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back of her head
swaying in time with her movements. Natalia’s own black hair was
down today, falling loose around her shoulders in black waves. She
never wore it down in public. It was always tied back, centre
parted with each half plaited from the parting directly above her
nose to the nape of her neck where it met and joined into one long
plait or held in a bun. Today, she had been careful to wear it in a
way that would help disguise her identity. She wore it in the way
that she did sometimes when she sung at the club.

    “ No one will
recognise me as royalty,” she said and stood. “I want to see the
festival just once in my lifetime.”

    “ You are of
mating age and able to be responsible for your own actions. I will
not stand in your way if you want to do this. I have often wanted
to see the festival myself.” Her mother stood and placed her hand
on Natalia’s shoulder. Her expression turned pleading. “Just be
careful and be alert.”

    Natalia nodded.

    “ Ixion!” The
loudness of her mother’s voice startled Natalia and she turned the
moment the doors opened, her eyes immediately fixing on Ixion where
he stood between them. It was exactly as she had hoped. Her mother
would ask Ixion to guard her, trusting his skills above those of
the guard. Guards would draw too much attention. No one would see
an assassin.

    Ixion placed his right
hand against his chest and lowered his head. “Your
highness?”

    Natalia had expected him
to call her mother ‘my lady’ as he had called her. His deliberate
use of ‘your highness’ for her mother made her feel as though his
use of ‘my lady’ for herself was more intimate, as though she
commanded him more than her mother.

    “ Princess
Natalia has expressed a desire to see the festival,” her mother
said and Ixion’s gaze shot to Natalia, as though he couldn’t
believe that she would do such a thing. It made her nervous. Did he
really think the threat of conflict was that real? Did he fear for
her safety? “Take two of your men and shadow her and her
attendants. At the slightest sign of trouble, you will get them out
of there and bring them back to the palace.”

    “ Yes, your
highness,” he said and bowed lower before backing out of the
room.

    The doors
closed.

    Natalia’s heart
thumped.

    Was she really going to
risk her life in order to have Ixion notice her?

    Perhaps her father was
right.

    A male had already
captured her heart.

    ***

    Ixion leapt over the
narrow divide between the buildings on the main street of the city.
His gaze never left Natalia where she walked below him on the
street even though his attention was spread wide, monitoring
everything for a sign of danger. He signalled his two men where
they ran over the rooftops on the opposite side of the street to
him. They nodded and disappeared, reappearing in the crowd
below.

    The people were still
spread out at this end of the street, but the market square ahead
of them was packed. It would be difficult to keep an eye on the
princess and her attendants from the rooftops.

    She reached the start of
the festival, passing under the large colourful banner that marked
the boundary and the first of the stalls.

    Ixion watched her closely
as she moved through the gathered people. She was beautiful. Her
gown pushed her breasts up and the tight short pale blue jacket she
wore only emphasised them all the more. The glossy waves of her
long black hair spilled over her shoulders, free for once rather
than drawn back. At the palace, she had looked at him long enough
for him to notice the black kohl that lined her rich green eyes,
emphasising the shape of them and her long lashes. She was
beautiful enough to take his breath away, but it was difficult to
see her like this, knowing what her father had planned and that she
may already love another.

    It was torture and he
longed for her to end his misery and silence his heart
forever.

    She had a very sensual way
of moving, her hips swaying enough that it