“You don’t have to keep staring, you know. The task is over,” Evander said, a twinkle of amusement glinting in those gorgeous eyes. I ripped my gaze away from his in horror, to which he only smirked. “Though I don’t mind if you wish to continue.”
For the first time since the King of Dwellen turned down my request, I was actually thankful to hear the vile being’s voice as it boomed through the stadium. “The prince and his betrothed have completed the first task. Now for the second. Guards.”
Well, he had to go and ruin it, didn’t he?
Two guards appeared, one behind Evander and one behind me. The former wrapped a piece of black linen over Evander’s eyes. The latter leaned down and swatted at the hem of my skirt. I might have jolted or turned to kick him if my feet hadn’t rooted themselves on the platform for my fear of heights. Thick rope scratched my ankles as the guard tied my feet together with a knot. The forced narrowing of my stance made me feel like I might topple over the edge at any moment now, and I reached out toward Evander to steady myself.
“That feels good.” Evander purred at my touch, and even that stupid blindfold couldn’t obscure the smugness that must have been flickering in his gaze. “And unexpected.”
“Don’t humor yourself,” I hissed, and I could have sworn that Evander flexed his bicep under my grasp in response.
I didn’t like this. Not one bit.
The king’s voice boomed again. “Now that the prince and his betrothed have been sufficiently handicapped, the couple must traverse the logs before them, a task which symbolizes how, in a true match, one should be capable of offsetting the other’s weakness with their own strengths.”
I examined what lay ahead, where at least four dozen logs had been staked into the earth, forming a large rectangle. Their tops were bare, which I figured was a bad sign.
“Looks like you’re my eyes now, El. What do we have ahead of us?”
I bristled at the nickname, and the edge of his smile quirked. It was unsettling how easily Evander could observe me, even with his sight taken away. I sighed. “Any chance you memorized the course before they blindfolded you?”
“Nope.”
“Didn’t think so.”
“You’ll have to lead me across.”
I nearly choked. “Um. Only one problem with that. I can’t step across the logs. Not with my ankles tied together.”
He grinned, the edges of wrinkles poking out from under his blindfold. “Oh. Well, that is a problem, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know why you insist on acting like this is funny,” I said.
He crossed his muscular arms. “And I don’t see how acting like it’s the end of the world is contributing to our success, given the situation.”
“It’s not like I can hop across the logs!” There was no way I could clear the distance with my ankles tied together, though the logs were spaced far enough apart that I likely wouldn’t have been able to make the jump anyway.
“Don’t fret, my dearly betrothed. I have an idea.”
“Oh, really?”
“Oh, really. And the best part is that you’re not going to like it.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but I never got around to it, because Evander reached for my hand, then traced his fingers up my arm until he found my upper back.
My throat closed up, and not from the bargain this time. “Wha—”
Quick as an ember springing from a fire, he stepped closer, pulling me into him. For a moment, I thought the imbecile was going to kiss me right here in front of everyone, but then he leaned down, placing his other hand under my knees. The ground left me, and I found myself cradled against his chest as he picked me up.
My heart pounded.
Dizziness overwhelmed me.
I told myself it was the heights.
“No. Way. In. Alondria.”
He smirked. “Do you have a better idea?”
Unfortunately, I did not.
“Just tell me where to step, my love. You’ve got my ears.” The tips of his pointed ears perked, as if they too thought the situation was worthy of a joke.
I bit my lip. “Fine. Take a step forward. A small ste—” I yelped as he almost stepped off the platform. He grinned and drew his foot back to the edge. My chest was practically rattling, and I shot him a scowl. “You did that on purpose.”
“I’m blindfolded, remember?”
“That sounds like a way to get around a lie.”
He craned his neck so that his nose practically scraped mine. “You know me so well. No wonder we’re getting married.”
I coughed in his face, which he answered with a grimace. I turned away, trying to focus on the bald edges of the logs rather than the ground far below us. “Alright. Now shuffle to the right a bit.” He did as I asked. “And you’re going to have to take a step out, probably about half of your leg span.”
“How long have you been noting my proportions, Ellie?”
I groaned. He was going to get us both killed. With a jolt, he did as I asked, and I had to fight back a squeal. If I was going to die today, in front of all of Othian and my parents, I was not going to go down squealing. Even if every inch of my body claimed otherwise.
His foot landed on target, and I sighed. One launch later, and both his feet were on the narrow log.
