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“Listen, Eden,” Kiran began. He took a step forward and my outstretched hand into his to unfasten the handcuff, “I wanted to apologize for last night. We were having a fantastic time and I picked a fight with you. Im sorry for that. ”
I looked up, surprised by the sincerity in his voice and relaxed a little. “I forgive you,” I conceded with the tone of a true diplomat. “I also apologize, for letting you antagonize me. I really should know better. ”
“You really should,” he mumbled, trying to hide his amusement. He took my other hand in his and unlocked that handcuff as well.
I rubbed at my wrists, thinking they should be raw or tired, but thankful to find neither true. Kiran reached for the first velvet box he had set on the bed and opened it for me. Inside was a gorgeous bracelet, twelve rows wide, of tiny black diamond studs that glimmered in the light.
Kiran showed it to me in the box, before taking it out and offering it for my hand. I let him clasp it around my wrist, wondering at its shimmering beauty and exorbitant price tag. I had never worn anything that expensive in my life.
“Its stunning,” I gasped, holding up my hand to better light.
“Eden, its full of the same magic that those handcuffs have, so at least try to pretend that it bothers you around my father,” Kiran chided. I whirled on him, expecting him to be angry or that I would need to defend myself, but he was already reaching for the other box trying to hide traces of laughter from his face.
“Ill try. ” I gritted my teeth in irritation, although I couldnt be sure if I was irritated with his flippant attitude or Lucans ugly, manipulative schemes to hide the fact that I was a prisoner.
“Dont be angry when I open this next box,” Kiran warned. His jaw clenched and the look in his aquamarine eyes told me he was bracing himself for a fight. “I asked Sebastian to pass the word along to Titus, who in turn asked your brother, who then asked Sylvia if she could return the onyx necklace and your engagement ring. So, Sylvia passed the jewels along to Avalon who passed them along to Titus who recently found a way to smuggle them to Sebastian. That is how they got here, there is no reason for you to panic or accuse me of violating your trust or Sylvias house and so forth and so on,” Kiran explained in a droll voice that demonstrated his distaste for my protective spirit over Aunt Syl and my family.
“If only I believed you,” I mumbled, even though I did.
I suspected Kiran called my bluff too because instead of arguing with me, he opened the box and removed the ring and necklace. He handed me the necklace and I slipped it over my head automatically, the dark pendant falling in between the low-cut neckline of my gown and matching perfectly with the soft silk of my bodice.
“If you dont mind. . . . ” Kiran stepped closer to me and I instinctively drew my hand behind my back. “It feels more believable if you let me put it on,” Kiran explained.
With mild hesitation, I offered my hand which he took into his own. A shaky, measured breath exhaled from him and he slipped the ring onto my finger. For a moment, I was taken back to the first time he gave me this ring, alone in his apartment, laying on the floor together, the perfect evening and all the love in the world.
A few hours later that memory turned into a cruel nightmare and I lost everything I loved.
Although I got some of what I loved back and even more if you count Jericho, Kirans betrayal would never be forgotten. The pain of that night and the ensuing nights would never go away. Even through this humiliating charade tonight, I would not forget how Kiran used my love to manipulate and then betray me.
I tried to mask the contempt I felt for the large emerald glistening on my ring finger. It represented something far worse than handcuffs or a tracking necklace; this was something of emotional value that I let define my future. The ring defined me.
I cleared my throat and Kiran stepped away from me, dropping my hand that he had held so gently. He looked up at me, recognized the traces of disgust I desperately tried to hide, and smiled ruefully.
“Lets go so we can get this over with. ” He held out his elbow to me and I hooked my arm with his, allowing him to lead me out of his room and down the winding staircase.
“Kiran, I know this might sound weird coming from me. . . . ” Kiran tensed next to me, waiting for whatever trivial thing I chose to argue with him about this time. “I just, Im new to all of this, and I need to know if there are any like rules or mannerism things I need to know about. I dont want to embarrass you,” I finished sincerely, thinking of Lucans much needed approval.
Kiran paused at the base of the staircase and looked at me like I had been abducted by aliens. “You dont want to embarrass me?”
“Come on, Im taking this seriously! From this point on, I am the doting, adoring fiancé. You can trust me,” I whispered, already taking on the affectionate tone I used with him once upon a time.
Kiran hesitated. I watched him shift uncomfortably back and forth, unnerved by my dedication to the role. “Of course,” he agreed in a throaty voice. “I dont think there is much to know that you dont already know. Curtsy to my mother and father the first time you are presented to them, but after that there is no need to continue curtsying. Tonight is only an hors doeuvres reception so as far as food goes, just dont pick anything up with your hands. Always eat everything, no matter how small or inconvenient, in several bites with your knife and fork. Other than that, no one will bow or curtsy to you or anything and you are free to talk with anyone that is at the reception because they are all invited guests. ”
“Sounds easy enough,” I agreed, feeling a small amount of the pressure of the night lift. “But you arent going to leave me, right?”
“No,” Kiran smiled, lifting his arm for me to take it. “I wont leave you. ”
“Oh, one more thing!” I remembered enthusiastically. “How often should I, uh, kiss you?”
“Pardon me?” Kiran asked, his eyes flashing with mirth at my expense.
My voice dropped and my face flushed with embarrassment, “You know. . . . because were in love, how much kissing is, um, acceptable?”
“That depends,” Kiran answered shyly. “How often are you planning on kissing me?”
“We’d better practice,” I decided. I pulled Kiran into the nearest set of brass doors.
I had unknowingly picked the empty courtroom. The large room was perfectly still and quiet. I jumped when the doors thudded closed behind us and turned to Kiran who stared at me with a mixture of shock and pure amusement.
The still-setting sun flooded the room with soft, dusk-like light through the stained glass windows that took up one whole wall of the hexagonal room. The golden thrones facing us glittered in the dancing light, looking less judgmental and infinitely more alluring. I had the sudden urge to sit in Lucans seat but suppressed it, knowing we were going to be late to our own party if I didnt get down to business.
I tore my eyes away from the box where the accused sat to be judged, expecting to feel anger at the very purpose of this room. But instead, I slowly admitted to myself that this room held very fond memories for me. This was the room Kiran had stepped up to protect me in, begging Amory to help me escape. In the room just off this one, he had kissed me, a kiss so fierce, so passionate, that I spent the next several hours on the run with only his kiss to fuel my plight. In this room I realized that my feelings for him were love. True love. Even if that love was immature and misguided, as Id come to believe it was, it was still love. And I recognized it here.
“Are we really going to practice kissing, Eden?” Kiran inquired sarcastically, bringing my attention back to his expectant turquoise eyes. “Surely, it cannot be that hard to remember!”
“Not like make-out kissing!” I hissed, slapping his bicep playfully. “I need to know whats acceptable in front of all your. . . . our. . . . guests. And I want to make sure I react…. appropriately. ” I couldn’t say out loud that I didn’t want to recoil from his touch, disgusted and angry
in front of everyone important in the kingdom.
Kiran started to protest, but I was determined to walk into this party prepared. The entire time I had known I was Immortal had been a series of events that I was never prepared for and most of the time off the mark.
“I mean, is it Ok to kiss you during the party?” I asked, suddenly wondering if maybe I should refrain from physical affection all together. “Because if it isnt-”
“No, its perfectly fine,” Kiran assured me. “One might even say its expected from a couple that is supposed to be so in love as us. ”
“Thats what I thought,” I agreed and decided to just jump right in. “So, I was thinking something like this might be acceptable and affectionate enough. . . . ” I linked my arm with his again, pretending to stand how we would most likely be standing during the party. I leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, letting my lips linger against his soft skin and hard jawline.
Kirans magic soared next to me. I felt it take off away from him in a swirling frenzy of surprise. He cleared his throat and looked down at the ground before explaining, “The magic is part of it, right?”
“Oh, of course,” I nodded enthusiastically, remembering how our magic used to seek each other out and connect in a palpable way. “Good thinking. ”
I turned my body into him, and he slipped his arm around my waist naturally. I stepped forward on my tiptoes, kissing his ear lobe and neck gently, shyly. He jerked a little bit, from the tickling sensation of my breath hot against his neck and we laughed, our magics mingling in a casual truce around us.
I reached over and put my hand on his waist, turning my body into him completely. I dipped my face into his neck, a little mortified from our practice, but more dreading the hours of this ahead of us and groaned softly. His skin, hot against my face, felt comforting and familiar and for the first time since the first night we got engaged I inhaled his herbal, masculine scent. Electricity burst to life underneath my skin, racing through my blood in an angry protest of longing. His hand began to shake against my back, holding it back from pressing me against him and I realized for the first time I had taken us into dangerous territory.
Too familiar with each other, casual touches could easily become so much more out of the habit we built when there was actual love between us. I lifted my head, forcing my cheek from the curve of where his neck met his shoulder and breathed evenly, trying to protect my pride and my insistence to practice.
“So, stuff like that is all Ok?” I asked casually.
“Yep,” he answered and the tremor in his voice was unmistakable. “Yes, all of that is perfectly acceptable. ”
I stepped away from him and the canyon between us felt like a million miles. I smiled bravely at him and he returned mine with a courageous one of his own. He withdrew his hand from my waist and walked to the brass door leading out into the hallway and held it open for me.
We walked in silence the rest of the way, not bothering to link arms until we were out the castle doors and a few steps from the main square of the Citadel. I marveled at the plaza that on regular days was just an open square with a cobblestone ground.