Page 8 of Six Burning Candles

“You’re staring,” Keida pointed out with a hollow tone.

“Well, I was wondering when we were going to talk about what happened back there,” I confessed with a slight shrug.

Keida neither looked at me nor made any indication what I said phased her. “What happened was you chose to flirt with danger, and I taught you a lesson.”

“Oh?” I chortled. “That wasteaching me a lesson?”

“Are you insinuating you won’t think twice now when dressing?” She finally glanced in my direction, if only sharply and for a moment.

“If you think that did anything but instill a deep desire to never wear small clothes while you’re around, you’ve got another thing coming, Keida—”

She huffed much like a bull, a heavy puff of smoke made from the cold air around our heads. “Why can you not justbehave?”

I wanted to ask why.Why should I behave when being trouble has gotten me so much more?And who was she to tell me to behave?It wasn’t like she’d staked a claim on me, nor had she spoken anything about it since she kissed me. I wasn’t the one pretending like I was anything to her other than a good time.

Only, her gloved fingers wrapped around my wrist and dragged me off the path, deep into the thick, wooded area outside the Oliphante’s manor. Beyond most of the richer homes in the kingdom, there were patches of trees and bushes, but Daphne’s family was as close to the mountain as they could get. It was hilly and snow spilled over our heads as Keida pushed branches aside. She twisted me up against a tree, pinning my hands over my head.

“Your father will have my head for this,” she breathed.

“He’s not beheaded someone in a long time,” I teased as I hooked my hoof behind her calf and tried to urge her closer. She stayed a firm arm’s length away from me, piercing eyes studying my face. It took me a moment to realize, but when I did, I blurted out, “You won’t be with me because of my father?”

“He is the Hierophant Rex of the order.” Her words were so point blank, as if she expected that to be explanation enough.

“How long?” I ground the two words between my teeth.

“For the last 15 years, or more, you would know better than I—” She blinked rapidly when I snarled, finally breaking free of her grip. I pushed away from her, storming over crunchy leaves to put more space between us.

“No! How long have you liked me?” I spat. Keida’s face fell as I twisted to face her, furious. Heat licked across my cheeks, fists shaking as I stared her dead in the eye. I asked my question a second time with significantly more venom, “How. Long. Have. You. Liked. Me?”

She audibly swallowed, gaze falling away from me. “Since I first saw you.”

“Liar,” I sneered. Rolling my eyes, I twisted from her once more and pushed further into the slumbering trees. Winter left most of the trees with dark bark and no leaves but some of the spruce trees were still a vibrant green. I stomped past a few of them, letting their sticky needles grab onto the edges of my dress.

A gloved hand caught my sleeve and I stopped mid-crunch onto another pile of leaves.

“The moment I entered that office and saw you, flush like a poppy in the midst of winter, so brazen, so confident, and unapologetic, I knew then. You’re the only…” she trailed off with a sigh. I twisted to catch her expression again and found her saddened stare directed at my hooves. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why?” I shrugged, hands tossed out to the side a little in confusion.

“Because it’s not right. It’s not fair to you and it’s torturous to me,” Keida confessed before dropping my sleeve. “Let’s get back to the festival. We still have two hours till the candle lightning ceremony, I’m sure you can get up to more mischief down there. And we can forget this ever happened.”

That’s not what I want.I wanted her to confess her feelings for me! Actually, admit to them or accept that I was nothing but a fun time. Keida had to pick one! She wasn’t allowed to string me along like this. I swore to myself years ago that I wouldn’t plead with someone to love me when they didn’t. Melrose St. Augustine would never beg someone to stay. And I didn’t intend to go back on my word.

But this?! This limbo where there’s a chance we could be together but we’re not? This tango of if she’ll kiss me or if she’ll shut me out? I can’t do this. Irefuseto do this any longer.

I shook my head, “No.”

“What?” she blurted out. A breeze crept through the trees with a haunting whistle. It made all the branches near us shiver. Snow fluttered around our heads.

I spun to face her fully before jabbing a finger in her face. “Either you care for me and want to be with me. Or you just want to have some fun that means nothing to either of us. You don’t get to dangle this heartache in front of my face and say words like I’m the only one you want. Either you gather your courage to like me, Keida of the Frost! Or you admit right now that what transpired between us meant nothing.”

She rocked back a step; hands collected at her stomach. Baby blue eyes roamed my face with knitted brows and an open mouth.A mouth I think about kissing constantly.I kept my face hardened, ready for the worst and hoping for the best. My shoulders ached from the tension. Keida finally sighed and pushed my finger down.

“My apologies, what transpired between us meantnothing.” She couldn’t even look me in the eyes when she said it. Instead, glancing away, her lips turned into the first scowl she’d ever given me. Frown, sure, even a deadpan look, but she’d never scowled at me. Like the words tasted awful on her tongue.Liar.

I snarled, “You’re a coward.”

“Melrose—”