"recently her daughter appeared, and shook this kingdom to the core." her eyes let up then, and she dazzled me with a perfect smile. "you, eden, have caused quite the stir, befriending a shape-shifter and then fighting for her life. you've defied the king in front of his entire court. you organized a resistance movement and then went to actual battle with the titan guard. you stole the magic from india and then destroyed the summer palace. and in all that rebellion, you've still managed to save the prince's life several times and get him to fall in love with you. that's quite the list for someone just recently introduced to our society."

"no, you give me too much credit," i insisted. "most of those things were done by accident!"

"are you sure? the kingdom is moved by you, eden. you have called them to action and the dividing line has been drawn. you did in a few short months, what your grandfather tried to do for centuries," she finished with a quiet respect for amory that allowed me to accept her words with kindness and trust her in a way that i had been reluctant to do so far.

"really, i'm not the one responsible for any of that. my br-, there are others that are far more involved in this scheme than me. i am here for a reason," i looked into the ballroom, my expression falling into the realization that tonight was still imprisonment, as enchanting as the ball was, it was still hosted by an evil tyrant and i was still his prisoner.

"and i expect it's not to marry our dear kiran," kate conjectured.

"actually, that's exactly why i'm here," i confessed.

we turned at the sound of male voices in the doorway. kiran and jonathan had appeared, but were finishing their conversation in hushed tones. i turned to kate, hoping she would move beyond our dangerous conversation and into safer territory before kiran joined us.

she smiled at me, a roguish smile that instantly made me skeptical. "kiran," she called, reaching out for my forearm and patting it gently. "eden, was just commenting on how beautiful the gardens are at night."

"is that so?" kiran left jonathan in mid-conversation and walked over to me, taking my arm from kate. "would you like to take a walk?"

"won't your father miss us?" i hinted, reminding him of his promise that we wouldn't leave. i didn't want to get into trouble tonight, but still the thought of suffocating in the middle of an over-crowded room full of immortals was less than alluring.

"the night is nearly over," he coaxed. he pulled me with him toward a staircase that led from the ballroom balcony to the gardens two stories below.

"it was nice meeting you, kate," i called. jonathan was by her side though, and they were speaking intimately to each other and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. i watched them for a moment, having the familiar pain of wanting something so pure, so honest, as a love like that. jonathan pulled kate into a kiss then and his hands cradled her face gently between them. she lifted her hand over his and there was a flicker then, a bright glow of sunburst yellow just below kate's right ear, and then it was gone.

i turned back to kiran, wanting desperately to ask him if they were involved in the resistance. he looked down at me with a curious expression on his face and i remembered i couldn't ask him. he was the enemy. and if he found out his closest friends were involved in the very group that was out to kill him and his family, he would take the initiative before they could.

still, he didn't feel so cruel, holding my arm gently next to his muscular torso, leading me down the stairs. and kate didn't feel like she was capable of manipulating anyone. in fact, she seemed almost too honest. kiran's closest friends wouldn't be a part of a movement bent on his death. i decided it was just my imagination, only wishful thinking. with all of the bizarre interactions over the last two days and people so interested in my history, i was drawing hopeful, but farfetched conclusions.

at the base of the stairs, i breathed in deeply for the first time all night, despite the tight corset of my ball gown. i leaned my head against kiran's shoulder, realizing how exhausted this weekend had been. i was glad for a day off tomorrow from the constant smiling and polite conversation, even if that meant back to being locked in my tower, alone and isolated.

"did you get along with kate?" kiran asked, breaking our silence. we walked through the hedged pathways, still arm and arm. our magic had reunited all around, encircling us with familiar affection.

"yes, she's very sweet," i admitted, realizing i really did like her.

"no, she's not!" kiran laughed. "she's not sweet at all and she rarely likes anyone."

"oh," i responded with dejection. maybe i misinterpreted the whole conversation.

"but she liked you," he continued, thinking over what that actually meant.

we had come to a private alcove, with a stone bench set in between climbing roses. the moonlight illuminated the small space like an invitation to enter. kiran paused in the middle of the space, looking down at me.

the magic between us became magnetic. our eyes locked on each other, frozen in place by the sheer desire between us. the urge to tip my lips up to him became almost impossible to fight, and my blood heated to a quick boil, knowing the twitch in his smile revealed the same battle.

kiran let out a shaky breath and took a step toward me. the scent of the flowers at night, and the warmth of the summer breeze floating over my bear arms drugged my senses. i was lost in him, swept away from the memory of what used to be between us and the pretense of our flawless lie over the weekend.

he dipped his face toward me just a fraction of an inch, subconsciously, my lips having their own gravitational pull and he was helpless in a fight he had already lost. but i couldn't let this continue. we were alone, with no audience to pretend for and if we kissed now simply out of desire, i couldn't justify my actions to myself. or to jericho for that matter.

"wait," i breathed without confidence when his lips moved even closer to mine. "wait, we, um, we need to talk."

"we need to talk?" kiran asked, the disappointment obvious in his voice.

"yes, we need to talk," i gasped for air, and took several steps away from him.

he watched me with a new amusement in his eyes before taking a seat on the stone bench with legs extended and arms folded across his chest. "all right, talk," he directed.

"i think we can both agree.... i mean, between us.... there is this obvious.... unmistakable even, attraction between us, kiran," i explained slowly, in case he didn't know why he wanted to kiss me all night long. "i think it's clear to both of us that there is something here.... something undeniable. wouldn't you agree?"

"yes, i would agree," kiran affirmed casually, his eyes smoldering. "how did you say it? obvious and unmistakable."

"yes, obvious and unmistakable," i sighed, finding myself a little exasperated by his seductive tone and the sudden trembling in my hands.

"undeniable...." he pressed.

i cleared my throat and nodded, "but, i think we can also agree that this feeling.... this.... magnetism between us is because of our history together more than anything else. it's more habit than anything else." i avoided his eyes, his brilliant turquoise eyes, piercing through the darkness and watching me without reserve.

"mmmm....." he agreed, noncommittally.

"but, if we were to kiss here, tonight, that might ruin this friendship we've carefully built over the last few weeks. and it would definitely complicate things," i explained further.

"it would definitely complicate things," kiran agreed in a husky voice, but the expression on his face told me he wouldn't mind the complications.

"besides," i continued, reaching desperately for a foothold to reason, "you have your pride to think about." i lifted my eyes to his, determined to see his reaction; but i didn't get one. if anything the amusement dancing across his face made him more alluring, not less.

"and you have your principles," he offered, to which i nodded enthusiastically.

"exactly, my principles!" it was the perfect response, he remembered my reasons for ending things between us and he still held on to his pride that kept us apart.

"and jericho."

i cleared my throat, willing jericho to my mind's eye, "and jericho, of course."

"well, you don't have to worry about me," kiran vowed, standing up from the bench. "i'll be on my best behavior."

"thank you," i whispered and tried to ignore the disappointment sweeping over me. "i think it's this castle anyway," i mumbled more to myself than to him, "we're too isolated."

"well, then i have good news for you," kiran announced cheerfully. "i have business for the next week, so i will be away from the castle for a while, but next weekend i will meet you and sebastian in paris, where we will pick up amelia and bring her back home."

"oh, that is good news!" i tried to sound excited. and i was thrilled at the prospect of a paris vacation. but there was something else bothering me, something that weighed down my spirit and dampened my mood.

kiran took my arm and led me silently back through the gardens and up the stairs. we joined the ball again, dancing the rest of the evening away at a careful distance. the gathered immortals looked on at us as the happiest, most in love couple of the century. but even as kiran kept his gaze riveted on my eyes, and his hand tight around my waist, we knew the truth. this was all pretend, all a facade to reassure the kingdom that the crown prince would have true eternal life; an alliance made between my family and his. there was no real love between us, only a frustrating physical attraction in which neither of us wanted to indulge.

i remained in love with someone else. and kiran remained a part of a royal bloodline that came with an expiration date.

chapter fifteen

"i'm going for a walk," i declared loudly. i flung open kiran's bedroom door and stared down the ten titan guards posted directly outside. "you are more than welcome to join me, but i can't stay cooped up in that room for one more second."

i crossed my arms defiantly, and waited for them to challenge me. kiran had been gone for four days and had taken talbott with him. when sebastian could get away from whatever palace business lucan had him running around doing, he would visit me, but i hadn't seen him in twenty-four hours and hadn't left kiran's bedroom since the summer solstice ball.

"well, you can't go by yourself," a younger titan spoke up. he looked me over with reserved malice, eyes that promised he would love a physical fight.

"i know that," i snapped. "i wasn't planning on it."

"we can't trust you to cooperate; it's not a good idea," an older titan, with a jagged scar running across his throat, declared.

"you don't have a choice," i threatened, truly meaning every one of my words. "if you don't let me out of this room, i'm going to jump through kiran's windows and leave you to explain how you lost your prisoner to lucan."

the titans surrounding me came to a stricter attention, standing up straight and glowering down at me as if anyone of them was willing to physically restrain me right this second.