blushed, she wanted to keep the topic on track. “Tatiana is not my concern. We are talking about me and the fact that because of one kiss, you thought you could take liberties with me? Might I remind you that you are a guest in our palace and my father would not take kindly to the thought of you trying to force yourself on his little girl?”
As if her father would care. She had a painful suspicion that both her parents would forgive just about anything if it ensured they could get their youngest daughter married off and thus out of their hair.
The color had mostly returned to Chad’s face. Straightening, he grimaced and swept his hand through his hair. “Let’s walk,” he said, managing to sound both menacing and soothing all at once.
Warily, she started off. She hoped he couldn’t sense her revulsion as he fell into place at her side.
“Tell me about this human friend of yours,” he asked casually.
Instantly she was inexplicably suspicious. “He’s not a friend, actually. More like an acquaintance.”
“I heard you brought him to your parents for an audience.” Still he sounded merely curious, nothing more. Briefly, she wondered if he was jealous, then discounted the idea. If she’d been as beautiful as her sister, maybe. But she knew there was no way someone as attractive as Chad would be jealous of her.
“I did bring him to see them,” she agreed. “I couldn’t just let him roam around without acknowledgment. He is royalty, after all.”
“Human royalty.” The way he said the words put them on a level with horse dung.
She nearly laughed. “Yes, human royalty.” She saw no reason to mention the Shape-shifter aspect, either.
Prince Chad turned the full wattage of his purple-violet gaze on her. “What does he want?”
She blinked. “He’s here on a quest and I’ve promised to help him in any way I can.”
“A quest? What does he hope to find?”
Just like that, her lighthearted mood evaporated. “A killer,” she said grimly. “Someone killed one of his servants.”
“Servants?” He raised one golden brow.
“Yes, one of his palace maids was murdered.”
“Hmm,” Chad mused. “He values his servants that highly?”
Stunned at his callousness, she opened her mouth and then closed it. Chad didn’t appear to notice.
“Has he offered you gold?” he asked.
This question startled her. “Gold?”
“For your magic,” he said, sounding slightly impatient.
She realized he truly didn’t know that she had no magic. She also had no reason to tell him the truth, at least not yet. If it came down to the fact they both became serious about their nuptials, then of course she’d fill him in. She wouldn’t be so cruel as to let him marry her believing she’d been gifted with magical ability.
For now, she’d play it safe. She did have a moment of wonder that she felt such a thing necessary with the man whom she might be spending the rest of her life.
“No gold.” Smiling to take any potential sting off the words, she slipped her arm through his. Trying not to notice the way her skin crawled, she pretended to be honored to be accompanying him.
A moment later, as they rounded the corner and headed toward the sweeping staircase, she began to worry how she would extricate herself. If only Chad wanted to go downstairs, she could excuse herself and head up to her room. Every man understood a woman’s need to refresh herself.
But then Tatiana appeared. Her sister took one look at Willow and Chad and fell to the floor in a dead faint.
* * *
The instant she’d seen Willow gazing up so adoringly at the altered Prince Chad of EastWard, Tatiana had known something drastic had to be done. So of course, she’d pushed aside the sharp bitterness of jealousy and called on her well-skilled acting abilities to pretend to pass out.
Willow bought it hook, line and sinker. Tatiana couldn’t tell about Chad. Watching through her eyelashes as her younger sister fussed around her, she could barely make out Chad, standing stiffly several feet away, a bored look on his chiseled features. Briefly, she noted the shimmering hint of glamour, and wondered what he’d done to himself, then decided she’d examine it more closely as soon as she got the chance.
Whether he suspected she was a fraud or simply didn’t care, either way, she’d won. She’d managed to break up their little tête-à-tête.
What the shades was Willow thinking? Tatiana believed she’d been quite clear in communicating to the twit what she wanted. Chad. She’d practically