Soul Bound

Chapter 20

As promised, the king and queen had left. The dining room suddenly seemed much smaller than before. The bold prince had taken it upon himself to sit on the end where his father had been and gestured for Eva to sit where his mother had.

She threw him a dubious look--he was crazy if he thought she was sitting where a queen sat--then took the chair adjacent to the queen's seat. He was content enough with her decision, leaning his elbows on the table, steepling his hands together. His eyes drank her in, taking a thorough inventory of what Eva had to offer. He seemed to particularly enjoy the cut of her dress. A slow and easy sultry smile danced on his lips.

The first course arrived. The poor servers were confused when they saw there were only two of them dining tonight. After a shrug, the spare servers left while the others placed soup in front of them. Jacob wasn't the only one who relaxed when King Renkon was gone; the servants were far more casual around the prince too.

When the servants left, Eva shifted in her seat. She wasn't used to men giving her that kind of look. "So, huh, about earlier. . ."

His smile grew with delight, eyes dazzling under the lightstone chandelier. “Yes. Which part about earlier did you want to discuss? The part where I chivalrously defended you from my father--or the part where your wicked tongue gave him the thrashing he deserved for degrading you?”

Heat rose up to her cheeks. “Both, I suppose? I should probably apologise. . .”

He held his hand up, silencing her. “No. Don't apologise to him. My father was out of line. He's normally the one with all the cards and has forgotten how to ask people nicely for things. This is a good lesson for him. Ah,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest. “Fear not. I'll manage him. You will receive no repercussions for this evening's altercation.”

She released a breath of relief; behind her, she felt Grayson relax as well. A smidgen. She doubted he'd let his guard down fully until they were back in Dragon Canyon.

“Now,” he said, his tone shifting entirely. It was bubbly and pleasant. “I've addressed your concerns. You must answer my questions honestly and wholly, understood?”

She blinked, caught off guard. “Questions?”

“Yes. I have a lot of them. Jacob hasn't told me a single thing about you--which irks me, but that's not your fault. Are you ready?”

Jacob probably hadn't mentioned her before for this exact reason.

“It wouldn't hurt to get to know him,” Arkon suggested. His approval of the prince vibrated through their Bond. “He's clearly infatuated by you. Maybe he will be more forthcoming in the future. Just be careful.”

He could say that again. Two could play at his game.

“All right,” she answered, pushing her empty soup bowl aside and giving the prince her full attention, "but I have questions that you must answer wholly and honestly too. A question for a question?"

Smirking, he leaned back in his chair and drummed his manicured nails on the armrests as he considered her request. “You're good, Private Greene. I accept. Princes first: what is your favourite colour is?"

Baffled, it took her a moment to answer. She'd expected a more thoughtful question, not something so simple. "It used to be green, like the leaves in the forest," she replied honestly and wholly, "but ever since my first flight with Grayson I've changed it to blue, the colour of the ocean."

Prince Leonidas raised his eyebrows over to Grayson. "Your first time was with the runaway, eh?"

Grayson gritted his teeth. "Don't call me that."