The persistent knocking on the door told her she’d taken too long in the bath. Her body nearly went under the water of the bathe as a squeak of surprise erupted from her. “W-who is it?” She managed to call out once she righted herself.
A muffled chuckle from the other side of the door told her exactly who it was. She knew her assumption had been correct as the door opened and Ari entered through the doorway. If Ari noticed she was still naked in the tub, she didn’t care as she breezed by her and went to collecting different items she needed from the dresser on her right.
“Excuse me, I’m still bathing in here. You couldn’t wait until I at least was covered?” Ember said in annoyance. Her voice was sharp as she attempted to cover herself as best that she could with the rag she’d been using to wash herself.
One thing about Ari she’d been quick to understand was she did what she wanted and could care less if it upset anyone else. Except maybe Ana and Nikolas, but everyone else on this planet was fair game.
Especially her.
Ari grabbed one last thing, only sparing her a side glance as she passed her. Ember felt her cheeks redden as Ari simply scoffed, rolling her eyes as she continued past her. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve seen a naked woman before, Beasty. I don’t fluster as easily as you do.”
With that, she and her trinkets disappeared out the door just as quickly as she had when she’d come in.
With a heavy sigh, Ember laid against the back of the tub. Running her fingers through her hair, she tried to find the will to relax. Ari was right, that is, to a point. She needed to find a way to relax or else she had a feeling she’d be a liability on this outing tonight instead of an asset. She was hoping she wouldn’t be playing the pretty face hostage again. After the night at Owl’s Head, she doubted Nikolas was going to put any more of his men at risk because of her slip-ups.
Her eyes drifted to the dress hanging across from her. It seemed to taunt her with the reminder that dresses just like this one was a normal attire for her back home. A place she couldn’t go back to until her curse was broken, maybe not even then.
Would her father, let alone King Ivan, welcome her back if they couldn’t use her? Her heart sank when she knew she wouldn’t be, especiallynot when Cassius’ fate was in limbo and Asher now hated her.
Going home again didn’t seem to be an option for her, but she wasn’t sure if staying on this ship was one either. Nikolas was letting her stay right now because he needed her to help his brother, but what happens after the curse is broken? They weren’t what she’d classify as friends, nor were they anything beyond that.
A blush reddened her face at the memory of their almost kiss on the deck the other night while stargazing. She’d been honest with him when she said she wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved that he hadn’t kissed her that night.
The last few encounters with him had been different, leaving her with a fluttering in her stomach she wasn’t used to feeling. Even when Asher used to flirt with her, she didn’t feel like this. Flustered, sure, but something about this feeling was different. Maybe because she knew nothing could happen between her and Asher, but the lines seemed to blur when it came to her and Nikolas.
She doubted he would admit to feeling anything similar toward her.
With a heavy sigh, she finished with her washing and grabbed a towel as she stood up from the bath. This bathing room the twins used wasn’t nearly as nice as the one in Nikolas’ quarters, but she supposed she should be grateful Ana and Ari let her use it at all.
Crossing the small space between the bath and where her dress hung, she stopped in front of the garment and let her fingers slip down the feel of the cloth.
The dark emerald color would complement her red curls nicely, no doubt the reason Nikolas had chosen this for her in the first place. The fabric seemed to sparkle as she ran her hand over it, bringing a small smile to her face.
The neckline sank lowly as it created a deep heart shape, though a sheer fabric would cover any exposed skin as it would cover the top and center of her chest and her arms as the sleeves fell down past her hands with a flaring effect. The bodice of the dress would hug her shape as the skirt was loose. She wondered if this was made to make it easier to run in if the occasion occurred.
Her smile turned sad as she remembered the last time that she wore a dress like this one. Closing her eyes, she let the memory of her and Malia gushing over the beauty of the red gown. They had gone back and forth so many times on how to do her hair and then there was the tiara her father had gifted her.
She didn’t know what Nikolas had done with it when he took it from her. She hadn’t thought to ask, but it didn’t matter. Her memories of that night would always be tainted by how it ended. Malia’s sacrifice, leaving Cassius unconscious in the sand, and an injured Asher in the water after he was tossed overboard.
A traitor tear fell as her friends faces all appeared in mind. Cassius with his giant smile as he declared he was ready for a competition with her cousin for Malia’s affection. Malia, who was always so timid and shy, but, in the end, she’d been a hero in her last moments. Asher, before he hated her for enjoying her first days of freedom. She remembered how the two of them watched the stars from his sailing boat, just talking about things that were important to them. It seemed long ago. It was almost like a different life time the more she tried to remember it.
As she opened her eyes, a heavy sigh left her lips. Malia’s death, leaving Cassius behind, she decided that neither would not be for nothing. Neither would Tomas's death. She’d do her best tonight to prove she deserved their sacrifices. There wasn’t any more room for mistakes to be made tonight. She couldn’t watch another person die to protect her.
Grabbing the hanger, she slipped the dress free before she went to work at putting the thing on herself. She wouldn’t have Malia here to help with the lacing and she was not about to ask one of the twins to help her either. The chances of them not laughing in her face were slim to none. She, for one, was not in the mood to be laughed at and mocked by them again.
After a few struggling moments, she managed to get the dress on correctly and flattened down the wrinkles as she stood in front of the old mirror. With her curls drying into nice waves that fell past her shoulders, she was actually surprised at the sight that welcomed her. This girl wasn’t the same as the one who stood in her pretty red gown with a tiara on her head and her hair tied back to hide away her natural curls.
“I’m starting to think I need a new name to call you.” A voice said out from the doorway behind her. “I don’t think pretty is the right word to describe how beautiful you look.”
Her honey eyes met hungry desire in his own gaze through the mirror. A blush she couldn’t hide spread across her cheeks, but she didn’t dare break the stare. “Thank you, Nikolas. Though, I still don’t know why we’re going to this party. Aren’t we supposed to be laying low? Arriving uninvited, because I seriously doubt that we were invited, to the Queen’s party seems to be the opposite of achieving that wisely set goal.” She pointed out as she turned to face him.
His head tilted to the side, his gaze giving her another once over before returning to her face. “The Stellarain people hate your King, and for good reason too. They won’t be arresting you and sending you home tonight. You have my word.”
“Is that supposed to comfort me? In the last week, you’ve kidnapped me, locked me up, and you won’t give me any details on what we’re doing here. I’m walking into tonight’s events blind, and that alone worries me. How do I know you’re not just putting me in pretty wrapping and plan on selling me to Queen Esmeralda once we get there?” She said, though it was her real worries that were accidentally slipping out.
She did not plan on showing her hand, her fears, like that. She’d rather he didn’t know she was panicking on the inside, but it seemed she’d done just that.
To her surprise, and relief, he didn’t laugh like she had expected him to.
“I supp
ose to expect trust from you while giving you none in return is a bit unfair of me, isn’t it? I told you we needed a witch and I know none more powerful than the Queen of Stellara herself. She owes me a favor. So, I completely intend on collecting it in full tonight.” He confessed, his eyes studying her for something she couldn’t understand.
Brushing a curl behind her ear, she moved toward where he stood in the doorway. “How do you expect to get inside? I doubt they’ll just let you through with no invitation. I thought you said you weren’t on good terms with the Queen?”
They both knew she had a point.
Nikolas offered his arm as she joined his side, intent on ignoring her questions. They both knew he wouldn’t tell her until he deemed it the right time to anyway.
Her eyes flickered to his glove covered hands and a sadness filled her. He was hiding his burn scars she found so interesting. “You shouldn’t wear the gloves. I don’t think you should hide who you are.” She said softly as her hand touched her locket hanging around her neck.
His eyes widened in surprise by her comment. The surprise was quickly hidden behind a cocky smirk. “So, you admit you like what you see then.”
Jokes aside, she would admit she found his scars interesting. She often found herself wondering where he got them, but she didn’t have the courage to actually ask him.
Not yet, at least.
“I just think you shouldn’t hide the burns. They’re a piece of your story, nothing to be ashamed of.” She said, her eyes flickering up to meet his.
A sadness played behind his eyes. Though, it was only for a moment before he pushed it back behind his walls. Still, she could see a vulnerability there. He was nervous. “They don’t disgust you? The scars, I mean.” He asked, his voice so quiet she almost didn’t hear him.
He was trusting her, she realized. He was giving her that small chance not to prove him right. She found herself wanting to do just that. She reached forward and tugged his hands free of the gloves.
Once she did, she took one of his hands in her smaller one. She studied the burn scars that covered the skin under her fingers. “These don’t disgust me in the slightest. They just make me want to learn more about you.” She said after a moment, her gaze finally lifting from his hand to meet his watching her.
A nervous chuckle broke through his lips, his emotion behind his eyes almost afraid as he tried to hide behind his grin. “I don’t know if you’ve earned that story yet, milady. Perhaps, you can persuade me later tonight by agreeing to share your first dancewith me?”
Her brow raised, intrigued by his offer. “I’m tempted to say yes.”
A real chuckle rumbled in his chest as he nodded. It was as close as an acceptance as he was going to get from her and he knew it. Ember hesitated before her attention returned to his hands. She wondered if he’d actually tell her the true story just because she accepted a dance with him? She had a feeling he’d spin some epic heroic tale, but she wasn’t so convinced it’d be true.
Nikolas looked as if he’d stopped breathing as she traced the scars on his hands. While the scars had long since healed over, his skin still felt hot as a flame. When their eyes met, she had to wonder what thoughts were racing through his head. “Have you? Learned anything new about me, I mean.” He asked as soon as his lungs were able to take in more air.
Ember glanced up from the hand of his that she held in hers, curious now because she knew he was referring to an earlier game they had played under the stars. She could tell he wanted an honest answer from her, no more teasing or jokes. It occurred to her that she honestly wanted to give him one.
“I believe, if I remember right, it was your turn to reveal a theory.” She said after finding she didn’t have the courage to go there just yet with him.
He watched her for another moment, curiousness swirling like waves behind his eyes. She couldn’t handle the intensity behind the questions in his eyes and had to turn her attention away from his face. Instead, she made a point of taking in his attire for the evening.
It had apparently slipped her attention before that he’d taken the opportunity to clean up for this party. He wore his usual white shirt, but now wore an emerald colored vest over it. The color, she realized, matched her gown. The green in his vest brought out the green tones of his eyes. His usual messy hair style was slicked back. Though, one lock of dark hair seemed to rebel as it fell onto his face. He truly looked handsome instead of his usual scoundrellike appearance, something she’d never admit to ever thinking of him.
The two of them made their way up to the top deck, their conversation put on hold for the time being. The sun would be setting in a matter of hours, hints of the upcoming sunset already playing in the sky. She always loved to watch the sun setting from her window. The colors always looked so breathtaking over the ocean. It looked even more beautiful here painted behind the mountains that rose behind the city of Stellara.
She was so caught up in her thoughts, she’d forgotten he was with her until she felt his hand on her arm. As if it was a challenge to take her eyes off the golden sky, she finally pulled her attention from it to look at him. “What is it?” She asked, curious as to what he wanted to say to her now.
His throat cleared, a sign of nervousness she hadn’t seen him have before. Her brow raised as he pulled something from his pocket. As he took her hand in his right one, his left hand held a beautiful bracelet with little oval shaped gems in it. “I saw this after our meeting on the beach back in Iron Kress.” He mentioned as he let her inspect it.
“This is a Moonstone.” She realized.
He nodded as he motioned to her wrist, as if asking for permission to put it on her.
Oh, she thought to herself. It was a gift from him for her.
“Oh, um, sure.” She started to say before her eyes darted up. “You didn’t steal this bracelet, did you?”
A chuckle rumbled in his chest as she lowered her arm back to her side. “No, I actually bought this. Was the coin originally mine? No, but the merchant didn’t know that. I wasn’t able to gift it to you during our dance and given how that party ended? It didn’t feel like the right time. I didn’t want you to think I was buying your affections.”
While she should have scolded him about the money, kept the conversation simple and sweet, but that wasn’t what she really wanted to do. She knew he was taking a dig at one of her friends. It was up to her to defend him. At least, it felt like it should be.
“If you’re referring to my tiara that you took from me? It was a gift from my father. Not Cassius, or Asher for that matter.” She said after a moment of hesitation. “But, thank you for this. It really is beautiful.”
Nikolas watched her for a minute, as if trying to figure some kind of puzzle out before he spoke again. “If you’d rather your tiara, I can go and fetch it from the chest back in my room. I could find you abigger, better, one too if you’d prefer that more.”
Ember wasn’t sure if he was mocking her, or if she had accidentally hurt his feeling by implying his gift wasn’t good enough. It was not her intention to do so. She held out her wrist to him again, motioning that it was okay to put it on her. “I’d prefer the bracelet, if you’d still like to give it to me.” She said, her voice soft as her eyes never left his.
His eyes searched hers for any kind of hesitation on her end, but he must have found none because he moved and wrapped the bracelet around her outstretched wrist. He let the bracelet go as soon as the clasp was closed. His fingers lingered though, brushing down the length of her palm as her hand dropped from his reach. She tried to ignore the fluttering feeling she was quickly becoming familiar with the more time she spent with Nikolas.
A throat cleared behind them, startling Ember as she jolted away from the Captain. Her arm jerked back to the side, her feet moving back a step to create some distance between them, as she turned to see who had come onto the deck.
Her eyes widened as she realized who the new arrival was.
It was Asher.
<
br /> He wasn’t alone. Ana was on his arm, both cleaned up and dressed to impress.
The starlight blue shaded gown hugged the blonde’s frame perfectly. It seemed to sparkle like the night sky as the fabric moved with each step Ana took toward them. The dress was strapless, showing off her muscular arms, with a sweetheart neckline that showed just the right amount of cleavage. Her usual straight hair was curled in ringlets. She had pulled her curls up into some sort of bun style that would have looked messy on anyone else.
Ember would have mistaken her for her twin if not for the small facial difference she knew Ari and Ana had. She wondered if that was the goal, for someone to mix them up tonight, to assume she was Ari and not Ana. She had a feeling Nikolas was counting on it.
Beside her, Asher was no longer the prisoner she’d seen only yesterday. He’d bathed and cleaned himself up. He was back to the boy she knew and loved from Iron Kress. His sandy colored hair seemed darker as it was slicked back. She could have sworn he looked more like Cassius as he approached them.
He looked royal, more like the prince that he was as he was dressed in a dark blue embroidered vest. The white of his shirt seemed to brighten his attire. He looked almost devilishly handsome, especially when she caught sight of his cold green eyes. He was not pleased to be here, but that didn’t change the fact that he was, in fact, here.
That brought her to her question as she turned to Nikolas beside her.
“Why?”
The crack of emotion in her voice upset her. She wished it wasn’t there, hoped they hadn’t heard it, but the confusion was laced in with it.
Nikolas’ narrowed gaze never left Asher, her question going to deaf ears.
“Because he needs me to get him into the party and an audience with Queen Esmeralda. Being a prince, even a bastard one, has some perks it would seem.” Asher said, his voice smug at the fact Nikolas needed his help.
“Thank you,”
Ember didn’t know what else to say, but apparently that shouldn’t have been it.
The Black Moon's Curse (The Stellara Trilogy Book 1) Page 15