A Dance of Steel and Shadow by Aimee Clinton

Author:Aimee Clinton [Clinton, Aimee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2021-11-10T06:00:00+00:00

I miss your smile.

Friends?

She smiled then, reading the words over and over as warmth flooded through her, right to the tips of her toes. She looked again at the cakes nestled together. Maybe she could be friends with Raiden after all.

* * *

That evening, once supper had been cleared away, Vess sought Raiden out. He was standing with the usual crowd, laughing and joking, but when he saw her approaching his expression became uneasy.

He excused himself from his group and walked to meet her.

“Hello,” he said rather awkwardly.

“I received the cakes, and the note.”

“And?”

She arranged her face into a thoughtful expression, pouting her lips.

“I’m not so sure about friends. How about strangers?”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Let’s start afresh, a new leaf. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Vespera, how do you do?”

He shook his head incredulously, but his lips curled into a smile.

“Lord Raiden, at your service, your highness.” He gave a short bow.

“There we are, acquaintances already, that wasn’t too bad, was it?”

“I won’t lie, it was actually horribly awkward.” He grinned, his eyes glittering warmly. It felt like a long time since he had looked at her like that, with any trace of tenderness.

“Well, it’s much better than our real first meeting, whatever you say.”

“I won’t argue with that.” He rocked slightly on the balls of his feet.

“I missed you too, Raiden.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the cheek, walking away before he could do anything more than blink in surprise, or anybody could notice.

But Nasyr, stood near the doorway, was watching her with a smug smile. She scowled in warning and went to join the ladies, her spirits lifting considerably.

* * *

In the days that followed, Vess found herself smiling excessively, to the point that the other ladies began to question her on why she was so cheerful, as though such a thing was unheard of. She didn’t tell a soul about the blue eyed, dimpled reason, however. Not even when he spent mealtimes trying to catch her eye across the hall, so he might give her a grin or a wink across the sea of heads between them, making her stomach swoop. Once, when she was sure nobody was watching, she dared sticking her tongue out at him, and was rewarded with the sight of his shoulders shaking with laughter as he shook his head, his magnificent mane swaying.

“You make a lovely couple.”

Vess tore her eyes from Raiden’s grinning face, whipping her head to Ethy, who was sat beside her, a faintly amused smile curving her lips. So much for nobody watching.

Her neck began to burn. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“It’s alright to admit to being wrong about him.” Ethy’s face turned outright mischievous. “Even you can’t be right all the time.”

“Not another word,” Vess huffed, folding her arms and fixing Ethy with a warning glare.

“I’ll have to have a gown made for your wedding, it’s getting harder and harder to squeeze into my current ones.”

“Yes, well, that’s enough wedding talk.

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