Ruined - Amy Tintera Page 0,18

found a better way to endear herself to the king and queen than if she had planned this herself.

The door closed with a quiet thud as they left, and she clasped her hands in front of her, suddenly nervous. An elaborate jeweled sword hung on the wall not three steps away, and another one, sheathed and ready to be grabbed, sat on the dresser in the corner. Five seconds to kill the prince. If she hadn’t just saved his life, she might have been tempted.

Cas was still smiling at her, and he gestured with his good hand. “Come here?”

He said it as a question, and she nodded in agreement as she stepped forward. She was tempted to stop in the middle of the room, but that seemed awkward, so she walked all the way to his bed and stood next to it.

She’d never seen a boy shirtless in his bed before. She and Damian had shared a tent many times, but that was different. They were both fully clothed, in the dirt, and usually Aren was there as well. This felt more intimate. Her heart pounded in her ears, and she wiped a sweaty palm against her dress.

“I just wanted to say thank you.” Cas kept his gaze steady with hers, and she found it hard to look away. In a certain light his eyes were blue, in others they seemed a bit green. Either way, they were clear and striking.

“You’re welcome.”

“It’s really above and beyond the call of duty to save my life on our wedding day.”

“It was nothing.”

One side of his mouth quirked up, his eyebrow rising with it. He was amused, but also . . . intrigued? He was looking at her as if he liked her. She didn’t think she wanted him to like her.

But she had to admit that it would be helpful if he did. She couldn’t ignore him and expect to be given inside information about Olivia’s location and Lera’s defenses.

She took a tiny step closer to the bed. “Are you in pain?”

“A little. It’s subsiding.” He glanced at the bandage. “The doctor gave me something. He said it would make me drowsy, so don’t be alarmed if I suddenly pass out.”

She tried not to let her body sigh with relief. If he was going to pass out, then there would be no expectation of her climbing into bed with him. She had another day or two until she had to face that particular challenge.

“Is it common for people to attack you?” she asked.

“This would be a first.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “Lera is usually very safe. Especially the castle. You don’t need to worry.”

“I wasn’t worried. I won.”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You did. It was impressive, actually.”

“I’ve been attacked more times than I can count.” She said it almost smugly.

Cas’s smile faded. “I guess you have. The Ruined are all over Vallos, aren’t they?”

“They were. There are less now.”

“And they attacked often?”

Anger swirled in her gut as his features dropped in sympathy. Sympathy because she had to deal with those awful, evil Ruined.

“They were being hunted down and murdered, so yes, they defended themselves often.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She didn’t care. She’d say them again, just to watch that stupid baffled expression cross his face.

“Do you—” He sat up straighter, wincing in pain.

“I should let you rest,” she said quickly, before he could finish that sentence. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about the Ruined with the prince. It was unlikely she’d be able to keep her temper in check.

She took a step away from the bed and he reached out, catching her hand in his. He wore a thoughtful expression, his eyes soft and completely unlike his father’s. “I’d like to hear about your experiences with the Ruined sometime. If you don’t mind talking about it.”

“Sure,” she lied, hoping he would forget that request.

He rubbed his thumb across her fingers. She noticed for the first time that red and purple had bloomed across her knuckles, where she’d punched the man.

“Do you need the doctor to look at your hand?” He loosened his grip, as if he was afraid he was hurting her.

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “Just a bruise.”

He slowly released her. She ducked her head as she walked to the door, but she couldn’t resist glancing back at him before she left. Light flickered off his bare chest from the lantern next to