Black Keys (The Colorblind Trilogy #1) - Rose B. Mashal Page 0,53
Princess?” Mona asked.
“Think of what?”
“The incense?”
I moved my head a little from behind my arm and peeked at the World Cup, the strong, warm scent hitting me immediately.
“Oh!” was all I replied with.
“Do you approve, Princess?”
“Approve of what?”
“Uh, is the scent okay to you for me to spread it all over the wing? It’s a tradition, but you have to approve of the smell of it,” Mona explained.
“Uh, yeah, okay.”
Whatever!
Mona moved around us, filling every corner with the sweet, exotic perfume. It smelled like a very strong kind of musk but with a hint of ambergris mixed to it. The mix smelled amazing, like nothing I’ve ever smelled before, and it kind of relaxed my anxiety a bit.
There were no more words spoken between Janna and me; she seemed to be drowning in her thoughts while I watched what Mona was doing in amazement. It was an amusing sight.
Mona then opened the sliding wall that separated us from the other side of the room and started doing the same thing with the incense as she had on this side. My eyes roamed all over the place searching for the prince, wanting desperately to know what he was doing for some reason unknown to me. I couldn’t find him.
Finally, Mona knocked on the mirror-door that led to the sunroom, and the prince came out once she stepped inside, but only after waving the smoke in his direction, obviously enjoying the scent.
The deep inhale of breath I watched him take in, and the way he closed his eyes in enjoyment, then the look of peaceful bliss that was painted on his beautiful face and the sweet, soft smile with his eyes still closed: it all did something to my stomach. It fluttered.
I found myself watching him really closely and staring, enjoying and admiring, wishing really hard that he was closer so I could ogle better and see him even more clearly.
I exhaled when he did, my expiration of breath coming out in a soft sigh that left my mouth parted and my eyes focused on the face of the most attractive man I’d ever known.
The prince opened his eyes and as they found mine, the feeling of being in his arms came rushing back to me, consuming me with warmth and safety and making me blush under his heated gaze.
The small smile that was on his lips grew into a one-sided, crooked one that I was very sure had broken so many hearts before. Said smile was infectious and it infected me, because the next thing I did was mimic it, giving it back to him, biting my bottom lip eventually and looking away when my blush deepened and my stomach flipped again.
I heard him approaching and looked up. He stood behind where Janna was sitting and then said, “I apologize if I’m interrupting, but Janna should offer her prayer before the time is up.”
Huh?
“Oh, yes, I should,” Janna told me as she got up, straightening her clothes. “Can I use your bathroom?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
Janna smiled slightly and walked to the same door she’d come from that led to the living room, then closed it behind her.
I frowned. “That bathroom has another door?” I pointed behind me.
“Every room has another door or...three, Princess,” he said. “This room has eight.”
My eyes widened.
“She’s not going to use this one, though. It’s only ours. There are four others she could use; she knows the place well.” He smiled softly.
I really didn’t know anything in here at all. I had missed that tour yesterday when I passed out.
I nodded.
Ours. The word rang in my ears again. Why did I like the sound of it so much?
“Excuse me,” the prince excused himself and went to our bathroom.
Ours.
Janna came back after a few minutes and asked about the prince. I pointed to the closet and she came and whispered, “Soon,” into my ear, then sent me a look of reassurance that held the unspoken promise of freedom.
I nodded my head and begged my heart to settle down, for fear had found its way into it again. Fear of the unknown and fear of what I already knew. I was going to escape. It was big. Huge. But I was going to go home. It was all I wanted. So I calmed myself down, shrugged my fear away again. It should be fine. God would help me. He would.