Chapter 48
I couldn’t speak.
Couldn’t think.
Because everything had changed.
Alaric had kissed me.
Not gently. Not like a mistake. Like a choice. A deliberate, calculated decision.
I was still pressed against him, my fingers clenched in his tunic, my lips still tingling from the pressure of his.
My breath was uneven, and I hated that he noticed.
His ice–blue eyes burned into mine, his expression unreadable, but something lurked behind it. Something dark. Something hungry.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to regain control.
What,” I managed, my voice breathless, “the hell was that?”
Alaric didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he lifted a hand–slowly, like he was giving me the chance to stop him–and traced his thumb over my jaw.
A soft, featherlight touch.
Barely there.
And yet it unraveled me.
“Distraction,” he murmured, his voice deep, smooth. “Lesson two.”
! wanted to smack him.
I wanted to kiss him again.
I wanted to tear myself away because this was dangerous.
This was Alaric.
This was the one person I shouldn’t be entangled with.
And yet-
He hadn’t let go.
Neither had I.
Something cracked inside me then, something sharp and unsteady.
“I hate you,” I whispered, barely a breath, but he heard it.
His lips curved, the smallest, most dangerous smirk. “No, you
don’t.”
And then-
He stepped back.
The loss of his warmth was jarring, like stepping into a cold, empty space after standing too close to a fire.
I sucked in a shaky breath, fisting my hands at my sides, forcing my body to forget what it had just felt.
Alaric watched me closely, his head tilted slightly, as if he were studying me like a puzzle he was trying to solve. controlled, “you should try fighting back.”
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8:30 PM J
Chapter 48
And then-
He turned and walked away.
Leaving me standing there.
Heart pounding.
Mind spinning.
And worst of all-
Wanting more.
I stood there, my breath still uneven, my body burning with the aftermath of what had just happened.
Alaric had kissed me.
And then he had walked away.
Like it had meant nothing.
Like
Like I was just another lesson to be learned, another piece on his board to be moved.
My hands clenched, my jaw tightening as I forced myself to breathe.
I hated him.
I hated him for pulling me in, for making me react, for knowing exactly what he was doing.
And worst of all-
I hated myself for wanting him to do it again.
The doors slammed shut behind him, and I let out a shaky exhale, dragging a hand down my face.
“You okay there, princess?”
I spun around, Knox leaning against the railing, his silver eyes amused as hell.
I glared. “Don’t.”
He grinned. “Don’t what?”
“Whatever you’re about to say.”
Knox lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I was just going to say that looked like one hell of a training exercise.”
I groaned, turning away.
Knox chuckled, pushing off the railing. “Come on, Liana. You can lie to yourself all you want, but not to me.”
I shot him a glare over my shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He stepped closer, his grin turning mocking. “You do.”
I turned fully, crossing my arms. “Do you have something useful to say or are you just here to annoy me?”
Knox tapped his chin, pretending to think. “A little of both, actually.”
Texhaled sharply, rubbing my temples. “Go away, Knox.”
“But this is too much fun,” he mused. “You, all flustered, pretending like your heart isn’t pounding right now-
“It isn’t.”
He smirked. “Then why are you breathing so hard?”
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8:30 PM.
Chapter 48
I narrowed my eyes, resisting the urge to throw something at him. “You enjoy this too much.”
“Oh, definitely,” he said with zero shame.
I rolled my eyes and started walking away, ignoring the heat still lingering on my skin.
Knox let out a soft whistle. “You know, princess, the real question isn’t why Alaric kissed you.”
I didn’t stop walking.
But I heard the smirk in his voice when he added-
“It’s why you let him.”
I stiffened.
Knox chuckled, slow and amused. “See you at dinner, Liana.”
I clenched my fists, kept walking, kept ignoring the way my heart wouldn’t settle.
Because the truth was-
I didn’t have an answer.
Dinner had been quiet–at first.
I had been focused on my food, doing everything in my power to ignore the way my skin still tingled from training, from his touch, from the way Alaric had kissed me and walked away like it meant nothing.
But then-
Alaric set his goblet down, his ice–blue eyes sweeping over the table, and said, “I have a job for Amira.”
The room stilled.
I looked up sharply, my chest tightening as I turned toward him. Amira, sitting at the far end of the table, perked up, her lips parting slightly in surprise.
“Oh?” she said, her voice carefully polite.
Alaric nodded. “You’ll be traveling to the rival king’s land.”
I gasped.
The words hit me like a slap, my fork clattering against my plate as I sat up straight. “That’s too risky.”
Amira’s brows lifted slightly, but she said nothing, her sharp violet eyes flicking between us.
Alaric, however, didn’t even glance at me.
“That’s why you’re going with her,” he said smoothly.
I froze.
My heart stopped.
I stared at him, waiting for him to take it back, to clarify, to say something that made sense.
He didn’t
He just lifted his goblet and took a slow sip, like he hadn’t just thrown my entire world into chaos,
Amira smiled
A low, victorious smile.
And I knew–she was loving this.
I clenched my fists beneath the table.
6
“Alaric,” I said, my voice measured, controlled, despite the storm brewing inside me. “That’s a terrible idea.”
He finally looked at me, his gaze calm, unreadable. “No, it’s a perfect idea
`I swallowed. “You’re sending me into enemy territory with my traitorous sister, and you think that’s perfect?”
Amira let out a soft laugh, playing innocent. “Oh, come now, Liana. It won’t be that bad.”
