Free The Spirit Heir by Kaitlyn Davis

emptying her lungs.
    Breathy, she whispered, "A Son of Whyl would never court an Arpapajo."
    Rhen scrunched his brows, wincing, but remained silent. He would not deny her words. The meaning behind the hostile stares became so clear. Thoughts rose toward the ceiling, filling the room with a judgmental haze only Jinji's eyes could see. That was what they were all so afraid of—that the prince would want an oldworlder. That was why the queen had sought her out, had questioned her—not because she was afraid Jinji would reveal her secret. Not really. No, she had been afraid that an Arpapajo girl had grown too close to her son, too close to royalty.
    Jinji's eyes flicked to her skin, barely visible beyond the hem of her sleeve—a deep copper beside the golden silks. Rhen's coloring had never seemed so pale, even covered with freckles it was undeniably different. A pink flush decorated his cheeks, matching the red highlights in his hair. The opposite of earthy.
    Scrunching shaky fingers into a fist, Jinji pulled her hands together and rested them on her lap, trying to contain the fury coiling her muscles.
    "I," Rhen started but stopped.
    Jinji closed her lids tight, looking away from him before she broke. "Why were you looking for me?" she asked quickly, changing the subject to one less painful.
    "What?"
    "Before, you said you were looking for me…" Jinji took a long deep breath, clearing her face of any hurt before turning back to Rhen.
    Rhen sighed, not at all trying to hide the pain from his features. But Jinji ignored it, not wanting to deal with the questions circling her mind, all melding together and boiling down to one—why?
    "I was looking for you, but I can't talk about it here, not with so many people around." His shoulders hunched, falling with defeat.
    "Can we leave?" Jinji asked. As soon as the words left her lips, hope filled her. Could they escape the scrutiny? Could they be just the two of them again, for a little while? Normal. Friends. Without the stares, the expectations, and the new emotions stirring her heart.
    Rhen grinned. "Wonderful idea. Let's go."
    As one, they stood, once more grabbing the attention of every noble in the room. Rhen apologized to his brother, quietly this time, murmuring that it was of great importance. But when he turned around, the impish smirk on his face told Jinji something else—that like her, he truly just needed to escape.
    It took all of her control to keep her steps steady as they passed through the center aisle of tables. But the heat of Rhen's hand on the small of her back was just comforting enough to make everything okay.
    "Are you hungry?" he asked as soon as they exited the dining hall.
    The longing in his tone made Jinji realize he was likely starving. But she wanted desperately to hear his news—something told her that the only topic he would be too afraid to mention in public was the shadow. So she shook her head.
    "Perfect, I know just the place where we can talk."
    Without hesitating, Rhen grabbed her hand and tugged her along. The move felt natural, as though their palms were made to touch. His callused fingers were soft against her skin—large and firm, yet gentle, making Jinji feel delicate under his care. Her chest cringed painfully, but still she held on, wanting to absorb the moment because she was unsure if it would ever happen again.
    "This way," Rhen said, dropping her hand and pulling Jinji from her reverie. The heat from his touch slowly faded away, bringing an awareness of her surroundings back to the forefront of her mind.
    A winding staircase rested before them, one Rhen was already eagerly climbing. Wanting to keep pace, Jinji lunged to follow, circling round and round, dizzy from keeping her focus on the triangular steps below her feet. The stone was barely worn, making her wonder if this was another of Rhen's sanctuaries, just like the crow's nest on the ships.
    He's obsessed with heights . She sighed as her breath started to grow more labored