But then Kenna blinked, lifted her chin, and the emotion fell from her face. “Don’t we have somewhere we need to be?”
I let go of her arms and dropped my hands to my sides. There were serious disadvantages to having an actor for a best friend. “At least take the first step and admit the truth to yourself.” I met her gaze and refused to break the stare until she nodded.
“Okay.” Her eyes shuttered and she stepped back, her next words flippant. “But I seldom follow my own good advice, so don’t expect miracles.”
That’s exactly what I expected, but I didn’t push. Knowing what I’d already said was challenge enough, I lifted the curtain and stepped into the torch-lit hallway.
The walk to the ballroom was not far, but it seemed to take an eternity. We moved side by side, in utter silence. Not the kind of silence you could curl up in and read a book; this felt like swimming upstream.
I paused just short of the light spilling from the open doors to the ballroom. “Ken, are you — ”
“I’m
fine
.” She met my worried gaze with a playful grin. “Time to get our sparkle on. Now go find your handsome prince. He’s going to freak when he sees that sweetheart neckline.” She waggled her eyebrows.
She wasn’t fooling me for a nanosecond with her sudden light mood, but she was right — I desperately needed a dose of courage before facing down the forces of darkness. And I only knew one boy who made me feel like I could save the world.
Sensing she needed a bit more time, I gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Meet you at the stables in two hours?”
At her nod, I lifted my skirts and entered the ballroom. It was like walking into a cloud. Every surface was covered in white, from the snowy flower garlands to the swaths of ivory silk hanging in deep loops from the ceiling. Porcelain vases full of calla lilies, fluffy peonies, and pure white roses were everywhere, their fresh fragrance permeating the air. Even the music was light and airy — a mix of piano and strings.
A heavenly aroma drew my attention to a table laden with a variety of appetizers. A cup of tea and some strawberries were all I’d eaten that day. Suddenly light-headed, I moved toward the food, but was intersected by a flurry of motion.
“Yer Majesty! You look absolutely glorious!” Gabriella Rosetti stopped in front of me and dropped into a low curtsy, her tangerine skirts pooling in a neat circle around her feet.
“Thank yo — ”
“Oh, my queen!” One of Gabby’s friends rushed to join her.
Melissa? Maria?
It was something beginning with an M, I was sure. “That shade o’ blue is exquisite with yer eyes.”
Two more girls merged into the ever-growing circle around me, and I noticed every one of them had their hair braided on one side, the strand integrated into their updos. It’s how I’d worn my hair on several occasions. Warmth infused my cheeks as the girls spoke over one another, complimenting my hair and makeup and asking about everything from the design of my dress to the color of my nails.
Kenna had painted them in a glittery blue polish called I Have a Herring Problem.
“I — ”
But before I could finish, Jamie appeared behind Gabby’s shoulder. His warm brown gaze held mine as the hint of a grin
tugged at his lips. “Ye’ll need to excuse us, lasses, I’ve a mind to dance with your queen.”
The gaggle of girls parted to either side, twittering behind their hands.
Wearing a formal black jacket and dark kilt, the MacCrae tartan draped across one shoulder, Jamie looking more dashing than I’d ever seen him — like a real-life prince. He closed the distance between us, swept into a bow, and extended his hand. “May I have this dance?”
Still bent low, his sandy brows lifted in expectation. I heard at least one girl sigh.
“Always.” I grasped his fingers in mine, feeling their warmth through my gloves.
He stood, and I looped my arm through his bent elbow. With a smile and a wave to Gabby and her friends, I let Jamie lead me away. As we moved to the center of the room, I took a rough count of heads. The room was packed, and to my vast relief, it appeared as if the entirety of Doon were in attendance, tucked behind the relative safety of the castle walls.
Jamie swept me into his arms, and horns joined in the song as if trumpeting our arrival on the dance floor. We began to waltz, and I noticed that people milled about, chatting and eating, but we were the only ones dancing.
“Jamie . . . we’re the only people out here.” I settled my hand on his hard muscled shoulder.
His eyes twinkled, his perfect lips quirked to one side. “No’ for long.”
Sure enough, people began to pair off, and we were soon surrounded by a swirling rainbow of couples. Silk, tulle, and velvet glinted in a thousand tiny flames of light. Gabby twirled past in the arms of a red-haired boy I recognized as the daring guy who’d asked me to dance at my first weekly feast. His gaze
swept over me and a wide, appreciative grin spread across his face.
“Ye look stunning, by the way,” Jamie announced in an overly loud voice, shooting a glare at the cute red-haired boy.
I turned back to him, and caught him staring at my chest before his eyes jerked back to mine. His fingers trailed up from my elbow to the bare skin of my upper arm. It took me a moment to realize it wasn’t a loving caress — he was trying to push my tulle-capped sleeve up over my shoulder.
When the fabric wouldn’t stay put, he groused, “What good is this blasted thing?”
We circled past the orchestra, the music drowning out my laughter.
Jamie steered me toward the center of the floor. “Are ye laughin’ at me?”
“Of course not,” I said as another giggle escaped my chest. “You’re just so cute when you’re jealous.”
“I am
not
jealous.”
I arched a brow in silent question.
He pulled me closer and whispered against my ear, “All right, perhaps a bit. But when I saw ye tonight, it near took my breath away. And for whatever time we have, I dinna wish to share you.”
We’d slowed to a sway, and his earnest gaze locked on my face, the candlelight catching in the flecks of gold in his dark eyes. The room and everyone in it faded away. This was my coruler. My soul mate. If these were truly the last hours we had together, could I allow them to be tainted by a lie? My heart gave a quick squeeze.
Is this what Queen Lynnette felt like before making her bargain with the witches? Sure she was doing the right thing for
the kingdom, but torn between protecting her secret and begging for King Angus’s forgiveness?
I opened my mouth, but the confession locked in my throat. If I told Jamie I planned to enter the deadly limbus and destroy the curse, that Kenna and I were the only ones who could do it . . . he’d lock me in the dungeon until he could come up with a better plan. One that didn’t risk my life. I couldn’t say I’d do anything differently if the tables were turned.
“What?” he prompted, his eyes narrowed in concern.
When I didn’t answer, he stopped dancing. “Vee, I know you told me ye have a plan, but if something’s gone wrong, you’d tell me, right? Ask for my help?”
“Of course. Everything is fine.” But I couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through me.
Jamie’s expression turned stony. “I canna stand idly by and let you — ”
“Shhh!” His raised voice had drawn the attention of several couples dancing around us. I took his arm and steered him into a quiet corner.
Staring up at him, I challenged, “When you told me that you trusted me, did you really mean it?”
“Yes, but — ”
“No buts. You can’t help me. Not this time.”
Jamie crossed his arms and stared down at his feet, his jaw clenching.
I stepped in close and rubbed his flexed forearm. “Can you do it? Can you take this leap of faith with me?”
After several long seconds, he looked up, his eyes stormy, but his voice resolute. “I would follow you anywhere.”
I blinked, my vision clouding. His astonishing declaration shocking me to my core.
Never one to handle tears well, Jamie gently gripped my arms. “Why are you crying?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, and then smiled into his eyes. “I just love you, that’s all.”
The dimpled grin that spread across his face was so magnificent, it left me speechless.
“Oh well, if tha’s all.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, and crushed me against his chest, lifting my feet from the floor. “I love you too, my heart. And I do trust you. But no matter what happens to us in this world, we’ll always be together.” Slowly, he set me on my feet.
I didn’t doubt that our Calling could stand the test of time, but right now, we only had this moment. Pulling his head down, I touched my lips to his in a soft kiss. When I leaned back, the intensity of his gaze stirred an urgent need inside me. I didn’t want to share him either. Not tonight.
“Follow me.” I took his hand and led him through the throng of dancers. I smiled and nodded at their greetings while every nerve in my body was laser focused on the place where my fingers linked with Jamie’s. When we reached the hallway, I lifted my skirt in one hand and began to run, tugging my prince behind me. His deep laughter echoed through the empty corridors as we took several turns.
Finally, we reached the curtained alcove I’d been searching for, and, ignoring the judgmental eyes of an immortalized king, pushed through the opening. I let go of Jamie’s hand long enough to close the drapes behind us. Then I whirled and pushed him against the wall with a thump, knocking a breath from his lungs. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I stood on my toes and kissed him as if it were the last time.
It only took him a heartbeat to return my affections. Our lips slanted, and it was like I was drowning or falling from a
cliff, but I didn’t want to be saved. If something went wrong, and I died tonight, there was nothing I would miss more than this — more than him. He ran his hands up and down my back, seeking until one hand wrapped around the back of my neck and the other caressed my bare shoulder.
The touch of his fingers rushed through my nerve endings, lighting me on fire. I pressed against him, unable to get close enough. Jamie grasped my arms, turned us in a circle until my back met the cool stone wall and his heat surrounded me. His lips trailed over my cheek and to my ear as he hooked a finger in the top of my glove and peeled it from my skin. Gently, he sucked my earlobe into his mouth as he removed my other glove. I made an inarticulate sound and entwined my fingers in his hair, my other hand exploring the hard muscles of his chest through the thin layer of his shirt.
His mouth returned to mine, questing. He pushed against me, our bodies perfectly flush. The heavy weight of him had me on the edge, on the precipice of losing control. But as much as I wanted to, I knew we’d both regret it if we didn’t stop.
I lifted my hand to his face, pulled my lips from his and murmured, “I don’t think we want to do this right now.”
Jamie drew back, disoriented, his breath ragged. I caressed his cheek, and he met my gaze before tucking me underneath his chin. We stayed that way for several seconds, and then he stooped and smoothed the layers of my rumpled skirt.
Retrieving my discarded gloves, he straightened and handed them to me before taking a step back. “I’m so verra sorry.” He shoved a shaky hand into his hair, and pushed the gold strands off his forehead. “I lost my head a bit. But I’ve the upmost respect for your virtue.”
“I know you do,” I whispered with a small smile, his remorse reminding me of the huge gaps between our cultures.
A modern boy would likely accuse me of leading him on after I’d dragged him into a closet and didn’t deliver. But not my noble prince.
I took his hand. “We got carried away. It happens.”
“No’ to me it doesn’t.”
“What do you mean? It happens to us all the time.”
“I mean before you . . . before us.” He sighed. “I’d kissed plenty of girls.”
“Clearly.” I held no delusions that I’d been his first.
“But I dinna lose control. It’s not who I am.” He turned his head, staring past me.
“Jamie, I know exactly who you are. You’re one of the strongest, most disciplined people I know.” I touched his chin and tilted it so he’d meet my eyes. “But if you didn’t lose a
wee
bit of control with me, I’d be insulted.” I actually loved that I was the one thing that could make him forget himself.
He stared at me until a slow grin dawned across his face, white teeth flashing in the dark. “Aye.”
“Now, we better get back before we’re missed, and Fergus forces us to have a shotgun wedding.”
As we made our way back to the ball, Jamie asked, “Is a shotgun wedding what I think it is?”
“I’d imagine so.” We entered the hallway that lead to the ballroom, and I did a last check of my dress to make sure everything was in its proper place.
“Forced to marry at gunpoint because the couple went too far?”
“That would be it.”
Jamie was quiet so long I glanced in his direction.
His ardent gaze captured mine and wouldn’t let go. “No one would ever have to coerce me into marrying you, Verronica.”
I resisted the urge to fan my suddenly flaming face. This
was a topic I’d avoided like a plague of Stephanie Heartford spray-tanned, cheer clones. Jamie’s antiquated value system had a flipside, one that compelled him to higher moral ground than I was ready to consider at the age of eighteen. And especially not tonight.
Seeming to sense my unease, Jamie chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. “’Tis true. But we have plenty of time for that, eh?”
“Absolutely,” I replied with a decisive nod as we entered the ballroom. A series of chimes drew my attention to the ornate grandfather clock in the corner, and my stomach did a nauseating pirouette.
Less than an hour.
I glanced up at Jamie’s profile. Even if I wasn’t ready for wedding bells just yet, his cool assurance that we would have more time after tonight — after the limbus was defeated and everything was back to normal — bolstered my confidence and calmed my nerves.
But then I saw something that stopped me in my tracks — the other looming disaster in our midst.