I close my eyes tightly, concentrating as I listen for the hounds in the distance. Still silent. As all of my muscles relax by some small measure, I allow myself the briefest smile and take a deep breath in, the air fresh and sharp in my lungs. A tiny shiver works down my spine and I open my eyes, finding the source of the chill immediately. Varrick is watching me with the same intensity as when he’d backed me against a tree in anger. Except, that’s not exactly right. Save for his expression, the rest of him remains completely relaxed, walking toward me without any urgency.
“Is… everything okay?”
He freezes, and his expression turns inward for a moment before he gives a little shrug. “You don’t smile a lot.”
“You’ve only known me during the worst week of my life. Maybe I smile all the time.”
His eyebrows flash up. “Maybe… you’re a liar.”
I roll my eyes at him. “So I should smile more?”
“Only when you mean it.” That intensity is back, his eyes darkening just a touch and I immediately recognize that I am completely out of my depths.
I pretend to raise a glass to him. “To a world where I smile more and mean it.”
Slowly, he raises a pretend glass back, matching my toast. Instead of letting his hand fall, he rubs it over his mouth then down to massage his jaw, shaking out his shoulders quickly before continuing to move so close I have to tip my head up to see his face.
“To finding a world that smiles back, Princess Emberis.”
I blink rapidly, turning to look at the horse tied up just a few paces away. Then I nod and take a deep breath in before stepping away.
“Time to go?”
“Time to go.”
Do you like slow burn with a stupid amount of denial and yearning?
Someone who would NEVER tell you to smile more… unless you mean it?
Someone who will later say “That laughter is mine. Give me it.” with his whole chest?
You might like Revenance of Stars, a romantic fantasy novel set in the Shieldbound Universe… problem is… it’s not out yet!
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Excerpt from Revenance of Stars
Shieldbound Universe
By: Meris Rosewick
Work in Progress
