Ascension: The Affiliate Part 32

"We'll leave the horses here. Wouldn't want any broken ankles," he said. He dismounted, helped her down, and then escorted their horses to the Guard.

A retinue of guards followed behind them as they set out onto the sandy beach. The waves gently rolled into surf, leaving traces of the white foam across the surface. A soft breeze lingered in the air, cool against her skin. She breathed in the distinct salty smell and listened to the seagulls in the distance.

Cyrene wondered what had possessed Edric to come out here with her this afternoon. After all this time apart, here they were, as if they were back on that procession boat. It was just the two of them lost in this dream of seclusion. She knew that this wouldn't escape the Queen's notice. Nothing did. And while Cyrene hadn't received any instruction since coming on the procession, she was sure Kaliana would cook up something when she thought Cyrene was getting closer to Edric again.

Maybe he had been staying away for her benefit. She really didn't know. She cut her eyes over to him, appraising him, and her feet sank too far into the sand.

"Oh!" she yelped, losing her balance.

She staggered forward, and Edric pulled her close with a steadying embrace. Once he had her in his grasp, he didn't release her. It had been so long since they were this close together, and she had to fight her instincts to keep her eyes from lingering on his lips.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

Her heart sang with the news. She hoped she sounded composed when she spoke next, "I'm sure you've been busy."

Edric sighed. "I have been. The Eleysian Prince should be here soon, and we've been preparing for his arrival, but..."

"But?" she prodded.

"It has been hard to stay away."

Cyrene flushed. She was glad that she was not the only one who felt that way.

"Cyrene"-he brushed her dark brown hair out of her face as the sea breeze whipped it around-"I don't want to stay away any longer."

His hand moved to the back of her head, and he drew her lips to his. It was the first kiss they had shared since the night on the procession, and she was shocked at how much she wanted this. She was the one who had made him stop before, but that was now the furthest thing from her mind.

Her whole body stirred at his touch. Their connection shocked through her. Her lips turned desperate. She couldn't get close enough to him. She couldn't find her breath or keep her heart steady. All she needed was this moment here with him. She clutched his shirt, and his fingers threaded back through her hair. He had the same maddening need pushing through every kiss and every touch. The ground seemed to shift beneath them.

They broke apart with a gasp. The heady look that pa.s.sed between them was a far cry from their innocent looks across a ballroom. She wanted more. She wanted to feel again.

Edric removed his shaking hands from her and struggled to take control of his body. She could see the depths of desire pouring through his blue-gray eyes. She was sure that she was a mirror image of him. Slowly, she released his shirt and let her arms hang limp at her sides.

"Cyrene..."

She swallowed. "Yes?"

He shook his head and grasped her hand. Their fingers laced together, and he placed a soft kiss across her knuckles. Her heart hammered from the intensity of it all.

Edric directed her to continue their walk while the time permitted. She had so much going on, so much she didn't understand, and so much she had to worry about, but here, on the beach, the worries disappeared.

She didn't know how much time had pa.s.sed before they headed back. The sun sank low across the horizon, and Cyrene noticed how high the tide was coming in, covering their early footprints in the sand, wiping them away as if they had never been.

"I never thought it would be so beautiful here," she said with a smile in his direction.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, drawing her to him again. "Come to me tonight."

"Edric..." She knew that she shouldn't do it.

She had to get to Eleysia, which meant far away from him. He had a Queen and so much more that mattered to him.

Yet how can I turn him down?

"Tonight?" he asked before punctuating his request with a soft kiss.

Her eyes fluttered closed. "Okay. Tonight."

Cyrene returned safely to her room, feeling happier than she had in weeks. She couldn't believe the turn in events today. Kael had acted like a human, Rhea had found out about the prophecies, and then Edric...

A shy smile crossed her face at the thought of their afternoon together. She closed the door and stretched out her tired feet. Her slippers were full of sand despite having taken them off several times already. She tossed them to the ground and padded into her bedroom to change out of the clothes she had been in all day.

After throwing her blue cape on the bed, she opened her wardrobe, bent down, and ran her hand against the side pocket of her large leather bag. The book's indent was visible, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She stood, closed her wardrobe door, and nearly screamed as the shape of a figure materialized in the doorframe from out of nowhere. Her heart beat a thousand miles a minute.

"Shh," Ahlvie said. He put a finger to his mouth.

"What are you doing in here? You scared me half to death."

"Seem to be intact to me."

"How did you even get in here?"

He shrugged. "I have my ways. Where have you been all day? Aren't you on lockdown? I've been searching for you."

"You're not even supposed to be in the castle."

He shrugged, unconcerned.

"I was granted leave to visit the library. I met Rhea there."

"You've been there all afternoon?" he asked as if he already knew the answer.

"Never mind what I was doing. What are you doing in my bedchamber?" She set her stony gaze on him.

"Obviously looking for you," he said.

"Yes, but what for?" She had other plans tonight, and she really would like to clean up before then.

"We have to go."

"Go?" Cyrene asked. "Where? Why? I can't leave the castle."

"You'll have to make another exception."

"Ahlvie, what is this all about? There isn't a way for me to leave. All the guards know who I am."

"I can get you out, but we need to get moving," he said. He was already walking out of her bedroom and toward the exit.

"Wait." She rushed after him. "What about Maelia? Are we bringing her? Do I need my bag?"

"No. You won't need that until later. I can't bring both of you, so you'll have to settle for me tonight. It'll be fun."

She stood her ground. "Where are we going, Ahlvie?"

"Do you have to know everything before you do it? Trust me when I say we need to go now. You didn't last time, and we missed the ship. Now, you're stuck in the castle. So, let's go!"

"Ahlvie, someone out there is trying to kill me," she reminded him.

He shook his head back and forth, as if debating whether this whole thing was a waste of his time. "I think I've found us another ship, but I need a woman's finesse."

"For what?"

"We're going to a bar."

"A bar?" she asked skeptically. "Right now?"

"No time like the present."

"Ahlvie, I can't go to a bar. I'm an Affiliate!"

"You won't be wearing your pin."

"That's not the point."

"You want a way out?" he asked. "Then, live a little. Stop caring about others expectations, and live by yours. Are we going or not?"

Cyrene couldn't exactly tell him that she had somewhere else to be tonight. Maybe they wouldn't even be out that late, and she could still see Edric.

"Fine. Lead the way."

Ahlvie knew Krisana as if he were reading a floor plan. She thought her two weeks of wandering the halls had familiarized her with the castle, but he took turns, hallways, and stairwells she had never set foot on. She wished she knew how he was so good at this. Not to mention, he wasn't making any sounds on the stone when he walked. And she hadn't heard him enter her rooms either.

When they turned a corner, Cyrene stopped as she heard footsteps approach. Ahlvie grabbed her, and they ducked into a small alcove. They had made it nearly all the way across the castle, uninterrupted, and she wasn't about to get caught now. She waited anxiously, trying to hold her breath. She was certain whoever was there could hear her heart beating wildly. The footsteps seemed to stop near them, and she listened to the voices for a second.

"We can't go into the Affiliate quarters."

"You wouldn't do that for me?"

Cyrene released a small gasp, and Ahlvie nudged his elbow in her side. She would recognize the seductive tone of that voice anywhere. Prince Kael was trying to convince Jardana to take him back to the Affiliate bedchambers.

Ugh! Swine.

"The Queen would kill me if she found you in there with me."

Cyrene bit her lip as hard as she could to keep from groaning at the sound of that incessantly annoying voice.

"Let me worry about Kaliana. You just worry about us."

Jardana giggled.

Cyrene prayed to the Creator for them to pa.s.s by because she wasn't sure how much more of this she could listen to.

"You're talking about us like you don't spend time with that woman," she spat.

"Don't start this again."

"Well, if you didn't make such a public display of it by walking her to the library this morning, I wouldn't have to."

Cyrene closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing evenly. She couldn't believe that Jardana was whining to Kael about her.

"Next time the King of Byern gives me a direct order, I'll tell him you told me to refuse," he said dryly.

"Fine," she groaned. "The Affiliate quarters it is. I can't stand this any longer."

Cyrene actually agreed with her on one thing.

Their steps retreated down the hallway, and Cyrene blew out a breath of relief. Ahlvie rushed to the staircase and opened a wooden door at the bottom, and she followed him through it. He grabbed a lit torch from the wall. The dark stairwell beckoned them downward, and the stones grew colder and colder despite the summer temperatures.

When they reached the bottom, they hurried down an empty hallway. Even with the torch, she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her. Ahlvie took a few random turns. She sure hoped he knew his way out because she didn't think she could get them back. He hesitated at a three-way intersection and then surged forward down another impossibly long tunnel.

Time seemed to pa.s.s endlessly.

As she opened her mouth to ask if he had any idea where they were going, he said, "Aha!"

He clicked a lock and pushed open a heavy stone door. On the other side, the moon shone bright, high in the sky.

Cyrene glanced around at her surroundings. Krisana could be seen from anywhere in the city, but she was shocked by the distance. The tunnels didn't run under the castle. They ran under the whole city!

The alleyway was dark, and she covered her nose to keep from gagging as the rank stench of sewage and manure pinched at her stomach. Wherever they were certainly wasn't the nicest part of Albion, and she wondered what kind of bar they could be going to in this part of town. It would certainly be nothing like the one they had ventured into on the coast.

"Is this the place?" she asked him, trying to breathe through her mouth.

He glanced over at her and laughed. "Never been to the slums before?"

She arched an eyebrow.

"You'll be fine. I'll be with you the whole time."

"Why are we here?" She grabbed his arm and kept him close.

"Just smile a lot and look dumb. They'll think we're together and cut me some slack."

She clenched her hand tighter around his bicep. "What are you playing at?"

He roughly pushed her up against the dirty white stone wall and covered her mouth with his hand. Two guys pa.s.sed by them and snickered at their position, but they kept walking.

He dropped his hand as soon as they were gone and leaned in close. "I'm not playing at anything." His voice was hoa.r.s.e. "At the inventor's house, we all agreed that we were going to do this together. If you don't approve of my methods, fine, but that doesn't mean they're not effective. All right?"