Daughter of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 2)

Chapter 6

I open the door and step aside. "Explain yourself," I say curtly. "I've had a very long day."

"I'm in a bit of a conundrum, but first, explain to me why you let strange men into your room so easily?" Rift chuckles and strides boldly into my bedchamber. He stands close to me like we are about to dance again. "I could be dangerous."

My heart flutters, and I'm kicking myself for it. He's just so damnably good-looking.

"My good, sir," I flirt back, unable to help it, "I'm not afraid of anything, and you're the first man I've let into my room like this."

"Really?" Rift asks, his eyes alight with amusement. "I'm special, huh, Princess?"

"Kyla is fine," I remind him, "now, what is the emergency?"

I cross my arms over my chest and am suddenly uncomfortable at our intimacy and flirting. What am I doing? Yes, I'm not a woman you want to mess with, but does that mean Rift is actually safe to be alone with? He's the man lying to me about who he is. I have to guard myself. I'm flattered by his attention and attracted to him, but that doesn't mean I can trust him.

"The emergency is, I never was able to kiss you," Rift says, shrugging innocently.

"Kiss me?" I laugh. "Is that all?"

Rift leans a little closer to me. "I hope it won't be all," he says, his gaze locking with mine in an I-want-you kind of way. I've seen this expression on men directed at other women, never on me. It prickles to life something in me I've stuffed down and rejected as ever finding fruition that a man would ever want me, the Cursed princess, as his.

Time to rein it in. Amid the chemicals of attraction, I need common sense: Right now. I have no reason to trust this man.

"Do all women you say that to comply?" I ask in a bored tone, escaping Rift's gaze and walking to my open window to look out at the two moons shining over Underland. "You're a lord's son and very handsome. I bet you have tons of women fawning over you in Erlund. But I'm not a woman who kisses anyone so easily."

"I'm not a lord's son," Rift admits, the playfulness gone from his tone. "I'm a nobody when it comes to noble blood."

"Then what is a 'nobody' doing at a palace party?" I ask, not turning to look at him, but inside I'm celebrating that he's come clean and told me the truth. Still, I'm curious. A nobody? Rift doesn't strike me as a nobody.

"I snuck in on a dare of a friend," Rift says, "I'm the son of a herbalist, my mother. Don't ask of my father, for I have no idea what happened to him."

"That makes two of us," I murmur, so quietly that I figure he can't hear me.

"So now you know, Princess, why I can't address you by your name. I'm a nobody wearing borrowed party clothes, who stole an invitation so I could get in. Jokes on me, for now, I've got a crush on the princess I danced with at the party," he continues.

"You're like Cinderella then," I say, turning to look at him, "are you wearing glass shoes too?"

Rift laughs, but his brow quirks with complete confusion, and I realize Mother is the one I heard that story from. She made us a book full of Earth "fairy tales" to read as children.

"It's an Earth story," I brush aside my faux pax of the reference quickly. "Sorry. My mother isn't from our world."

"Ah, that's completely fine with me. Maybe you can share with me this Cinderella story sometime," Rift says, nodding his head. "What I'm more confused about is, why haven't you kicked me out yet?"

"Because I'm not a classist," I snort.

"Well, I did lie to you," Rift says, the grin on his handsome face makes him look unapologetic.

"You're right, you did," I say, narrowing my eyes and giving him a fierce expression. "I've changed my mind, leave at once!" I point at the door and turn up my nose dramatically.

"Aw, come on, I came clean," Rift says and laughs.

"Well, I guess since you went through all the trouble of sneaking in to tell me the truth, I can't just turn you away," I say with a shrug. "That would be mean."

"You're so kind, Princess," Rift banters back, getting down on his knees in front of me and kissing my hand over and over again until I'm giggling. I pull him up from the floor and take his hand in mine, walking him with me to the fireplace.

"I think you're wrong in saying that you're a nobody," I tell him, suddenly becoming serious. "A nobody wouldn't knock on the door of a Cursed princess without fear. You told me your mother is a herbalist, but what do you do for work?"

"I'm versatile," Rift says enigmatically.

I cock my head. "Versatile?"

"I have my own business in selling herbs like my mother, but I also get things done for people, things they'd rather not do themselves."

"You're very cryptic," I growl and roll my eyes at him.

"I'm still getting to know you," Rift says. "Give me time."

"Fair enough. So do you have a wife? A girlfriend?" I ask, thinking of Kalvar and his third engagement. I confess, I'm like my mother and need to know before I let this flirtation go further.

"I'm a monogamist if you're wondering," Rift states. "If I ever were to have a romantic relationship, I prefer depth rather than stretching it out over several people. There's not enough time in the day as it is. I don't judge those who prefer multiple attachments, though."

I nod, satisfied with his answer. I, too, consider myself a monogamist.

One point for Rift.

I grab a card deck from the mantle on the fireplace. "Do you play Chaos?" I ask, holding out the brightly-colored cards with a smile.

"I've played a round or two," he casually responds, but I can tell by his expression he's a regular to the game.

"You know, you're the first guy besides my brother brave enough to play me?" I say, sitting down on the fur rug spread out in front of my fireplace.

"Does your brother win a lot?"

"Never," I say, winking at him, "he doesn't even play me anymore."

Rift sits down facing me and leans forward, his eyes with their flecks of gold glittering with mischief from the flames. "Deal me in, Princess. You're about to discover what it's like to lose again."