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He shook his head and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Careful, Princess. A man could get ideas from a kiss like that.”
“Is that so?” Mina laughed, turning towards him.
Erik didn’t back away. The space between them was nearly nonexistent. His cool breath washed over her face, and she felt her skin burn.
“All kinds of ideas,” he insisted, his hands finding her waist.
Mina kissed him quickly and pulled back tugging lightly on his bottom lip with her teeth. She let go and grinned. “We can talk about those ideas tonight too, I think. I might have some of my own to add into the mix.”
“As you wish, Princess. I am at yourservice.” He bowed looking up at her through his lashes, stressing the words. “If you needanything, all you have to do is ask, and I and my time are yours.”
There was no hiding his meaning, and Mina had half a mind to demand he take her back to his bed right then and there. Thinking about how he’d touched her, how they’d come together. She felt guilty for the want that pulsed through her, but there was no denying it. The more time she spent in Nilumaria, she was beginning to realize she actually liked it on this side of the mountains.
“Come, come. We need to get you washed up if you’re going to have that dinner tonight, and pick you out something fun to wear,” Lucy crooned, tugging Mina away from Erik.
Mina gave him a desperate look, and he laughed, but did nothing to stop Lucy as she pulled her back into the palace. The last thing she saw was a strange look of worry crossing his features.
“I am truly amazed,” Lucy laughed. “It’s worse than I thought.”
Mina turned back to look at her. “What?”
“I was right. You are in love with him,” Lucy said.
Mina rolled her eyes. “You know how I was raised, Lucy. I can’t love a vampire.”
“The past does not define us, Darling Cousin. In fact, I find quite a bit of joy comes from living in spite of your past. My parents, Mother protect their souls, were even stricter than your father. You may have been too young to remember them, but they were. They hated vampires, witches—anyone touched by magic that we knew lived beyond the Veil. So much so, they tricked me into suppressing my magic. They told me I was sick and fed me potions to make me appear normal…human. I had no idea what I was until I needed it to survive.”
“I’m sorry you went through that.” Mina sighed. “I still can’t believe you made it from the border to the kingdom on your own.”
Lucy shook her head and squared her shoulders. “I think that’s enough talk about what was. For now, I think we get you cleaned up, have some lunch and figure out what you want out of this dinner.”
“All I asked for was the chance to talk to him.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I want from this dinner.”
“I’m a witch, Mina. I know there’s more to what you’re saying. I can smell lies from a mile away. Almost literally.”
Mina scrubbed her hands over her face in frustration. “I need answers, Luce. I just don’t know if I’m ready for them.”
“What kind of answers?” She asked, her tone turning gentle.
“I…” Mina didn’t feel right speaking about the dream she’d had in the tree, so she chose to focus on something else. The most mundane of her questions. The easiest. “I want to know this place. I’ve seen the beautiful markets, the starry sky, the happy people, and the red palace, but I know nothing about where it came from. I know nothing about how this all came to be.”
Lucy arched an eyebrow and smiled. “You want to know the history of this place? Alright then, thatIcan help you with. Come on. Let’s get changed.”
Pushing through Mina’s bedroom door, Lucy began to hum, and Mina was once more swept up in the current of her joy.
