Chapter 136

Kit melted back into the bed and Jate put his sword away. “Thank you, Avinia!” Kit shouted, looking out the window. The last splinters of daylight illuminated the sky. Her commander had returned in time.

Jate was already getting dressed. She watched as he pulled on his trousers and located his tunic and jerkin. “Must you leave?” she asked, reaching for him as he sat on the bed to put his boots on.

“I assumed you’d want to speak to them,” he said, turning to smile at her.

“I do want to speak to Seph, but... we didn’t even have a chance to reacquaint ourselves with each other.”

With a soft chuckle, Jate leaned down and pressed his warm lips to hers, and Kit gladly opened for him. The kiss was tender and sweet, with just enough passion to remind her of how sensual their times together had been. The man before her had certainly changed from the shy boy she’d first taught to love.

When Jate pulled away from her, Kit was reluctant to go and nipped at his bottom lip in one last effort to keep him close. He smiled and brushed her hair back. “Perhaps I can rejoin you, later, after you’ve had a chance to speak to Seph.”

It seemed like a decent compromise. “Yes. But in here. I’m not ready to go back to my other room just yet.”

He stood to buckle his belt, and Kit couldn’t help but scowl at the idea of him putting it on, rather than taking it off. “I shall be counting the minutes.” He winked at her, and Kit found herself giggling again. “You can’t wear me out, though. With the labyrinth maze contest tomorrow, I’ll need my strength.”

Kit’s laughter pealed through the room. “The point in winning is so that you may share my chambers! It seems counterproductive to hold back while in my chambers in order to win your way into my chambers!”

Jate’s smile grew crooked. “Perhaps, logically speaking. But the idea of catching you in the maze is more than a little enticing.”

Kit envisioned his body pressed against hers between the emerald green, high hedges of the labyrinth and had to agree it was an appealing thought. A shiver ran down her spine and settled between her legs. She had to shake her head to clear the image. “I have dinner with the queen this evening. I can send for you when I’ve returned.”

“I can wait outside of your doorway like a lost puppy.”

She giggled once more. “I’ll send for you. That way, passersby won’t see how pathetic you are.” It was her turn to wink at him.

He was fully dressed now, and Kit could hear her ladies in the antechamber, likely growing impatient. Still, when he bent to kiss her once more, she wrapped her arms around his neck and was reluctant to let go when he pulled away. Finally, she released him, and kissing her on the forehead he whispered, “I’ll see you soon, Kit. Thank you for taking me with you.”

“Thank you for coming.”

Jate smiled and unlocked the door, letting her ladies stream in, and Kit stared after him, not hearing a word the three were saying until after the antechamber door closed.

“Katrinetta?” Avinia said, staring at the princess. “Did you hear me?”

“Not a word,” she replied, still grinning from ear to ear.

Shaking her head, Avinia repeated herself. “We need to get you ready for dinner with your mother, but right now she’s asked to see Eliason, and from the looks of it, she wasn’t too happy. She’s already spoken with Seph.”

Kit’s dreamlike state had been breached. “How are you, Seph? Was she angry? Are you all right?”

Seph was going about getting Kit’s jewels and accessories ready for the dinner as if nothing was different, but when she caught the girl’s eyes, Kit could see they were a bit puffy, as if she’d been crying recently. “I’m fine. It was frightening, but I made it through. She’s given me a stern warning, though. I’m not sure what she shall do if I fail her again.”

Kit was confused. It seemed Seph assumed she knew something she didn’t. “Failed her how?” Though Kit could guess what it was Seph was supposed to do, she needed to hear it.

Avinia went to the door, opened it slightly, and then closed and barred it. With a nod in her direction, she allowed Seph to begin speaking again. “I was supposed to... seduce Eli. Or at the very least keep him out past sunset. I tried to convince the queen that I tried on both occasions but that he was determined to return in time. She was irate, screaming at me that if I couldn’t fulfill such a simple task, what was the point in having me in her service to begin with? But....” Seph shook her head, and even though Kit’s stomach was turning as she considered her mother’s duplicity, it didn’t come as a shock. Rona hated Eli. It seemed she was willing to do whatever she could to get him out of the Choosing. It was a wonder she’d ever consented to let him compete in the first place. But then, Rona had rigged the first election in Eastbury. Perhaps the council had prevented her from a second attempt at doing so, or perhaps the people of Eastbury were too fed up with the tampering to give in. At any rate, if she was going to keep Eli in the Choosing—and alive—she’d have to measure every move.

“Seph,” Kit began, taking a deep breath and choosing her words carefully, “I thank you for your loyalty. It would’ve been quite simple for you to fake an injury or become lost on the journey, making it impossible for Eli to return on time. The fact that you chose to do the right thing despite my mother’s wishes speaks volumes toward your character. When I am queen, I shall remember this.”

“Princess Katrinetta,” Seph said, taking a step forward, her hands folded in front of her, “begging your pardon, my Lady, I worry I won’t be around for that long. I’m afraid... if I’m not useful to your mother, she’ll dispatch me. One way or another. I’d never survive in the dungeon....”

“We must prevent that from happening,” Kit said with a solid nod. She was still in her bed but slid to the edge now, her feet on the floor. “We shall find a way to keep you safe.”

“Yes, my Princess,” Seph said, but her face still had a look of worry about it that wouldn’t quite go away.

Kit didn’t blame her. She hadn’t been able to save Terrowin or Dullon. It seemed even Merek was a victim of her mother’s games. There had to be something Kit could do to convince her mother that Seph was plotting against the princess. She decided to think on it as her ladies prepared her for dinner. As much as she would’ve liked to have a few moments to speak to Eli, there was no time for that now and wouldn’t be afterward either if she kept her promise to Jate, which she intended to.