Voice of Power (The Spoken Mage Book 1) by Melanie Cellier

Author:Melanie Cellier [Cellier, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Luminant Publications
Published: 2018-12-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Lucas leaned sideways against the railing, facing toward me, his eyes on my face. How long had he been watching me?

I jerked back, only my hands remaining on the stone balustrade, my grip tightening convulsively.

“Come to tell me to leave?” I gestured around the deserted balcony. “I already got the message.”

Lucas sighed. “Are you always so belligerent? Or is it just to me?”

“Are you always so rude? Or is it just to me?”

His eyes dropped from mine, and he ran a hand over his face.

“I shouldn’t have come out here,” he muttered.

“No, probably not.” I forced myself to lean forward against the railing again and look out toward the stars. “Someone might see us and think you’re fraternizing with me by choice.”

He actually chuckled at that. “And I suppose they’d be right. At least, I don’t think anyone forced me out here.”

I spun to face him. “So why are you here then?”

For all my efforts, my nerves still thrummed from the confrontations inside, and I didn’t have the energy to deal with another one. If only he would walk back inside and leave me alone.

But the intensity in his eyes captured me, the lines of his body looking suddenly tight and on edge, despite his relaxed pose.

“I don’t exactly know.” He paused. “I guess I wanted to know why you’re here.”

“Well, at the beginning of the evening, I would have said because you invited me. But now I know better.”

I wanted to storm away from the balcony, but even with Lucas here, this haven seemed safer than the crowd that waited inside. And a small part of me wanted to hear his answer. To know what excuse—if any—he intended to give for his rudeness.

“No, I wouldn’t have been so foolish.” He finally broke my gaze and glanced out into the night. “I wish I knew who got in my mother’s ear about it.”

I bit my lip and examined his face while he looked carefully away. So it had been Queen Verena who invited me. Why? As a matter of protocol because I was officially part of Lucas’s year level? Or had she been planning to request a demonstration all along? A demonstration I had failed to produce. But why not just visit the Academy herself in that case?

“Well, I’m sorry to have ruined your precious birthday celebration with my lowborn self and my inadequate gown.”

His eyes flew back to mine before dropping down to take in my outfit. A faint tinge colored his cheeks, and he looked away again.

“I meant what I said earlier, Elena. You look lovely. You certainly don’t embarrass me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

I rolled my eyes, trying to hide the fact that I was the embarrassed one. I knew I didn’t measure up to him. Not tonight when he was every inch the prince.

“Your sincerity was oh so clear, Your Highness.”

“Welcome to the world of court, Elena. Insincerity is a game we play, and there are plenty of eyes watching us play it tonight.” He looked at me steadily.

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