Free The Celestial Kiss by Belle Celine Page A

realized what I’d been saturated with.  Nausea rolled through my stomach at the smell.  Blood. 
    The King righted my overturned goblet and turned to the girl, issuing a very kind request for another.  I stared at the napkin a moment, before coming to attention in time to place my hand on the King’s.  “No.”  I told him, speaking for the first time in hours, causing my voice to crack.  “Please.” I added, with an imperceptible shake of my head.  The girl who’d caused the mess looked to the King for confirmation, and then disappeared when he nodded his agreement. 
    I noticed then that I’d still been under surveillance, knowledge that made me feel even more uneasy.  In the wake of that mess, though, the silence had been transformed into a buzz of noise as several conversations had erupted.  I released the breath I’d been unconsciously holding, and took my seat again.  James handed me his napkin, and I accepted it with a murmured ‘thanks’, pulling the last of the wet stain from the skirt.
    Dinner commenced, and everybody seemed to be swallowed into their own conversations, leaving me to sit awkwardly at the forefront of the room, on the receiving end of curious glances.  I heard Janna begin talking to her mother about something she’d seen in town a few days ago, and the King discussing with a man a seat or two over from him how the weather was perfect.  I simply stared at the food before me, unwilling and unable to eat after feeling the blood on my hands.  Though I’d ruined a few crisp linen napkins, they were still tinted red.  James leaned into me so that nobody could see what he was about to say.
    “You know, we don’t normally eat like this…all picking off the same trays.”  He gestured at the slices of meat that had been carved up on a gleaming platter.  “It’s for your benefit.  We wanted you to know that the food is good.  Untainted.”  He added.
    I turned, looking at him blankly.  His dark eyes looked deceptively kind, and the planes of his face were not so rigid that he looked angry, just uncertain.  The smile that he offered me was charming in spite of its faltering habit.  But I knew better than to be taken in by deceitful good looks. “What is this?”
    “Dinner,” he said simply.  “A good one too.”
    “That’s not what I meant.”  I hissed.  “Why are you guys doing this?  What do you want from me?”
    James watched me for a moment, contemplating his answer.  “We can discuss this at length later.”  And without waiting for an answer, he turned to his brother and began to speak with him on something I did not care to listen to.
    The king watched me a minute, then leaned in.  When he did, I realized that up close, the sickness Janna had mentioned was evident.  It was no wonder she had taken up arms to defend him—he looked fragile.  His face was pale, translucent like paper and stretched too tight.  Under his eyes were dark circles, like bruises, and though they weren’t prominent, I could see the way that wrinkles did cover his face…fine little things, like fault lines under his skin.  While he looked feeble, I couldn’t say he looked particularly old.  At least, not as old as he truly was.  I felt inclined to like him, for reasons I couldn’t explain.  But that wasn’t going to stop me from letting him know how I really felt.
    “I must confess, the blood was a test.  I had to make sure my people were safe in your presence.  Having it spilled on you…well, that was, I suspect, a bit of creative liberty.”  I looked down at the table where the discarded napkins sat at the edge of my empty plate.  “You passed, by the way.”
    From the corner of my eye, I saw that Janna was embroiled in a conversation which required the emphatic use of her hands.  She was far too distracted to notice me. 
    “I deserve answers.”
    “You do,” he nodded.  “But I cannot give them to you.  James has tied your fates together…I’m