A knock at the door brought out my sarcasm. “We sure are busy today,” I mumbled, turning around, ready to greet the next visitor.
Talbott walked through the door, in a smart, pressed black collared shirt and black dress pants. His black hair was slicked back, away from his face and his olive-toned skin seemed darker than usual, as if he were spending a lot of time in the sun. His almost black eyes immediately found mine and squinted into a bizarre compassion before searching out Kiran's and bowing respectfully. When he stood straight again, he shook his head negatively and Kiran's shoulders slumped immediately.
“You'd better pray for mercy,” Kiran hissed, looking over his shoulder at me. His eyes hardened and his jaw tightened. I was not afraid of death, in fact I wished for it, but between his posture and his tone I gulped in fear.
“I'm not afraid,” I tried, but my voice was weak and shaky. I straightened and cleared my throat before continuing, “I'm not afraid of your father, or anything you can do to me.”
“Oh yes,” Kiran snarled, and then moved toward me. He stopped just inches from my face, his hands trembling at his side and his eyes narrowed slits of hatred. “We all know just how unafraid you truly are. But Eden, not everything is about you! Not everything in the world revolves solely around you and your fickle emotions! They are my people too, and I will be damned before I let you hurt even one of them!”
“Hurt them? What are you....?” I stuttered, confused by his angry accusations. But before I could form a full sentence, there was another knock on the door.
Kiran stared at me for a moment longer, finding his composure and tugging at the collar of his charcoal dress shirt. He nodded his head, while turning around and Talbott opened the door he still stood next to.
A Titan Guard, I remembered, was part of Lucan's personal entourage, walked into the room dressed in the standard Titan uniform when there was nothing happening in the castle, a black polo and black dress pants. He glanced at me for a moment, his eyes registering shock first and then snide amusement.
“The King requests the honor of your presence immediately.” His consonants were crisply clipped and he bowed respectfully to Kiran while speaking.
“All right,” Kiran grumbled, stepping away from me and nodding his head for Talbott to follow.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty,” the Guard carefully spoke again, “The King would like to see the prince and the prisoner as well.”
“Then I will need a few minutes. You can tell him we will be there shortly.” Kiran cracked his neck and waited for the Guard to remove himself from the room before he moved again. “Talbott, Sebastian, please go entertain my father until Eden and I arrive.”
“Kiran, what are you going to do?” Sebastian asked, and the anxiety in his voice sent shivers down my spine.
“Bastian, buy us some time,” Kiran commanded and without another word Sebastian and Talbott left the room.
The door closed with finality behind Sebastian and Talbott. A feeling worse than death, worse than exhaustion washed over me, a horrifying foreboding feeling that I could not place. I fidgeted with my black tank top, clothes that Kiran provided, and found myself looking everywhere but in his direction.
“I can't hide you anymore, you'll need to change,” Kiran commented with gravity. He walked over to the closet that was meant for me and rifled through some outfits before tossing a knee-length gray boat-neck dress over to me. The dress was sleeveless, but modest and tied around the waist with a chunky black belt. I would match Kiran and I wondered if he chose this dress on purpose or just grabbed the first one he saw.
I shut myself in the bathroom without arguing and changed quickly. Makeup lay on the counter that had been there since I moved in. Assuming it was meant for Seraphina, I had abstained from using it for that very reason until now. I quickly worked at my face, fumbling with the product and smudging my eyeliner, but eventually I came out looking less tired and more put together. I rubbed some foundation on my glowing neck tattoo, but it did little to dim the radiant blue. My hair, an impossible mess of curls, hung wild and untamed, so I twirled it into a low, side ponytail covering the mark and pinned the loose curls away from my face. I looked more like Kiran's secretary than his future bride, but at least Lucan wouldn't assume I just woke from a coma.
I opened the door of the bathroom to find Kiran staring out the window, his jaw clenched and his arms crossed pensively. He turned at the sound of the door and paused to take me in. His expression changed. Somehow his eyes were impossibly harder and his mouth turned into a worried thin line, as if my outward transformation would never satisfy him.
I looked away from him, feeling stupid and vain for wanting his approval. It didn't matter what I looked like or how I felt; my outcome would be the same, my fate surely already decided.
“I'm ready,” I mumbled. Suddenly nervous, I straightened my dress out with my hands and walked toward the door.
Wait,” he commanded and I obeyed.
I leaned back against a bare wall, while he crossed the room. He stood a foot away from me for a few minutes, staring at me curiously as if waiting for something to happen or thinking something very important through. I grew awkward with the silence, and was struggling to figure out something sarcastic to say when he startled me, closing the distance between us and pressing both of his hands tightly against my arms.
Before I could move away, his magic built in his veins and I instinctively knew he would release it against me. Too nervous to react, I stayed in his arms, a limp ragdoll against his intensity. His magic pressed against me ardently demanding mine respond. Even with my mortal blood, I could feel the force of his magic rushing around me, weighing me down and crushing me in its stringent grasp.