Chapter 81

Kit’s feet were beginning to hurt, despite the comfortable shoes she had on, and she knew she’d consumed a bit too much wine. Though she hadn’t quite danced with every single Representative, she’d at least spoken to all of them, so she decided it was time to call it a very long night.

She glanced around the room and saw Jate, still standing near Cassius, where he’d been positioned most of the evening. They were both so handsome, yet so different looking. Cassius’s mop of dark brown, curly hair went in every which direction. His shoulders were so broad, and he had to be at least four inches taller than Jate. The Representative from Rockdale, however, had much lighter hair, though a darker complexion. His perfectly sculpted hair always came up in the front in the same swoosh over his left eye and never seemed to move. He was much more reserved, much softer spoken, than Cassius, but strong and lean. Kit hadn’t stopped to ponder why she was drawn to these two particular men, or some of the others that had caught her fancy, rather than some of the Representatives who were also good looking but hadn’t made her think twice about choosing them—yet, anyway. There was just some innate quality about those she preferred she couldn’t quite put her finger on. For now, she’d continue to go with her gut, and despite Jate’s reaction after the archery contest, she was looking forward to getting to know him better. Right now.

Crossing the ballroom floor was never an easy task, so she made her way to the periphery and skirted around the tables her mother had requested be positioned there. In Kit’s opinion, the idea of dancing while eating, or standing at the tables and picking at table food, which is mostly what had transpired that evening, had been a disaster. So many of their guests had stains on their gowns and shirt fronts, and she heard several people complaining that they were still hungry or had indigestion. Kit hoped Queen Rona would go back to the more traditional meal before the ball for their next occasion, which would be soon. Kit saw many a ball in her future.

“Princess Katrinetta!” a familiar voice called, and Kit felt her elbow being snatched away from her. “Pardon, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

She turned to see Pierce from Metfirth’s blue eyes staring down at her. “Oh, no it’s fine,” she assured him, wondering what he could possibly want. She had danced with him twice earlier. “I was just about to retire.”

“That’s too bad. I was hoping to have a chance to speak with you. I found out some information I thought you might want to know.”

Instantly, Kit’s ears perked up. Pierce had been a wonderful source of intelligence she otherwise wouldn’t have received. She glanced around and saw that her mother was paying her no mind. “What is it?”

“It will take longer to explain than we have here, I’m afraid, particularly if you were going to retire. Perhaps we could meet tomorrow? In the garden?”

The schedule was open tomorrow. Her mother hadn’t planned an event for every single day, thank goodness, or else Kit would’ve been exhausted and rushed through the entire Choosing. “Yes, that sounds fine. What time?”

“After the morning meal?”

Kit glanced in Jate’s direction and a tingle went up her spine. “Better make it after the midday meal. I may want to sleep late in the morning.”

If Pierce caught her drift, he did not let on. “Very well. I shall see you then. Enjoy your... night, Princess.” She could hear the jealousy in his tone now and felt momentarily sorry for him. He was trying his best to be valuable to her, she realized that, and in so doing, he had insured he would be allowed to stay indefinitely, but Kit did not have romantic feelings for Pierce. He would fit in the category she’d been thinking about earlier—attractive but not someone she’d consider.

Nevertheless, she did appreciate him. She patted his shoulder and smiled. “Thank you, kindly, Pierce. I look forward to speaking with you.”

He bowed and walked away, and for a moment, Kit wished she had said she’d stay long enough for him to tell her, but then her eyes fell on Jate’s face again, and the tingling she’d felt earlier morphed into something more, a desperation, a hunger, and she was on her way again.

Jate saw her coming, despite the fact that he was theoretically listening to Cassius. He ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip, and Kit felt a surge of adrenaline course through her. During her Exploration, the three year period before her Choosing, she’d come to see her first time with a new partner as an exciting rush. Sometimes, she was met with disappointment, but most times, she learned something new about herself and gained a memorable experience. Something told her Jate would not disappoint her, despite his previous admission that he wasn’t one for attention.

She came to stop in front of him, also before Cassius, who stopped midsentence to say, “If it isn’t the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Kit couldn’t help but turn her attention to him as she felt her cheeks pink. “Pardon me, I didn’t mean to interrupt your story.”

“You can interrupt me any time you want to, gorgeous,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye, and if Kit hadn’t already spoken to Jate about her plans for the evening, she very well might’ve grabbed Cassius around the collar and dragged him out of the room.

“Have you enjoyed your evening, Princess?” Danyen, a man who had also recently caught Kit’s attention, asked. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Cassius and practically faded away in the other man’s shadow. But he was lithe and limber and had a wonderful sense of humor. His hair was a dark blonde, and he had chocolate brown eyes that she found herself melting into earlier while in his arms on the dance floor. Surrounded by these three, along with Reeve, whom she’d already been with and enjoyed as well, Kit found her heart racing.

“I have had a wonderful evening, thank you, Danyen. I hope you have as well.” He smiled and nodded.

Kit glanced over at Reeve and gave him a reassuring grin, hoping he would know she was thinking of him. He was the closest to Cassius’s height, with dark brown hair and unassuming eyes. He had a scar that ran most of the way around the left side of his torso, and she remembered how he had confided in her that he’d been attacked by a big horned sheep on his parents’ ranch when he was a child. She had a bond with Reeve as well, and she knew she’d be asking him to her chambers again soon. In fact, she had even considered Rooming him, but she needed to make sure of a few things first. There were only seven rooms, and she still had forty-one men to choose from.

“Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I am quite tired and have decided to retire to my chambers now.” A bit of awkwardness settled around them all, and she wondered if anyone other than Jate and Cassius knew why she had come to be standing there. She hoped so, but it didn’t matter. This was her Choosing, and she had to be assertive.

A crooked grin spread across Cassius’s handsome face as he clapped Jate on the shoulder. “Then... the pair of you should be off. Have an enjoyable evening—but not too enjoyable.” He winked at her with those last words, and Kit felt her face heat up.

Jate stumbled forward under the power of Cassius’s giant palm. Kit looked up to see the color draining from his face and realized just how nervous he was. He wouldn’t look directly at her. “Thank you,” she said to Cassius, shaking her head at his orneriness, which only made him chuckle. “Jaterius, are you ready?”

“Yes, my Princess,” he said quietly, still not looking at her, and Kit forced her arm beneath his since he did not offer it. He seemed to remember himself immediately and rested his other hand on top of hers. “Gentlemen.”

Most of the others bid Jate good night, but Cassius only continued to laugh, and Kit wondered for a moment if he wasn’t laughing to keep from being upset. She had a feeling he tended to hide his true feelings beneath jokes and laugher. She couldn’t blame him. She could only imagine how upset she would be if the situation was flipped on its head and she were watching Cassius walk away on the arm of another woman.

For a moment, Kit considered glancing around the room one last time, but she knew no matter how nonchalant she tried to be, she would only be searching for one face. And she didn’t truly need to see him, not now, not on Jate’s arm, not on their way to her pleasuring chamber. If she allowed herself to consider how ridiculous it was that on the first night she could choose Eli she hadn’t, after all of these years, she’d begin to question everything. So she went ahead with her plan, the one she’d had before she even knew Eli was a possibility, and led Jate out into the hallway. A pair of guards fell into step behind them, but she didn’t have to look to see Eli was not among them. She would’ve known it if he were, both by his distinguishable scent and the sound of his familiar cadence.