Spies&Thieves

the prince

-CAMMIE-

       My heart stopped.

       I know, it can do that. Seconds became months, minutes became years, and I could hear nothing but my racing heartbeat in my ears. It pounded and stopped and started and rewinded. My eyes focused and unfocused, blinked rapidly to make sure I wasn’t dreaming and then glazed over to make sure I could capture the faces in front of me forever.

       Suddenly, the arm around me felt too foreign, the voice at my ear a recording, the face of Mason a stranger’s.

The smile I had so perfectly plastered on my face faltered. At first all I saw was Macey, in her grand beauty and porcelain skin. Then I took in the figure to her left, who resembled her in ways I wouldn’t have ever imagined, and yet nothing at all. My breath caught as they landed on Zach. He held my gaze for what felt like eternities. An undenying pit of guilt formed at my stomach, a knot at my chest twisted, my legs somehow went numb. His fists were clenched at the side of his tux, which, of course, never had looked better on him. I suddenly felt extremely exposed. This was not a dress I would have ever been caught dead wearing by Zach and Macey.

A voice in my head reminded me I was on a mission, that I had to remain calm and composed and simply remember that this was not a school assignment and I was in the real world. And mostly, I remembered that my job was to protect Mason with my life, and the three familiar faces in front of me had just become my biggest threats in the room.

“Cammie?” Macey asked doubtedly. Mason, always a step ahead, let out half a laugh and said, “You two must know each other. Though, I must warn you, she does not appreciate any sort of nickname. I tried calling her that once, she almost broke my neck.”

Zach smiled unhappily, “I can only imagine.”

Macey somehow shook off whatever trance she was in, smiling like a sweet girl I had never seen her be. “Forgive me. Zach, Cammi— Cameron, and I took a course together a few summers ago. I almost didn’t recognize you; that dress is beautiful.”

I forced my tongue to speak. “Oh, thank you. Mason bought it for me as a surprise.”

“Surprise for what?” Zach asked curiously. Mason’s sluggish arm slid down to my hip and pulled me closer, “A pre-gift for her birthday in a few weeks. I knew she needed a new gown, though I must admit, I never would have imagined she’d look so spectacular wearing it.”

I turned a crimson color. No boy ever treated me like Mason. No one had ever showered me in gifts, or called me “darling” and “love”. I guess I might not have minded, if it weren’t for the fact Zach and I were technically still together. His eyes searched mine for a moment, and I swear I tried to keep them neutral, but it just wasn’t possible. Genuine concern filled Mason’s handsome features, and he asked me, “Are you alright, love?”

Shaking him off with what I thought was a convincing smile, I said, “Yes. Just tired. It’s all still very overwhelming,” I admitted. Which was true. No matter how many social events, weddings, engagement parties, auctions, and festivities he brought me to, I would never quite get used to the adrenaline inducing sensation with everything going on in the room.

He nodded, accepting my excuse. But then my eyes landed on the girl beside Macey, who had remained silent the entire time. “Oh, how rude of me. I don’t believe we’ve met,” I said to the girl, taking in every inch of her figure and stance that could give away weaknesses. There was a new fire in her eyes as she regarded me. “Katarina Bishop. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Macey then interrupted, “I hate to keep you, Mason, but I would just love to hear how the both of you met.”

The amount of tension in the air was almost visible when he replied, “Not a problem. Honestly, I’d rather speak with you then have to go back to my mother’s chatter,” he took a steadying breath and smiled shyly, “It was a bit of an accident, really,” he began, though I knew it wasn’t an accident at all. “I was in Rome visiting some relatives. One day they took me out on a stroll through town, and we both ran into each other. Quite literally. It would hardly have been appropriate for me not to have made up for it, so I took her out to dinner that night in apology. And somehow… she ended up coming with me back to York, and now here for the time being.”