To Steal a Prince (19 page)

At the top of the stairs, he turns to me. “I’m so lucky to have met you.”

I look deep into his hazel eyes, but I can’t sense a hint of sarcasm—or insanity. “Really? If you’ll recall our first meeting, you were picking me out of the wreckage of your car.”

“I offered to buy you a muffin first. That’s a better start, isn’t it?”

I lean against the railing. “Are you sure I should be here?”

He frowns. “This room is yours for as long as you want it.”

“No, I mean in the palace. I don’t fit in here, do I?”

“But that’s why you’re so perfect.” Damon curls a hand around my waist. “You don’t spend all of dinner telling me the latest court gossip. You don’t take three hours to choose a riding outfit.” He grins. “You keep Nic on his toes, and you get along with Eris. That last one really takes something special. And who else could have helped me safeguard the crown like you did?”

“When you put it like that, I don’t sound so bad after all.”

His eyes shine in the moonlight as he tilts my head up toward his. I close my eyes, ready to give into his lips.

Something beeps in the night. Damon curses under his breath as he fiddles with his watch.

“I’m sorry, Grace. I’d stay here in a heartbeat if I didn’t have guests to greet.”

“That’s all right.” I try to look on the bright side, though it’s difficult. More time to practice, I guess. I’d rather spend the night with Damon and completely embarrass myself in the ballroom tomorrow.

The prince frowns at his watch as he turns a dial. “Eris will be up shortly to bring you dinner. Could I meet you for lunch tomorrow?”

“When?”

“Does sometime around noon work?”

Noon? That seems so far away. “I’ll be there.”

“Great. I’ll send Nic to get you when I’m ready. After we eat, we’ll both need to get ready for the ball.”

I have less than 24 hours to attempt to perfect my dance steps. The idea makes me lightheaded.

“Try to relax tomorrow morning,” Damon says.

“I’ll do my best.”

The prince steps down two stairs, then hesitates. “Your day wasn’t completely wretched, was it?”

He’s perfectly level with me. This is too good of an opportunity. Leaning in, I kiss him. His cool lips feel so good against mine, like a balm for my soul. Finally I have to pull away, before I forever lose my willpower to do so.

“Ask me again,” I tell him.

He looks a bit dazed. “Your day wasn’t completely wretched, was it?”

I think of the uncertainty and ugliness Darius and Natalia brought into my day. One kiss erased it all, and then some. “It was spectacular.”

He kisses me on the forehead. “Goodnight.” The smile he gives me makes my heart swell. Of course, it shatters when he walks down the steps and into the night. But he’ll be able to repair it again tomorrow.

I must have been tired. It’s almost eleven when I wake. Kicking off the covers, I roll out of bed. I get ready as fast as I can. I fell asleep immediately after getting back last night, and I have to see if I remember anything about dancing.

The morning sun has warmed the terrace. A rumble in the far corner startles me. Reggie turns onto his back, showing me his belly.

“Sorry, Reggie. It’s not a good time.”

I try to imagine where my partner’s feet would be, then place mine. Doing my best to visualize a box, I hum the tune to a simple waltz. I raise my arms to meet my imaginary partner, and begin.

I only make it around the box once before I mess up. Putting my hands on my hips, I turn to face my audience. “I thought I had it down better than this.”

Reggie yawns.

“No one asked you.”

Humming again, I meet my imaginary partner. This time, I waltz more freely around the terrace.

“How am I looking?”

The lion closes his eyes, more interested in sunning himself.

I waltz around the terrace twelve times, working in a few Reverse Turns. Maybe I can actually do this.

At this point, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. I should stop now before I twist an ankle or something.

Reggie seems like he’ll be fine lounging for a few hours, but I need something to eat. I’ll have to leave my room and go in search of food.

I notice the difference immediately upon opening the door. My hall used to be deathly quiet, but now voices echo down it, along with an occasional raucous laugh. I edge along the hall, afraid of what I’ll find at the end.

The main hall has been transformed. Paper lanterns are strung between the pillars, lighting a swarm of humanity. All manner of important people converse with each other, some in hushed tones, others shouting and slapping each other on the back. As horrifying as my first glimpse was, the mass of people should help me out. No one will notice me in a crowd like this.

Striding forward, I aim for the kitchen. Conversations hush around me. People point, or turn to stare as I pass. Oh god, do they all know who I am?

It takes everything I have not to break into a run. I can’t have that be this hemisphere’s first impression of me. I’m suddenly aware of how hot it is in here. And there are so many eyes, all looking at me. I’m really not that interesting.

I have the sensation that there’s not enough air in this room. I suck in a lungful. Am I breathing too loudly? And can anyone hear how my breath hitched in fear? There are too many people here, and the weight of their gazes and judgments presses down on me.

They all know who I am, every single one. I wish there were an alley for me to duck into, a group for me to hide behind. I like to stick to the shadows, and it’s much too bright in here. The sunlight streaming through the windows blinds me. I can’t see everyone, can’t be sure from their expressions how to react.

The spotlight is scorching. Was the king right that it would be too much for me? A chill rustles through me as I remember his words that I could never be anonymous again. Can I handle that without going mad?

Stiffening my spine, I push my way through the crowd. I do my best to nod to those who murmur a greeting, though I’m having trouble telling if they’re talking to me or about me. I’m no good at any of this, but I’ll do my best. I’ll try, for Damon.

It’s over. I’ve survived the crossing of the hall. Gathering myself, I look around. People still mill around, some flitting from one group to the next. The noise of the crowd echoes off the pillars. I seem to have been forgotten. Did I just imagine all that?

I certainly didn’t imagine how it felt. At least it’s a masque ball tonight. If I only tell Damon who I am, maybe the night won’t be so stressful.

A long table is loaded with scones and bagels for the guests. I heap a plate with anything that looks good. Doing my best not to draw attention, I sneak out of the hall. One trip through that crowd is enough for me this morning.

I get back to my room by taking the outer stair. Besides cracking one eye open, Reggie doesn’t bother to move.

“You’d make a terrible guard lion.”

He flicks his tail, then drifts back to sleep. I wish I could be so relaxed.

“Grace? Is that you?” Inside, Eris is hauling a huge garment bag. I rush to help her. Together, we wrestle it into a closet.

“Is that the dress?”

“That’s the one.” She gazes at it like a proud mother. “Want to check that it fits?”

“I’m sure it does.”

Eris hoists a basket onto an end table that’s overflowing with fabric, needles, and spools of thread. “I know. I’m just never completely satisfied until the final fitting.”

“Do you mind if we do that after lunch? I’m supposed to meet Damon.”

“That’s fine. Make sure to come back right after lunch so we have time to get you ready.” Eris pulls out the bronze mask, half of which is fringed with feathers. “Mind if I finish your mask here?”

“Of course not.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” The maid retrieves her omnipresent laundry cart. “Here are the clothes you arrived in. I made sure to personally pick off all the little bits of glass.”

My face burns at the memory of crashing the prince’s car. “Thanks, Eris.”

“Next time you need me to clean up after a theft gone wrong, just let me know.”

“I’m trying to get out of that business, but I will.”

Eris shoos me away. “Go find Damon. Don’t keep him waiting.”

I don’t argue. As I close the blue door behind me, I wonder where Damon could be. I hope I don’t have to push through that mass of people again to find him. Maybe I should put Reggie on a leash and let him part the crowd for me. I’m sure he wouldn’t be at all annoyed at me for leashing him.

Since my lip has finally healed from the car wreck, I don’t think I should risk any feline-inflicted wounds. I’ll avoid the main hall and check for Damon in the rose garden.

I turn down the hall to find a hulking figure approaching me. Someone else I’ve added to my growing list of people I don’t want to see.

Nic waves. “Hi, Grace!”

“Oh. It’s you.”

“Good morning to you, too!”

“Don’t try to be cute. You can’t pull it off.”

Nic folds his arms over his chest. “What is this about?”

“I was so grateful that you spent a whole day teaching me to dance. I thought that maybe you weren’t such a terrible person after all. Why go through all that trouble when you’re going to try to bribe me to leave?”

“Who did you hear that from?”

I glare at him. “Don’t play dumb. The king told me.”

“Ah.”

“You think I’ll take the money, don’t you?”

“Not before showing off your new dance skills, at least.”

“I’m serious, Nic. Does Damon know about this?”

The bodyguard shakes his head. “But you should really take this as a compliment. No woman has ever made the old man feel so threatened before. And it is a very nice offer.”

“Don’t even tell me how much. I don’t want to know.”

Nic sighs. “You should know that Darius has put me in a terrible spot. He’ll be enraged if I don’t offer you the money, and Damon will kill me if I do.”

“What are you going to do, then?”

“Right now, I’m going to tell you that Damon is ready for lunch. He’s waiting for you in the garden.”

I’m pleased to know that my instincts were right. “So where does that leave us?”

Nic holds out a hand. “If Damon likes you, I like you.”

My hand is engulfed in his as we shake. “We have a truce, then?”

“Truce. Now go to lunch.”

I turn to leave, but something is off about the way he watches me. Instead of going about his business, he stands like a statue. His gaze is much too wary. What’s going on?

There’s no way I’m not finding out. Turning a corner, I wait a few beats. By his words, it sounded like he trusted me. Why is he so suspicious now? I hear him scuffle away. Peeking around the corner, I watch him walk down the hall. He stops, entering a room without knocking. The door flashes blue.

My blood turns icy. I thought we just agreed to trust each other. What possible reason could he have to go in my room? His job is to seek out and neutralize threats against Damon. Does he really think I’m a threat? If so, why did he send me to meet Damon?

Unless it was to get me out of my room.

I tamp down the nausea that rolls through me. Did Nic say those things to me just to get my guard down? And worse, he gets his orders from Damon. Could it be that Damon doesn’t trust me anymore?

It feels like something is clawing my intestines from the inside. I never should have tried to open that safe.

Maybe there’s a chance, though. Maybe it is only Nic who distrusts me. On my first day here, he warned me never to let my guard down, because he would be watching for slipups. It seems like he’s kept his word.

One thing he probably didn’t count on was Eris being in my room. Though she can’t stop him from searching through my drawers, she won’t hesitate to yell him out of there. It shouldn’t take long for the tirade to start.

I won’t know how bad this is until Nic leaves. If I can wait for that, I can ask Eris what he wanted. The quiet hallway does nothing to distract from the suspense. I bite one of my nails down to the quick. Where’s Eris with the explosion?

Nic finally leaves, but not in the manner I expected.

“Come on.” His voice is so low that I barely catch it. “We don’t have much time.”

Eris is going with him, and it seems she’s going willingly. I duck back as she looks down the hall.

“Grace can’t know about this,” she whispers.

“She won’t. Trust me.”

Their voices are lost as they head toward the main hall. I’m left alone, with nothing but a sinking feeling.

There’s not much time for what, for planting evidence against me? Am I going to go through that torture again, but without Eris on my side this time? I slump against the wall. I didn’t think she would turn on me, but maybe she was never on my side at all. Maybe she only helped me last time because she wanted to get back at Marc.

I stare into space, feeling numb. The king must be getting to Damon. Darius thinks I’m a thief, and nothing more. Maybe he’s right. I couldn’t stop myself from cracking Damon’s safe just for the fun of it, could I? Who knows what I’ll try to pull next?

Because that’s the thing, I don’t know if I’m capable of stopping. I used to steal to survive, but now it seems that it’s who I am. I’m a thief by nature, and I won’t be able to stop just because I’m in a palace. Who knows the damage I could do to Damon. I already tried to steal a crown from him, and wrecked his car. I need to leave now, before I hurt him so badly that he can’t recover. Our relationship started with me stealing from him, so how could he ever trust me? There’s no point in staying when things will eventually fall apart.

It’s settled, then. I’m going to have to break my lunch date with Damon. Leaning precariously, I brace myself against a wall. I’m about to stand up a prince. A raw laugh bubbles out of me. The very notion is ridiculous.

Slipping back into my room, I’m struck by the silence. It feels cold in here, too. Maybe that’s because two people I thought were my friends just betrayed me in here.

I change into the clothes Eris brought me. My only suit is nothing like the priceless dresses in the wardrobe, but it’s mine. My hand rests on the pendant Damon gave me. He wanted me to have it, and I’d like to be reminded of him once in a while. But I can’t accept it. Taking it off, I leave it next to the vase. The alexandrite sparkles, promising a life of luxury and wonder. Above it, the white rose is starting to wilt. I take it instead.