I glanced back at Dain, who was just standing there watching me with his brows pulled together, then up at the rock wall. He'd brought me here, but there was surely another way up, and he wanted time alone anyway. He could follow me to the top of the outcropping if he wanted. Thus satisfied, I grabbed the two halves of my skirt and tied them around my waist, hearing Dain make a weird sound behind me. Then I put my hands on the cool stone again, the rough texture beneath my fingers as comforting as the sight of the crown prince.

"See you at the top," I said, and started climbing.

13. Sunlit Conversation

Chapter 13

Sunlit Conversation

By the time Dain made it up the outcropping on foot, I'd found a nice patch of grass in the sun and gotten comfortable, watching the white clouds scudding across the summer sky. I hadn't even been sure he'd follow, but maybe he was curious, too, or maybe I was as comfortable for him to be around as he was for me. Either way, he came up, and his shadow fell across me.

"You're blocking my sunlight, Crown Prince Sundamar," I said lazily, not even opening my eyes.

He neither moved nor said anything, so I cracked one eyelid to peer up at him. The Beast of Phazikai looked down at me, his face unreadable, his wolf eyes moving across my face and his dark lashes sweeping down as he blinked.

"Yeees?" I said, drawing out the word. "What is it?"

Dain watched me for a few more heartbeats before asking, all in a rush, "Is it going to make your skin 'creep' if I glamor my back so I can lie down beside you?"

I blinked. The man sounded like a teenager asking out a girl for the first time. Apparently I'd disconcerted him more than I'd anticipated. "No idea," I replied. "You could give it a shot and we could find out."

Another moment of watching, before he jerked his chin down in a nod. Dain closed his eyes, keeping his back away from me, then started undoing his jacket, muscles jumping in his face and his forehead creasing as his brows drew together. His breathing was coming faster, too, and I could see his pulse in his throat.

I will strive to unlearn the lessons of my childhood and the century since for you. Dain's promise slid into my mind as I opened my other eye, watching him. This was hard for him. Terrifying, maybe, to act as if he didn't expect horror from me, when every part of him was aligned in knowing it would happen. And Dain was still doing it, taking off a layer of clothing like it was a layer of literal armor and I was holding a sword to his throat.