fully now, her expression mock-serious. “Only if you promise to behave,” she countered, stepping out of the dress and kicking it away, but not before brushing against me in a way that sent a subtle shock through my senses.
“Behave?” I echoed, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Ialwaysbehave... according to my own rules, that is.”
Cat shook her head, amusement flickering across her features. “Dangerous words.”
“Hm, they are.” I tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.
She slowly closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know.” I glided my fingers down her neck, sending pebbles across her skin.
She opened her eyes. “I don’t like you. Ishouldn’tlike you.”
