When Aric and I stood at the edge of the balcony, he rested his forearms on the white stone. “It’s beautiful. So many flowers,” he said, then he chuckled pointing down below. “There’s a couple getting friendly down there.”
I peered over the balcony’s ledge and there through the blinds of a willow was indeed a couple locked in a kiss. I recognized that indigo dress as one of mine. “Is that—Taz and Freya?” I asked and put my hand over my mouth so I wouldn’t laugh. We were high enough up that they couldn’t hear us unless I yelled down to them which I considered.
“I think it is,” Aric said, smiling and turned to me.
Unfortunately the only exposed skin on him were his hands or face and neck. I didn’t know how I could touch any of those areas without him thinking I was trying to make a move. But I had to see… I grabbed his hand turning it over and ran my thumb over his skull birthmark, “Zyacus told me what this meant, but I wanted to ask if it’s true… are you cursed?”
I waited for the vision to start, to be pulled back to that dark forest, to see those predatory crimson eyes lurking in the shadows again… but nothing happened. My heart sank, I wouldn’t be allowed to see it again except maybe in a dream the night of and that was a big maybe. To my surprise, Aric didn’t pull away, he simply stared down at the mark. “Zyacus seems to think so, but I’ve always wondered if it meant something else… meant something about me.”
I uncurled my fingers, and set my hand on the railing. “Like what?”
His throat bobbed. “That there is something evil inside me.”
“Aric.” I shook my head. “You’re one of the sweetest boys I know. Certainly not evil.” But even as I said those words aloud, I wondered if he was right. If there could be something evil lurking beneath that beauty, something he didn’t even know existed.
A half-smile, one not born of humor pulled up. “Perhaps it is a death sentence but here I am seventeen years after my mother made that bargain.”
I wanted to tell him about my own curse—my visions but the words caught in my mouth as Legacy pushed open the balcony doors. “There you two are. We’re going to walk around outside, want to come?”
“I was just giving Aric a tour, why don’t we show him around the castle instead?” I asked and Aric simply nodded. I wasn’t wearing a dress in the vision but I didn’t want to take any chances going outside at night.
After we’d gone to pretty much every inch of the castle, we ended up back at the ballroom where few people still lingered. It was nearly midnight and most of the adults had had too much to drink and were likely headed home to sleep it off.
“This castle is amazing,” Aric said as we sat at a round table with enough seats for the seven of us.
Taz and Freya had joined for the last bit of the tour and although I really wanted to blurt out I’d seen them kissing in the garden; I kept my mouth shut.
“It would have been wonderful to grow up here,” Aric said. “The warmth and beauty etched into the very walls, is so much different than Collweya.”
No one said what we probably all thought; if his mother had won her place as queen instead of mine, he would have been here. Even with that history I didn’t think Aric held a grudge against me. If he did, I couldn’t see it in his behavior.
We sat talking for a while before I noticed everyone staring behind me and jumped when warm hands slid onto my shoulders. “Look at all of you having fun without me. I guess I’m not part of the in-crowd.”
Aric was the only one who didn’t appear taken aback at Zyacus’s disruption or blunt statement. “You’re welcome to sit, cousin,” Aric said, gesturing to the seat next to him.
I got to my feet and pushed his hands off me, debating on saying something rude, but something... menacing about his countenance made me hesitate. As we stood face to face anger rolled off him and I didn’t think it had anything to do with not being invited.
“No, I don’t think I will,” he said and slowly caressed my cheek with the back of his hand.
The last thing I wanted to do was cause a scene with his parents and mine here so I caught his wrist and carefully walked him away from my table of friends, into a corner. “What is wrong with you?” I hissed.
I couldn’t tell if he was drunk or not, the glaze over his eyes would suggest he was but he also appeared clear-headed and alert.
He let out a low growl. “I overheard some boys saying things about you I didn’t appreciate. I wanted to make sure you were well.”
“Like what?”
Narrowing his eyes he said, “Things I won’t repeat.”
I don’t know why I didn’t notice it before but his hair was slightly out of place and there was a bloodstain on the front of his shirt. If it was from him then he’d already healed himself, though I guessed it was someone else’s. I sighed and folded my arms. “And you got into a fight over it?”
“It wasn’t much of a fight on their part.”
I didn’t know if I’d ever met someone more confusing than this boy. “And you came over to the table for what? To tell me? I don’t know why you even bothered getting into a fight when you don’t even care about me.”
That hot flash of anger showed in his face again. “I’m not sure why you have such a low opinion of me. Yes, we’ve bickered and said some regrettable things over the years but I was a child. What have I said recently to offend you?”
My breath grew
