Page 27 of Ruin of Revenants

Isoria

Inexplicably, my anger ebbed away, my pounding heartbeat slowing in my ears, my breaths evening out. Fiery fury cooled into something warm and pleasant, like sinking into a soothing bath after a long day, or curling up with a soft blanket, or being enfolded in a loved one’s embrace.

“Kiss me,” Archer said, his searing emerald gaze caressing my lips, and I wanted to. I wanted to be close to him, to soak in his charming presence, to feel the softness of his mouth as it claimed mine.

Breath hitching, I lowered my blade and licked my lips.

I leaned forward, ever so slightly, my eyes fluttering shut as I prepared to close the final breath between us. Something in the magic of the moment turned brittle and bitter when I noticed, as my eyes drifted shut, the expression of panic flitting across Archer’s face. Not joy. Not contentment. Not wanting. Only fear and revulsion.

As suddenly as the pleasant emotions had washed over me, they drained away. I halted, blinking in confusion and staggering back. I was horrified—had I really been about to kiss him? Had I been gazing at him with a stupid, doe-eyed grin?

Archer laughed cruelly as I nearly tripped over my own feet in my hurry to get away from him.

“What just happened?” I demanded. Nausea slithered over my tongue. “Was that your magic? Did you—did you control me?”

“I can influence others’ feelings and thoughts and make them want to do my bidding, but I can’t actually control anyone,” Archer said, as if it made a difference. His cocky grin let me know he was perfectly aware of the level of power he wielded.

My stomach churned, and I worried for a dizzying moment I might be ill. How could I trust myself when trapped with this male, if he could make me feel things that weren’t true? Make me want what I was repelled by? What if he manipulated my emotions until I thought I was in love with him?

“Don’t worry,” Archer said dryly, “it’s not as if I wanted to touch you. We’ll have to sometimes in public for the sake of our engagement ruse, but that’s it. My magic failed before you could kiss me, but even if it hadn’t, I would have gladly pushed you away.”

Considering the fear I’d seen in his eyes, I didn’t doubt it, but that proclamation did little to put me at ease. If he could skew my reality and the way I felt about him, even temporarily, not to mention lie, I could never trust a word out of his mouth. I’d have to question my own feelings and responses to him.

The only relief I felt was knowing that, if his magic had failed, he wouldn’t be able to make me want to answer his questions. He couldn’t trick me into revealing my home’s location.

“There you are! We heard you’ve been keeping a secret from us,” came a female voice from the entrance of Archer’s sparring room. “We came to meet her.”

Archer’s quarters being so expansive was a benefit when we didn’t want to have to be out in public together or be overheard, but apparently, they still didn’t completely protect us from someone entering without warning.

Retreating further from the prince, I turned to find a female and male entering the sparring room.

Pretend we’re madly in love, Archer reminded me, pushing off the wall and standing beside me.

You first.

The smallest twitch of his jaw was the only hint I’d riled Archer as he turned on his charm, smiling and wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me against him.

“Well here she is, my betrothed, Isoria Gildmere. Isa, these are my closest friends. This is Lily Starblood.” He gestured toward the female, whose violet eyes and small, upturned nose reminded me of a fairy, especially when her delicate face was framed by wavy hair that shimmered shades of red and deep pink as she crossed the room to us.

“I’m a little hurt you didn’t tell us anything about her before you became engaged,” Lily said pointedly.

“Maybe because he knew you’d never stop talking about it, and he wanted some privacy before the entire capital was in an uproar?” the male said, his demeanor rather cloudy beside her excited attitude.

“And that beacon of light behind her is Owen Stormveil,” Archer added sarcastically with a nod toward the male.

“Yes, he’s the picture of sunshine, is he not?” Lily raised her eyebrows. “It’s good to meet you, Isoria, though I’m still having a difficult time believing Archer has chosen to settle down. What did you threaten him with?” She flashed me a warm, teasing smile.

If she knew what I really was, would she be accepting, or did she hate my kind as much as Archer and his family did?

Archer laughed along with her. “Nothing like that, Lily. She simply captivated me from the moment we first met.”

Staring into his eyes when he pretended to look lovelorn made me sick to my stomach, so I stared at his chin instead.

Stop staring at my mouth, Feathers.

To my utter delight, I found that whatever constrained me to only speak the truth aloud did not apply to communicating with my mind. It’s difficult not to when you still have food crumbs from our meal stuck to it.

Archer’s bright smile dimmed only a moment as he casually ran a hand along his lips.